Pup for the Boreen

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Pup for the Boreen is the second book in his series from Irish author and poet Pete Duffy. Growing up in Cork city, Petes poems, tales and short stories about love lost, family life, Irish culture, humor and even his unique insights into other diverse cultures captured in verse and short story make Petes work very unique. Although his literary work is largely fiction, there is more truth in Petes stories and poetry when you read along. Capturing snapshots of Petes history growing up on the north-side, to other historical events occurring overseas, you are transported along, captivated with each poem and with each tale that Pete has so poignantly created. Painting pictures of a time and a place every bit as rich and flavoursome as the worlds inhabited by the likes of Frank O’Connor and John B. Keane, these narratives amuse, sadden and delight, they capture the essence of particular Cork-bred voices. Shaped by personal experience and observations, Pup for the Boreen contains a selection of short stories and poems that can be heart-rending in their poignancy or quirky to the point of eccentric, even zany, but altogether utterly unique to this writer. They reflect his own slightly wild personality, his own distinctive drumbeat rhythms and his own rare, though not always readily apparent, sensitivities to the still moments in a hectic day. For a writer whose religion is nothing less than life lived at a rock ‘n’ roll tempo, it seems right to read these stories as confessions, because that’s what they are. Even the fictions are possessed of a valuable truth. Recently, Pete’s journey as a writer has begun to take him in the direction of theatre, and that must seem an undeniable call, given the natural musical inflections of his language, his innate instinct for the dramatic and his finely-tuned ear for the homespun and guttural. Yet for me, the stories live as easily on the page as on any stage. And, if proof were at all needed, we have here his second collection of short stories, gathering tales that have already received acclaimed first airings in such esteemed publications as the Holly Bough, the Evening Echo and Ireland’s Own. It’s just the latest stage of a long and winding journey. Reviews Pete Duffy is a natural storyteller and his voice on the page is nearly miraculous in capturing the natural sound of his native and beloved city. -Ying-Tai Chang, author of ‘The Bear Whispers To Me’ and recipient of the 2015 Lennox Robinson Award. Pete Duffy displays a casual flair for spinning yarns that conceals a great dedication to the craft. To make writing look as easy as taking air on a summer’s morning is one of the greatest gifts that any scribe can hope to possess. His stories are alive on the page, rich with all the flavours of Cork’s past and present. To read his work is to know his world, a world before cappuccinos and skinny lattes, a world of crubeens, porter and Donkey’s Gudge, or washing in rain barrels and living wild. Balancing comedy and pathos is an immensely difficult act; what Pete achieves is a little short of magic. -Billy O’Callaghan, Irish BookAward-winning author of ‘The Things We lose, The Things We Leave Behind.’ Pete tells his stories with such down home conviction that you can’t wait for the next flight of fancy to transport your imagination and to join him in another beautiful adventure. -Art Supple, International Entertainer and former County Councillor and fiction, tales, book, historical, family, Irish fiction mystery, Irish historical fiction Kindle books, Irish writers, Irish fiction, Irish short stories, Irish stories, Irish authors, Irish poet, Irish culture, Cork, Irish heritage, Irish poetry, Pete Duffy, Old Dog for the Hard Road, historical fiction, Irish tales, stories about Ireland, short stories, literary fiction, historical fiction Ireland,