Children of the Dead End

By Patrick MacGill

Book Overview

"Children of the Dead End: The Autobiography of an Irish Navvy" by Patrick MacGill offers a compelling glimpse into the life of a working-class Irishman at the turn of the 20th century. This autobiographical fiction, rooted in the social realism of its time, transports readers to Donegal, Ireland, and beyond, following the experiences of an Irish navvy.

More than just a historical novel, this is a powerful story of survival and resilience. MacGill's work paints a vivid portrait of an era, capturing the struggles and triumphs of a segment of society often overlooked. Explore themes of poverty, labor, and the human spirit in this classic work. A meticulously prepared print republication, this edition ensures that MacGill's important voice continues to resonate. A significant contribution to historical fiction, "Children of the Dead End" remains a testament to the enduring power of the human story.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023196549
• ISBN13: 9781023196543
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Incredibly moving

this book is the most moving book I have ever read. It tells the story of a young man making his way in life. Born in Donegal, Ireland working his way through Scotland and the USA. It will move you to tears and lead you to book after book from this very talented writer.

Honest and touching

This is one of the most memorable books I have ever read. The writer tells the story of growing up in Donegal and his exit to scotland in search of work. You are drawn into his life and the people he loved. There is an honesty in the writing that moves you to tears.

My grandfather is Patrick MacGill

This story is truly autobiographical of my grandfather's early life and is very moving and effective. His early years in Donegal were difficult and fraught with the perils of poverty. Nevertheless, Grandpa overcame is lack of formal education and humble beginnings to be a successful author. His later years were no less difficult as he struggled for decades with the debilitation of MS, but he raised, with my grandmother, three amazingly strong and successful women. This autobiographical novel teaches us all abouth the indomitable strength of the human will and spirit.

An undiscovered Classic

Having read Children of the Dead End for the first time I was taken over by it.It is a story of extraordinary main characters,humour and the bleak portrayal of life as a near slave,potatoe digger and the harsh life as a navvie. I was amazed at the life that the main character"Dermod" lived.He left home at the age of 12 without an education and he went to the hiring fair and worked to send money back home to his family.He has to face the harsh reality and he gambles his money and becomes a heavy drinker. He experiences life without a roof over his head. This story is said to be Patrick MacGills autobiography. Some of the Characters are fictonal while others are said to be true characters. Mac Gills descriptive power is Compelling and I never wanted to leave the book down. Children of the Dead End is an undiscovered classic of Irish litriture and it should be comended.

One of those unexpected gems for your top ten list

Children of the Dead End is mentioned in Roy Foster's History of Ireland. The "lost" Irish who are the subject of this moving tale came from the West (Connaught and Munster) in the first half of this century to dig potatoes in Scotland or build the towns and railways of England. Economic hardship was the perennial impetus to the Irish diaspora and it is this route the young lad steps out as an Irish navvy at twelve via the "slave fairs" in Donegal so that he might send money home for the rent on his parents smallholding. It is rich in its Irish sensitivity towards and facility with language; evocative of the innocence and brutality that so pervades many aspects of the Irish experience; it moves dramatically between eternal hope of youthful dreams and the crushing fate of circumstance. This is not a roughly told tale of the noble savage- or the stage Irishman, fighting and drinking- sentimentalising the epithet about the Irish "For their wars they are happy and their love songs they are sad". No, this is a tale told with pathos, and with a refreshing absence of self-conscious art. It is tragic and heroic, its characters are vividly drawn and engaging. Moleskin Joe is certainly a great addition to the list of literary characters. It has the full force of hard biting reality. I came to it without high expectations but finished wondering whether I had just read the best of Irish literature. It might not be in the same genre as Oscar Wilde for sophistication, nor Yeats for philosophy or Joyce for modernism. But it certainly ranks well beside Synge's Arran Islands and is as enjoyable, engaging and moving as anything I've read. A beautiful book.