An Inner City

2015 | Fiction & Poetry

Chapelgate Gardens, an inner city flats complex in Dublin, provides the backdrop to this honest, gritty account of the lives of a group of young adults in the late sixties in an Ireland gripped in a state of depression and unemployment. Mick, Gerard, Larry and Imelda just get on by hustling, petty thieving and even prostitution. They, along with others, form a close knit group of family and friends, with dreams of how they can escape and live more fulfilling lives which aren't an exact copy of their downtrodden parents' lives. Emigration to England beckons, and for some that is the way out. They want to be independent of all ties and are prepared to do anything to achieve success. Others feel they can have their dreams fulfilled by staying in Ireland, surrounded by their family and friends and try to find a steady job. There are good times and low times, separations and homecomings as each one tries to find their own way.

Terry O'Shea (Author)