Interview with Clare O'Dea, author of The Naked Irish
Clare O'Dea, author of The Naked Irish was the guest on a recent episode of The Motherfoclóir Podcast talking about her books The Naked Irish and The Naked Swiss. I'm delighted that Clare was kind enough to give me some great smart thinking book recommendations in our interview below, along with some mutual appreciation for How To Lose A Country and Hodges Figgis bookshop in Dublin! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Clare's new book The Naked Irish:
A fresh and thoughtful analysis of what it means to be Irish in the 21st century. Are the Irish a nation of emigrants if we have the second highest foreign-born population in Europe? Are we Catholic if attendance at Mass is as low as two percent in some parishes? Do we really hate the English and want a united Ireland? Is the oppression of women in our DNA? Are the Irish really friendly or just faking it? And should we be proud of the Irish economy? The Naked Irish introduces diverse voices, from the young priest to the African immigrant to the veteran campaigner for women’s rights. Take tea in Belfast with ordinary unionists, visit Transition Year in Ballyjamesduff, read a poem about identity by a second-generation Irishman in Britain. In this entertaining and insightful book, clichés about the Irish and more are held up to the light and forensically examined with wit and flair.
(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
The Naked Irish: Portrait of a Nation Beyond the Clichés
Buy On:
Book Depository €14.35
Amazon UK £12.10
Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?
It’s hard to choose one. I think the most satisfying reads of this kind are when the framing is original and interesting in itself. There are two books that stand out for me in this respect. In first place is Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, And Food on Your Plate by Rose George. It’s a brilliant exposé and explainer of how global trade works, and she tells the story while travelling on board a container ship. The runner-up also happens to be connected to the sea. Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky gives a fascinating slant on the interconnected history of the countries around the North Atlantic. Both books have a strong environmental message.
Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate
Review From Book Depository: On ship-tracking Web sites, the waters are black with dots. Each dot is a ship; each ship is laden with boxes; each box is laden with goods. In postindustrial economies, we no longer produce but buy, and so we must ship. Without shipping there would be no clothes, food, paper, or fuel. Without all those dots, the world would not work. Yet freight shipping is all but invisible. Away from public scrutiny, it revels in suspect practices, dubious operators, and a shady system of "flags of convenience." And then there are the pirates.
Buy On:
Book Depository €14.12 Amazon UK £11.94 Amazon US $10.98(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
Review From Waterstones: "Cod" spans a thousand years and four continents. From the Vikings, who pursued the codfish across the Atlantic, and the enigmatic Basques, who first commercialized it in medieval times, to Bartholomew Gosnold, who named Cape Cod in 1602, and Clarence Birdseye, who founded an industry on frozen cod in the 1930s, Mark Kurlansky introduces the explorers, merchants, writers, chefs, and of course the fishermen, whose lives have interwoven with this prolific fish.
Buy On:
Book Depository €11.89 Waterstones £10.99 Amazon UK £9.99 Amazon US $11.01(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?
I’ve just finished reading How to Lose a Country: The Seven Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship by the Turkish journalist Ece Temelkuran. She does a fine job of stripping down the political change she witnessed in Turkey under Erdogan and identifying parallels in right-wing populist movements in other countries, particularly the Trump phenomenon. The book is also an exile’s lament. It’s full of killer quotes and an easy read but ultimately depressing. I didn’t come out of it any wiser on how to outmanoeuvre these forces.
How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship
An excellent comparison of the stages involved, tactics deployed and effects felt by the rise of populism in Turkey versus the current political establishments and campaigns in the US, UK and other Western countries. Temelkuran delivers her material using a mix of stark analysis and gut wrenching emotion, weaved together in a tapestry of wit and grave importance. A fantastic read.
Buy On:
Book Depository €8.51 Waterstones £9.99 Amazon UK £11.89 Amazon US $20.99(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?
A book that really fired my imagination was The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann. It was published in 1979. It’s an adventure story about a group of animals who are driven out of their small wood by drought and construction work. They band together and make their way across country to an animal sanctuary. The animals go through all sorts of terrible trials and dangers on their journey. I must have reread it lots of times because I remember it in great detail. It was so exciting and moving, almost as if I experienced that journey myself. For its time, it also had a strong message about protecting the environment.
The Animals of Farthing Wood
Review From Book Depository: Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory is opening at last! But only five lucky children will be allowed inside. And the winners are: Augustus Gloop, an enormously fat boy whose hobby is eating; Veruca Salt, a spoiled-rotten brat whose parents are wrapped around her little finger; Violet Beauregarde, a dim-witted gum-chewer with the fastest jaws around; Mike Teavee, a toy pistol-toting gangster-in-training who is obsessed with television; and Charlie Bucket, Our Hero, a boy who is honest and kind, brave and true, and good and ready for the wildest time of his life!
Buy On:
Book Depository €7.09 Waterstones £6.99 Amazon UK £5.24 Amazon US $9.27(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)
Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?
I’m still mostly reading on paper but I’m open to other mediums. I got an e-reader as a going away present from my last job and had no problem reading on screen – until I sat on the device one day for a split second and it never worked again. That was frustrating because I was on a plane half-way through an excellent book (My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout) and I was stuck with the in-flight magazine. So far I haven’t given audiobooks much of a try but I know people rave about them.
Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?
I love the grand style of Hodges Figgis on Dawson Street and the fact that the shop has been there for generations. When I was studying and working in Dublin it was the perfect place to escape out of the rain. Browsing for books is the best kind of shopping. My favourite English language book shop in Switzerland (where I live) is Books Books Books in Lausanne. It’s a cosy place with nooks and crannies, a great selection of books, and friendly staff who are passionate about reading.
Massive thanks to Clare for taking the time to recommend so many great books and for giving me such interesting answers!
Please don't forget to check out her new book The Naked Irish.
Daryl
Image Copyrights: Mentor Books (The Naked Irish), Picador USA (Ninety Percent Of Everything), Vintage Publishing (Cod), HarperCollins Publishers (How To Lose A Country), Egmont UK LTD (The Animals Of Farthing Wood)
< Home
