Peter Costello
This is a title in a series which Avril O’Reilly is self-publishing called 'First Holy Communion in Cork'. It is delightful fun. She has a wonderful way of observing with great simplicity, but truthfulness, the tiny realties of life for a girl in a First Communion tizz. There is a lot of adroit observation. The Nan who still calls all the shops in Cork by their old names, Cash’s rather than BT’s. The daffy but kind mother, the over-active sibling, the grumpy dad. Does all the fuss matter, as the girl observes Jesus is a man and won’t notice what she’s wearing. But the pages in which Father Hearty takes the class in the parish church and discovers that only half the class had been in a church before. He ask how many can bless themselves. “Oh Sweet Divine Mother of God, we’re back to basics with this shower. Alright everyone, copy me”. What is surprising is that such an entertaining book is self-published. Did commercial publishers recoil at the talk of religion?
