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Martin Doyle, Books Editor of The Irish Times, offers a personal, intimate history of the Troubles seen through the microcosm of a single rural parish, his own, part of both the Linen Triangle – heartland of the North’s defining industry – and the Murder Triangle – the Badlands devastated by paramilitary violence. He lifts the veil of silence drawn over the horrors of the past, recording in heartrending detail the terrible toll the conflict took – more than twenty violent deaths in a few square miles – and the long tail of trauma it has left behind.
Neighbours and classmates who lost loved ones in the conflict, survivors maimed in bomb attacks and victims of sectarianism, both Catholic and Protestant, entrust Doyle with their stories. Writing with a literary sensibility, he skilfully shows how the once dominant local linen industry serves as a metaphor for communal division but also for the solidarity that transcended the sectarian divide. To those who might ask why you would want to reopen old wounds, the answer might be that some wounds have never been allowed to heal.
Praise for Dirty Linen
‘Dirty Linen is a powerfully affecting read, an encapsulation of the terror, the trauma, the hatred, the injustice, the terrible sadness and loss. But there is also the bravery and courage, and the very human struggles in these stories of individuals living their everyday lives. It’s a kind and personal book, bringing it right down to the individual and hearing their voice and their truth. I underlined so much in it. The writing itself is wonderful, full of compassion and intelligence and revelation… facing up to the reality of pain and yet bearing hope as well.’ – Anna Burns
‘This is the finest memoir of the conflict I’ve ever read.’ – Fergal Keane
‘Dirty Linen is shocking, riveting, and compassionate.’ – Roddy Doyle
‘Brilliantly written, fully human, hard to read and harder to put down – everyone should read this book.’ – Anne Enright
‘Sensitive and urgent, Dirty Linen is a must-read that gives readers a shocking insight into what lies beneath the surface of life and death in a conflict zone.’ – Michelle Gallen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Martin Doyle is the Books Editor of The Irish Times. A former Editor of the Irish Post, he has worked in journalism for over three decades and is a regular contributor to the media and arts programming.
All events are listed in Eastern Time and Irish Standard Time.
