A question for people living in Ireland

[alcina]

I've just finished a series of books (fiction) by Ken Bruen that take place in Galway. He paints a pretty despairing picture of the city -- bankrupt, violent, corrupt. Is it really that bad? They run from 2001 to 2015, and it only seems to get worse.

Thanks for your insights.

Edited to add: Sorry -- I realize Ireland is not part of the UK, but there's no Ireland group, so I thought someone familiar with Ireland might hang out here.

[Narraback]

1. Galway is a great city.

I have read the books. And they are great reads. He also wrote the Blitz based in London. I doubt most Londoners deal with violence at that level!


Galway is great with wonderful people.

Not in Ireland. But I visit the West of Ireland neatly every year.

[TexasProgresive]

3. Not to mention those lovely Galway hookers!

[alcina]

4. He talks about the hookers a lot

Stressing that they are not the American kind of hookers.

[alcina]

5. I just started the Brant series

Blitz is the 3rd or 4th book, I think. By the second page of the first book, someone was hanging from a light post.

I did figure there was a bit of exaggeration, but I wasn't sure if it was a case of overall hyperbole, or whether there is in fact that level of violence but just isolated to certain areas of the city.

I've read a lot of crime fiction that takes place in LA and Chicago, two cities I've lived in. And while it would be possible to live in each city and never see anywhere near the level of violence portrayed, it's also possible to live in those cities and see pretty much what was being written about.

Anyway, thanks for the information.

[StandingInLeftField]

2. It wouldn't be very interesting to read about a pleasant Irish town

where not much bad happens.

[alcina]

6. You do have a point

Though somehow that makes me think of Murder She Wrote. I often wondered how such a nice little town could have so many murders!

[Joe Chi Minh]

7. Re your tag-line quote from Luke, some people think it does consist

of the abundance of their possessions, if they are toys....

[alcina]

8. So I've heard.

I generally try to avoid spending too much time among that group.

[Ken Burch]

10. That problem was also one of the reasons they stopped doing "Inspector Morse".

John Thaw, the star of the series, and Colin Dexter, the author, were worried that they were giving people the impression that Oxford was the murder capitol of the UK.

(In reality, there's an average of one homicide a year in Oxford...so Morse would have a lot more time to listen to opera and drink with Lewis down the pub).

[LeftishBrit]

11. I don't think this aspect of Inspector Morse was ever a big worry...

Inspector Morse was drawing tourists to Oxford, rather than putting them off.

AFAIK, the Morse TV series was discontinued because John Thaw, the actor who played Morse very sadly became seriously ill and died. However, a new TV series, 'Lewis' was then developed, and still continues; and there is now a prequel, 'Endeavor', dealing with Morse's younger days: the younger Morse is played by Shaun Evans.

You are right that in real life Oxford isn't exactly murderville, and 'Morse would have a lot more time to listen to opera and drink with Lewis down the pub'. There are serious and less serious crimes here, as anywhere, and the police have shown very serious weaknesses with regard to some of the more serious crimes. Possibly no worse than in many places, but we could perhaps do with having a few real-life Morses and Lewises!

[Ken Burch]

9. Or about a pleasant town anywhere where nothing bad happens.

I still remember the way a teacher I had in grade school put it(I may be paraphrasing)

"It's not a story unless there are problems".