Choice Publishing Book Store

 

 

TEMPLE BARRED

 

-Vol. 1 -

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William Monks

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ISBN: 978-1-917242-26-4

(Hardback)

 

Price:  €20.00 plus shipping (Irish Address)

 

 

 

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About the Book:

 

“I’ll never be dead as long as you sing the songs or tell the tales.”

 

 

Sam, a homeless man living in the dark shadows of a tumultuous Temple Bar Dublin just after COVID-19 has dissipated. But out of public sight should not be out of civic view. As long as his song is sung and his story told, even among the few, then his memory like our own is solidified in time and place.

 

 

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Every once in a while a book captures the character, mood, and humour of a place. ‘The Confederacy of Dunces’ by John Kennedy Toole did that for New Orleans’ French Quarter as Edwin O’Connor did for Boston with ‘The Last Hurrah’ in their Pulitzer Prize winning novels.  Bill Monks has achieved that for Dublin’s historic Temple Bar neighbourhood with his debut novel, ‘Temple Barred.’

Monks creates a fantasy world that is both hilarious, and a tragically true-to-life depiction of life on the mean streets of Dublin.  Musicians, mystics, drunks and drug dealers intermingle with cops, barmen, and bouncers weaving a Lord of the Rings style quest combined with social commentary on the reality of urban poverty and addiction beneath the raucous surface. Various rival tribes that are visible to each other but hidden in plain sight from tourists and revellers who flow in and out of the cultural quarter, vie for control of the territory of Temple Bar. The memorable characters navigate the dangers and possibilities of urban life in a tale told with the humour, humanity and voice of a true Dubliner.

The portrayal of homelessness, rough sleepers, squatters, and deprivation shrouded by the never ending party that is Temple Bar gently educates the reader without preaching. Vivid descriptions of the cobbled laneways and realistic dialogue bring Temple Bar itself to life.  A visit to the historic gem in Dublin’s city centre will never be the same after reading this novel. The Temple Bar neighbourhood has stood since the time of the Vikings. ‘Temple Barred’ will also stand the test of time.

 

Tim Kirk

Columnist, Boston Irish Magazine