Mogue Doyle Livres

Mr Bawman Wants to Tango intertwines the pleasures of adolescence with the overly regulated and sometimes even menacing environment of a Catholic boarding school, which one can face either by showing indifference or keeping a stiff upper lip. Johnny and Martin are alcoholics living under a bridge in their home town. Their stories, and how they both ended up homeless, are intimately linked from the two years they spent together in a religious order's boarding school. Johnny tells the story of their initially innocent days in the school: their loneliness; their interactions with the other students and the canings they got from priests. He also describes their methods of dealing with the Mr Bawmans - the monks that prey on the naive young students for their own sexual gratification. However, the boys lives become more complicated once they meet two sisters working in the school kitchens. According to the societal rules of the students, liaisons with girls working in the school are not acceptable. When Martin impregnates his girlfriend, Billy - the school bully, holds a show trial to make an example of him to the rest of the students. With lyrical writing evoking comparisons to Pat McCabe and Flann O'Brien, Mogue Doyle delivers a darkly humourous coming-of-age tale with raw emotion dripping from the page.

In rural Ireland in the 1960s, Tony was one smart boy, ready for anything. At least he thought he was, until the day he was involved in an accident that changed everything. On the day of his funeral, he watches his family, friends, and the rest of the farming community arrive at the church and get ready for the service that will end his all too short existence.

Amid the backdrop of the Irish struggle for independence in 1920 Wexford, Jim Rowe steps into the role of captain for a volunteer company. Tasked with resisting the encroachment of a battalion of Black and Tans, his leadership becomes crucial in the fight against oppression and the pursuit of freedom for the local community. The story delves into themes of bravery, conflict, and the complexities of national identity during a turbulent historical period.