The way I see it is that all the ol' guff about being Irish is a kind of nonsense. I mean, I couldn't be anything else no matter what I tried to be. I couldn't be Chinese or Japanese. John McGahern chineseguffirish Change image and share on social
I belong to the middle class that grew up very influenced by the Catholic church. The people of the novel are from a more pagan and practical world in which the Christianity is just a veneer. John McGahern belongcatholicchristianity Change image and share on social
Yes, though I have nothing but gratitude for my upbringing in the church. John McGahern churchgratitudeupbringing Change image and share on social
I think it's linked to the realisation that we're not going to live forever and that the way of saying and the language become more important than the story. John McGahern foreverimportantlanguage Change image and share on social
Everything that we inherit, the rain, the skies, the speech, and anybody who works in the English language in Ireland knows that there's the dead ghost of Gaelic in the language we use and listen to and that those things will reflect our Irish identity. John McGahern deadenglishgaelic share on social
