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bridie_books's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent look at life during the Troubles. Unbiased and well-written.
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful and smart writing, subtle snark, and a sharp but skeptical political edge...my favorite sort of book.
garatandhi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
A truly beautiful piece of writing and maybe one of my favourite pieces of Troubles media
bgg616's review against another edition
5.0
This book was originally published as [b:Walking Along the Border|2770132|Walking Along the Border|Colm Tóibín|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|1631470] in 1987. It was republished in 1994 with a new title, and without the photographs. I suppose the new title was intended to draw readers interested in Northern Ireland, as well as to reflect that this book is more than a travelogue. Toibin, at the time he wrote this, was 32, living in Dublin, and working as a journalist. This was the first of three non-fiction books he wrote that could be categorized as "travelogues". The other two are [b:Homage to Barcelona|43701|Homage to Barcelona|Colm Tóibín|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1170210975s/43701.jpg|2550432] (1990) and [b:The Sign of the Cross: Travels in Catholic Europe|1985837|The Sign of the Cross Travels in Catholic Europe|Colm Tóibín|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1266951690s/1985837.jpg|1989386] (1994).
This book, like other books that are ostensibly about travel, is a study of the history and people, including a few writers, along the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Toíbin made his trip during the height of the Troubles.* Toíbin walked the border in order to see up close what it meant. Everywhere there were cement blockades, and other obstacles to stop traffic from using border crossings. Many (probably most bridges) were destroyed. This website features many interviews with residents along the border: http://www.borderroadmemories.com/
Toíbin walked through rain, bad weather, British Army checkpoints, and at times hostile locals. It is understandable that the sight of a stranger walking through near empty countryside could be startling. At times, he walks miles through bad weather to a town that reportedly has a hotel, to find it has closed. Many local and small businesses closed during the Troubles. Sometimes it was after the closing of a bridge or border crossing meant that business dried up. Other times, they were victims of bombings or other attacks. The bridge crossings divided communities that had lived in harmony despite the border for decades. Some of the closings dated back to the late 1950's. a time when a decimated IRA carried on a fruitless "Border Campaign".
Toíbin is skilled at befriending locals and gaining some trust. He interviews victims of atrocities, and in one interview, a survivor who has been reluctant to talk to the media over the previous ten years, opens up to Toíbin. In a couple of situations where strong sectarian suspicions freeze him out, he manages to befriend a key local resident who lets others know the Toíbin is OK. He also has friends living in the areas he is traveling who occasionally come to his rescue when he is stranded by bad weather, and/or in a place with no accommodations. In the age before mobile phones, and the internet, travelers were heavily dependent on the goodwill of locals. There were, of course, no local tourist offices to give advice. It was a "seat of your pants" way of traveling. Considering he was traveling through areas that were essentially "war zones", it was a remarkable journey. Toíbin, however, wasn't the first to write about traveling in Northern Ireland during these years. Dervla Murphy's remarkable book [b:A Place Apart|1108115|A Place Apart|Dervla Murphy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409031914s/1108115.jpg|1095062](1978) tells of traveling by bicycle through Northern Ireland, almost a decade before Toíbin.
Toíbin's future as a writer of literary fiction is apparent in this book. On his visit to Enniskillen, he writes about the great writer John McGahern, who lived just south of the border, but as Toíbin writes" Enniskillen was sort of a capital for him". Toíbin goes on to write:
He had written so well, so accurately, in such detail, about the world just south of the border that his work was almost more real than the places themselves. It was a time when the police had nothing to do except arrest cyclists for having no lights, when there were no cars on the road, when personal isolation and pain found no comfort in the monolith southern Ireland had become.
This is a book for anyone interested in Northern Ireland, as well as fans of Toíbin. Highly recommended.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-11610132
* The other night at a reading by Northern Irish native Nick Laird, he was in conversation with a local writer who commented to me that he found it "interesting" that the 30 year war in Northern Ireland was referred to as "the Troubles", an understatement, to say the least.
This book, like other books that are ostensibly about travel, is a study of the history and people, including a few writers, along the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Toíbin made his trip during the height of the Troubles.* Toíbin walked the border in order to see up close what it meant. Everywhere there were cement blockades, and other obstacles to stop traffic from using border crossings. Many (probably most bridges) were destroyed. This website features many interviews with residents along the border: http://www.borderroadmemories.com/
Toíbin walked through rain, bad weather, British Army checkpoints, and at times hostile locals. It is understandable that the sight of a stranger walking through near empty countryside could be startling. At times, he walks miles through bad weather to a town that reportedly has a hotel, to find it has closed. Many local and small businesses closed during the Troubles. Sometimes it was after the closing of a bridge or border crossing meant that business dried up. Other times, they were victims of bombings or other attacks. The bridge crossings divided communities that had lived in harmony despite the border for decades. Some of the closings dated back to the late 1950's. a time when a decimated IRA carried on a fruitless "Border Campaign".
Toíbin is skilled at befriending locals and gaining some trust. He interviews victims of atrocities, and in one interview, a survivor who has been reluctant to talk to the media over the previous ten years, opens up to Toíbin. In a couple of situations where strong sectarian suspicions freeze him out, he manages to befriend a key local resident who lets others know the Toíbin is OK. He also has friends living in the areas he is traveling who occasionally come to his rescue when he is stranded by bad weather, and/or in a place with no accommodations. In the age before mobile phones, and the internet, travelers were heavily dependent on the goodwill of locals. There were, of course, no local tourist offices to give advice. It was a "seat of your pants" way of traveling. Considering he was traveling through areas that were essentially "war zones", it was a remarkable journey. Toíbin, however, wasn't the first to write about traveling in Northern Ireland during these years. Dervla Murphy's remarkable book [b:A Place Apart|1108115|A Place Apart|Dervla Murphy|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1409031914s/1108115.jpg|1095062](1978) tells of traveling by bicycle through Northern Ireland, almost a decade before Toíbin.
Toíbin's future as a writer of literary fiction is apparent in this book. On his visit to Enniskillen, he writes about the great writer John McGahern, who lived just south of the border, but as Toíbin writes" Enniskillen was sort of a capital for him". Toíbin goes on to write:
He had written so well, so accurately, in such detail, about the world just south of the border that his work was almost more real than the places themselves. It was a time when the police had nothing to do except arrest cyclists for having no lights, when there were no cars on the road, when personal isolation and pain found no comfort in the monolith southern Ireland had become.
This is a book for anyone interested in Northern Ireland, as well as fans of Toíbin. Highly recommended.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-11610132
* The other night at a reading by Northern Irish native Nick Laird, he was in conversation with a local writer who commented to me that he found it "interesting" that the 30 year war in Northern Ireland was referred to as "the Troubles", an understatement, to say the least.
lectrice's review against another edition
3.0
3.5: Intriguing premise from a favorite Irish author, with uneven results: some parts are compelling and others less so, due to the randomness of the project (he can’t plan or predict who or what he will encounter along the way). He offers glimpses of explanations behind intractable sectarian divisions, but also leaves me puzzled as to their persistence in spite of efforts on both sides to achieve peace.
guerlettres's review
5.0
A « high class reportage » indeed, as described by the Irish times. A valuable and seizing « walk along the Irish border », helping to understand. Grief, healing, faces and words, wounds, past, present and future.
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