Roise Rua: An Island Memoir Book

"Roise Rua was born in Donegal in 1879 and moved to the island of Arranmore off the Donegal coast at a young age. The fascinating story of her life was first recorded in Irish by Padraig Ua Cnaimhsi and is translated here for the first time." "In this evocative account of her life, Roise narrates her experiences of growing up, and recalls with great vividness the hiring fairs in Strabane, her teenage years working in the Lagan district, Derry and east Donegal, and her time spent 'tattie-hoking' on the potato farms of Scotland. She describes in arresting detail shipwrecks, secret societies, folklore from pre-Famine times and her memories of Ireland during the two world wars." In a story that reflects her vivacious personality, Raise's recollections are a fascinating record of a way of life long forgotten.

Library Journal

This is the first English edition of an oral history of Roise Rua (Red-haired Rose) MacGrianna, who was also known as "Rose of the Songs" for her vast knowledge of folk music. She recounts stories about her life on Arranmore Island, off the northwest coast of Ireland, from the 1880s to the 1950s. Mere survival depended on hard labor, and MacGrianna describes being hired out as a child to farmhouses on the Irish mainland, and later working in the potato fields of Scotland. Also included are her recollections about major events, such as shipwrecks, changes in government, and advancement of technology that affected life on the island. Readers unfamiliar with Irish geography may have benefited from better maps, and some well-placed editorial assistance would have been welcome. For example, some unfamiliar regionalisms and references to persons by several names can be confusing. VERDICT Minor quibbles aside, this work evokes the feeling of spending an evening by the fire, listening to an elderly relative tell stories about the old days, feeling grateful that they are passed on this way, to be kept alive.—Megan Hahn Fraser, Univ. of California, Los Angeles Lib.