Dirty Linen - by Martin Doyle (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Martin Doyle, Books Editor of The Irish Times, offers a personal, intimate history of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, seen through the microcosm of a single rural parish, his own, part of both the Linen Triangle - heartland of the North's defining industry - and the Murder Triangle - the Badlands devastated by paramilitary violence. He lifts the veil of silence drawn over the horrors of the past, recording in heartrending detail the terrible toll the conflict took - more than twenty violent deaths in a few square miles - and the long tail of trauma it has left behind.

Neighbours and classmates who lost loved ones in the conflict, survivors maimed in bomb attacks and victims of sectarianism, both Catholic and Protestant, entrust Doyle with their stories. Writing with a literary sensibility, he skillfully shows how the once dominant local linen industry serves as a metaphor for communal division but also for the solidarity that transcended the sectarian divide. To those who might ask why you would want to reopen old wounds, the answer might be that some wounds have never been allowed to heal.

Review Quotes

"Doyle offers us a personal history of the Troubles that is as exacting as it is humane. An elegant, haunting book." --Patrick Radden Keefe, Author of, among others, bestsellers Say Nothing and Empire of Pain

"Dirty Linen is a powerfully affecting read, an encapsulation of the terror, the trauma, the hatred, the injustice, the terrible sadness and loss. But there is also the bravery and courage" --Anna Burns, Booker Prize winning author of Milkman

"Superb, a really important and moving work that brings the reality of the Troubles to life ... a vital, potent and moving piece of work." --Fintan O'Toole, Irish Journalist

"This is an important, humane book, stunning in its sweep and power. It will prove to be a classic." --Eoin McNamee, The Irish Times

About the Author