Lonely Planet Jaywalking W/The Irish

David Monagan's story of his family's exploration of their Irish roots is both riveting and revealing. His adventurous pilgrimage to the land of his forebears is at once humorous, occasionally heartbreaking and is extremely well-written to boot. Monagan's fascination with the Emerald Isle began when he studied at Trinity College in Dublin, and was heightened over the intervening years by trips back with his wife, Jamie (including their honeymoon) and later with their 3 kids. Finally, in 2000, the Monagan family left rural Connecticut and embarked upon their "Great Irish Escape", landing in Cork City. Monagan's graceful, vivid prose carries us though the mysteries, wonders and hardships of settling in a country that is both familiar to him and unwelcoming to "Yanks." His insightful and dead-on descriptions help us get to know the colorful characters he encounters along the way. We are at his elbow as he hoists a pint at his favorite local pub, the Hi-B, when his children discover first-hand the vagaries of the Irish educational system, and when the family explores the verdant Irish countryside. Monagan writes with honesty, wit and compassion. This is an Ireland that I must visit! This book is one great read!!

Written from the perspective of an Irish-American who lived a while in Ireland in the early 70's and then goes back for a longer stay (maybe for life?) in 2000, David Monagan's book walks us through a coming to terms with abrupt cultural changes that have accompanied the economic transformation from nearly third world to top of the heap in a sigle generation. David doesn't hide the pain and the humor of it all as he portrays his process of assimilation and engagement. This is not only a portrayal that some of us fellow Irish-Americans with "Ireland then and Ireland now" knowledege will gain insight from (while enjoying some laughs in the process), but will also help older Irishmen make some "sense" of their socioeconomic revolution.

I loved it. The language is so beautiful, the characterizations magnificent (I fell in love with so many of the people described), the evocation of the soul of Ireland so clear and compelling (even though I've never been there), and the adventures described so exciting. Anyone who would like to get the next best thing to personal engagement with the people of Ireland should read this treasure.

My husband and I did a similar thing to David's family--we skipped out on our "happy perfect" lives in a quaint New England town, to give rough and tumble Dublin a go. We've never looked back and David's book is the one we'd write, if we had his eye for a story and his talent for telling it. This man knows of what he speaks, when it comes to capturing the expat life in an accurate and compelling fashion. I am amused to see the American reviews focus, I think, somewhat overly much on the negative sides of the Monagan adventure. If they didn't have mistakes and dark encounters, what stories would they have to tell? Living in Ireland, I read those stores with both recognition but awareness of the hugely compensating postive sides of what the Monagans did. If you have any interest in what it is like for an American family to live in a foreign country, and you want to hear it "told straight", run to buy this book. I read loads of this genre and this is definitely one of the better selections (along with Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik).

I'd have to agree with Frank McCourt's statement that you won't find a better or truer depiction of Ireland than Jaywalking with the Irish. I've been to Ireland numerous times, but have not been there very recently. It made me laugh to read of the complexities of "today's" Ireland. I came away from Monagan's book relieved that the warmth, charm and humor that make Ireland so delightful are still soundly in place. The book makes me want to get back there soon.