North Atlantic Skyline - - Photographs from the west of Ireland (Galway, Mayo, Clare, Limerick, Roscommon and even Leitrim)

The Back of Beyond

For me, the best bookshop (or anywhere in Ireland, for that matter) in Galway is Charlie Byrne's, on Middle Street. It's also the worst, for the same reason. Every time I go in there, I can happily lose myself for an hour or more, discovering even more books I never knew existed but, having done so, realizing that I can't live without them. Since I rarely part with books, my 'library' is expanded at the expense of living space. I went in there before Christmas to buy some books as presents and came out with at least half a dozen. For myself (I had to go back the next morning to buy the books I'd originally went in to buy for other people). Byrnes is also just across the road from Woodberry's wine shop which means I usually end up struggling with books in one bag and a couple of bottles another. The books remain unread longer than the wine undrunk, it has to be said (probably because I don't get help reading the books).

One of the books I bought was called "The Back of Beyond - Searching for the soul of Ireland" written by Charles James Roy. It is an account of how Roy (an American historian, who specialises in Irish history) was hired by an Irish travel company to lead a bunch of American tourists around Ireland on a historical tour. Naturally, not all goes to plan - Roy is clearly a better historian than organiser. The real entertainment - and this is a very funny book - comes from Roy's absolute hatred of blarney of any description, and at every stop along the tour, he tries to get across to his charges the bloodthirsty, treacherous nature of Irish history. I wouldn't necessarily agree with all of his interpretations, but I'd say it would be good fun to argue the difference with him.

The main reason I bought the book was that the tour visited a lot of sites in the west of Ireland, most of which I've visited already. He had bought an old castle in east Galway in 1969, not far from where I used to live myself. He has since sold it, I think. Roy's other preoccupation in the book was with how Ireland was losing its soul through redevelopment (he'd been coming to Ireland since the Sixties). I wonder what he would think, now ? The tour seemed to have taken place in the late Nineties, since he mentions a news item in Galway about a new development in the Galway Docks which depresses him. That development turned out to be the apartment complex I ended up living in myself for a few years, and didn't turn out too bad - it is certainly better than the derelict buildings that stood there before.

Roy owned Moyode Castle, near Craughwell - judging from some quick Googling, he has since sold it. Moyode is in the news this week, because there is a fear that Moyode Woods, which is administered by Coillte, is about to be converted to a quarry. The downside of all the road building taking place in Ireland is an almost insatiable thirst for sand and gravel, and the N6 motorway work [warning: 800k PDF] passes close to Moyode Woods.

The Guardian listed their 10 best bookshops earlier this month - Charlie Byrne's doesn't get a mention. You can find some more of Roy's books at Kennys.