Patrick McCabe Books

The relationship between mother and son is unique, but for 45-year-old Pat McNab, it takes a bizarre turn as he lives with his deceased mother, keeping it a secret. Amidst truly absurd moments, the story reveals a comedic structure.

Dan Fogarty, an Irishman living in England, is looking after his sister Una, now seventy and suffering from dementia in a care home in Margate. From Dan’s anarchic account, we gradually piece together the story of the Fogarty family. How the parents are exiled from a small Irish village and end up living the hard immigrant life in England. How Dots, the mother, becomes a call girl in 1950s Soho. How a young and overweight Una finds herself living in a hippie squat in Kilburn in the early 1970s. How the squat appears to be haunted by vindictive ghosts who eat away at the sanity of all who live there.And, finally, how all that survives now of those sex-and-drug-soaked times are Una’s unspooling memories as she sits outside in the Margate sunshine, and Dan himself, whose role in the story becomes stranger and more sinister.Poguemahone is a wild, free-verse monologue, steeped in music and folklore, crammed with characters, both real and imagined, on a scale Patrick McCabe has never attempted before.

It is 1958, and as Laika, the Sputnik dog is launched into space, Golly Murray, the Cullymore barber's wife, finds herself oddly obsessing about the canine cosmonaut. Meanwhile, Fonsey 'Teddy' O'Neill, is returning, like the prodigal son, from overseas, with brylcream in his hair, and a Cuban-heeled swagger to his step, having experienced his coming-of-age in Butlin's, Skegness. Father Augustus Hand is working on a bold new theatrical production for Easter, which he, for one, knows will put Cullymore on the map. And, as the Manchester United football team prepare to take off from Munich airport, James A. Reilly sits in his hovel by the lake outside town, with his pet fox and his father's gun, feeling the weight of an insidious and inscrutable presence pressing down upon him. With echoes of Peyton Place and Fellini's Amarcord, and with a sinister, diabolical narrator at its heart, this is at once a story of a small town - with its secrets, fears, friendships and betrayals - and a sweeping, grand guignol of theatrical extravagance from one of the finest writers of his generation. From the closed terraces and back lanes of rural Ireland to the information super highway and global separations of our own, The Stray Sod Country is at once a homage to what we think we may have lost and a chilling reminder that the past has never really passed.

With an introduction by Ross RaisinA modern classic of Irish fiction, shortlisted for the 1992 Booker prize.When I was a young lad twenty or thirty or forty years ago I lived in a small town where they were all after me on account of what I done on Mrs Nugent.Francie Brady is a small-town rascal who spends his days turning a blind eye to the troubles at home and getting up to mischief with his best friend Joe - hiding in the chicken-house, shouting abuse at fish in the local stream. But after a disagreement with his neighbour Mrs Nugent over her son's missing comic books, Francie's reckless streak spirals out of control and gives rise to a monstrous obsession . . .Fearless, shocking and blackly funny, Patrick McCabe's The Butcher Boy won the 1992 Irish Times Literature Prize and was shortlisted for the 1992 Booker Prize. It is a modern classic of Irish fiction, a portrait of the insidious violence latent in small town life and of a frenzied young man lashing out at everyone, even himself.

`The best Irish novel of the decade' Sunday Telegraph

Patrick McCabe's lyrical and haunting novel became a #1 bestseller in Ireland and was nominated for the Booker Prize. With delicate insight, McCabe introduces Mr. Patrick "Pussy" Braden, a hopeful hero(ine) whose survival and quest for love drive the narrative, set against the backdrop of the troubles in Ireland. Twenty years ago, Pussy escaped her hometown of Tyreelin, leaving behind her foster mother Whiskers and her chaotic household to start anew in London. There, she navigates life in blousey tops and satin miniskirts, often risking everything in the bars of Piccadilly Circus. However, the dangers she faces extend beyond the seedy clientele; the 1970s are marked by fear in both London and Belfast, pulling Pussy into a vortex of violence and tragedy that threatens to shatter her fragile spirit. Brilliant and profound, the novel intertwines light and dark, laughter and pain, with a sensitivity that leaves a lasting impact on readers long after the final page.

The intention was, of course, to bring her out to Winterwood - to that magical place that only me and her knew - but I wouldn't tell her that until much later on, for I wanted it to be as much of a surprise as possible. 'Kimono!' I remember laughing 'Kimono and Pinkie Pie! The Magic Castle, here we come!' Winterwood, a place of dreams and mystery. Once, near Dublin, Redmond was in heaven, married to the sugar-lipped Catherine, and father to lovely daughter Immy. But later, much later, Red did something. And it could all never be like that again. Winterwood, a place of escape and sanctuary. Red meets Auld Pappie Ned, a fiddler and teller of tales with honeyed words who seems the authentic spirit of 'the old valley', indeed a fiddler by nature and a man so mesmerising that Red sees himself anew, so new in fact that only a fresh name will now do as he leaves (he hopes) the demons of his past behind, the apparitions. And then one day Red spies Catherine again. And still even this is not quite enough to save his new love Casey from the man who's called Dominic Tiernan.

Francie Brady returns in this highly anticipated sequel, continuing his tumultuous journey. The narrative delves deeper into his complex psyche, exploring themes of identity, trauma, and the impact of a troubled childhood. As he navigates the challenges of adulthood, readers are treated to a blend of dark humor and poignant moments, showcasing Francie's struggles and growth. This installment promises to captivate fans with its rich character development and gripping storytelling.

Fueled by rage and despair, Pat McNab embarks on a violent spree after killing his mother, leading to the murder of over fifty people—or is it all a figment of his whiskey-fueled imagination? As he grapples with blurred lines between reality and fantasy, Pat reminisces about his childhood while navigating the meddling small-town residents, including the judgmental Mrs. Tubridy and the intrusive Turf Man. The story delves into themes of memory, guilt, and the consequences of unchecked impulses amidst a backdrop of dark humor and surrealism.

Set against the backdrop of the late 1970s, the narrative follows Joey Tallon as he navigates a tumultuous quest for enlightenment, influenced by T. S. Eliot's poetry. Struggling with intense desire and a yearning for connection, Tallon seeks his "place of peace," a spiritual refuge that may lie between his Northern Ireland hometown and Iowa, blurring the lines between heaven and hell. His journey reflects a deep exploration of identity and belonging amid a psychedelic landscape gone awry.