Today’s items come from the John Magahern collection which
is housed in the archives service of the James Hardiman Library. The first
image comes from an initial hand-written draft of part of the John Maghern
short-story “Christmas”. In the story a boy, who has to serve at altar at
Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, looks forward with apprehension to the “hours
of boredom” he will have to endure. At
the Midnight Mass itself the Monsignor’s sermon is disrupted by a very drunk
Guard Mullins who states that the Monsignor is “a man after my own heart” before
warning the parishioners to beware of hypocrites. The Monsignor cuts the sermon
short, peremptorily wishing his parishioners a happy and holy Christmas with “a
voice like acid”. For the boy “the shortest midnight mass the church had ever
known” is a godsend.
Whether the Guard is referring to the Bible when warning of
hypocrites, or is referring pointedly to his own personal experience of
policing in the town remains unstated. The Catholicism portrayed here has
echoes of Joyce’s politically charged Christmas dinner in “Portrait of an
Artist”, and is tinged with repetition, boredom and despair.
The other item from the John Magahern collection highlighted
here is a typescript draft of part of a piece on Christmas in Ireland;
beginning 'In America, it is Thanksgiving; in Scotland, the New Year; and in
Ireland the great festival is Christmas.' Contains handwritten amendments.
Descriptions of both of these items, and the rest of the
collections, can be browsed at http://www.calmhosting01.com/NUIG/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=P71
No comments:
Post a Comment