Write a commentA new book that showcases material from working class writers has been launched. The book 'From the Plough to the Stars: An Anthology of Working People’s Prose from Contemporary Ireland' contains 50 contributions including a story from Newry man Seán Maguire.
“The cooks, the cleaners, the porters: unsung heroes on the frontline” cried an Irish newspaper headline in early May 2020. During the pandemic it has become clear that whatever else fails, a society cannot function without working class people. On Monday 16th November, Clare Daly MEP launched a timely anthology of prose by Irish working-class writers. The 50 contributors are from the whole island of Ireland and include Newry author/poet Seán Maguire with his story, Window Pain.
This anthology drives home the fact that the life experiences of the contributors as working people are the same, no matter where on the island they reside, on which side of the border, rural or urban, female or male, younger or older, writing in Irish or English. The common focus is on themes which reflect the quality and concerns of working-class life in contemporary Ireland. The writers create a complex and varied image of Irish working people today, one that challenges regular stereotypes of their class.
The anthology was edited by Jenny Farrell, with a foreword by Gerry Murphy,
President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, and it has been generously supported and promoted by the Irish labour movement.
From the Plough to the Stars: An Anthology of Working People’s Prose from Contemporary Ireland. ISBN: 978-1-912710-25-6
Price: €12/ £11 plus p. and p. Available from the Culture Matters website, WWW.CULTUREMATTERS.ORG.UK
