My Father Left Me Ireland

One of my absolute favorite books from last year is My Father Left me Ireland by Michael Brendon Dougherty. Penned as a letter to his father, the book serves not only as a memoir, but also as a thought-provoking exercise on belonging, a link a parent plays between a child and their heritage. And while his own relationship with his father is very different to mine, I could see myself. Especially the reconciliation part. His father said “having a child would send me to the roots” — having a young son myself, I can see myself and how I’ve felt over the last couple of years. There’s been a transformation that I can’t put a finger on. May be it comes with being a parent, may be because a lot has happened during this time — losing family members during the pandemic among other things — I’m not sure what the motivation was for me but becoming a father definitely helps one understand one’s own relationship with their father especially the part that is left unsaid.

It’s always gut wrenching whenever I read about the Irish revolt, especially when groups give their lives knowing they would fail, the idea that value of life is more than what we just see in material gains.

I’ve recently been asking ChatGPT about certain books and while it’s responded quite intelligently for most of them, it was a bit cathartic that it was unable to provide much insight into a book that is as personal as this one.