The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty

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Sebastian Barry: Less so than I thought there would be, and maybe I was most happy about that. It is difficult to extricate a novel from the life of the writer, but unless the jury of the Gods say otherwise, I think I managed with this.

As readers we are obliged to question Roseanne as a reliable narrator. Time, age and memory are all at work here, yet against all the odds she does succeed in telling us her heart-breaking story. The denouement is an ingenious coming together of all the elements of this memorable novel. Lagos, Sligo — Harcourt casually remarks that they are simply permutations of the same word — a coincidence, perhaps, but ominous nonetheless. Whether in the Balkan states or Ireland, Nigeria or Southeast Asia, the old colonial regimes are toppling in a worldwide convulsion of nationalism. The reader gets the distinct impression that Barry has weighed the human cost of modern nation-building in the balance and found it a poor bargain. Ultimately, nations, states, and political factions have no demarcation in Eneas's atlas of the heart; human relationships, such as the lifelong friendship Eneas forms with Harcourt, are all that constitutes "home." Avenue 1 1/2, Galveston’s red light district, makes a deep impression on Eneas, despite the brief amount of time he spends there and his apparent rejection of the pleasures it offers. What does the area represent to Eneas, and how does this contribute to our understanding of his character?Young Eneas made some unconsidered, casual choices in his adventurous sign up in the First World War, at a tender age, which had devastating effects on the whole of his life. Unfortunately the Twentieth century was never that kind of time, and, Ireland was never that place. There are the European Wars and there are Irelands struggles which followed hard on the heels of the First War And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelations, Ch. 20, v. 15, quoted in The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty

John from [email protected]: How do you think the writing process varies from writing a novel compared to writing a play? Which do you prefer? The clothes one wears, and the people who produce them, are important concepts in the book. There are vivid descriptions of men in dark coats; Eneas's father is a tailor by trade; and much is made of the blue suit that Eneas dons late in the story. How does the author's use of the clothing motif contribute to our understanding of the characters, and the changes some of them undergo?

Sebastian Barry

Eneas’ problems began when he returned home to Ireland after serving in the British Merchant Navy during WWI. He soon discovered that “the war finishing was only a signal to the hidden men of Ireland to brew their own war,” a civil war for independence from the British crown, led by the Irish Republican Army. When I was looking for a name that I could use in my book, I was having difficulty finding something. One night I was watching television and on the news was an account of a car accident in the midlands. One of the witnesses was a local man and his name appeared briefly on the screen. . . Eneas McNulty. It surprised me that the name Aeneas had survived in Ireland, but when you consider the old hedge schools, whose penniless masters spoke more Latin and Irish than English, perhaps it's not so surprising. It seemed the right name for an Irish wanderer. But as you can see, these informal parallels are a world away from Joyce, who modelled his book so intently and masterfully and artfully on the Greek structure. I learned additional perspectives on the Irish/English historical conflicts such as I was first introduced to the details in Trinity by Leon Ur or so he believes. No treasure in life beyond pals, his father decrees. He will be heroic and carry the round red apples off into the town in his best gansey, that his grandma Mrs Byrne created -- created, says his mother -- out

From the first sentences of the book we know we are in the hands of a master storyteller with important things to say about history and the individual’s role in it. Eneas’s gripping and tragic story serves as a reminder of the fine line that exists between hero and murderer, politician and criminal.”— The Wall Street Journal The clothes one wears, and the people who produce them, are important concepts in the book. There are vivid descriptions of men in dark coats; Eneas’s father is a tailor by trade; and much is made of the blue suit that Eneas dons late in the story. How does the author’s use of the clothing motif contribute to our understanding of the characters, and the changes some of them undergo? Sebastian Barry uses the language with great imagination but never overwrites. This book is a wonderful gift, in every sense.” —The Washington Post his spades and his plans done out on rasher paper and dug the whole thing. And it isn't long while you're digging till it's dug though you might think it would take an age, just looking at it first, the peaceful neglectEneas is dogged throughout his life by the collapse of his friendship with Jonno Lynch and the fallout that accompanies it. How does their relationship change throughout the course of the story? In what ways does it remain constant? How does their relationship fit or defy our conventional notions of a hero/villain relationship?