Lalor Roddy
1) Wren Boys
Description
In his sermon on St Stephen’s Day, a priest from County Cork recalls the now-outdated wren hunting tradition. Boys on the cusp of manhood would be sent out to kill a wren, and later the parish would gather for the burial of the bird. The tradition symbolized the burial of the past, promising a fresh start in the new year. But it was cruel, and tradition, Father Conor concludes, does not legitimize cruelty. Later that day, Conor drives his nephew...
Formats
Description
In this powerful and timely story of a girl's pursuit of freedom and belonging, fifteen-year-old Frances fights for her humble Irish community by becoming a boxer like her idol, Muhammad Ali. While society may be determined to break her spirit and destroy her way of life, Frances was not born to be broken. Instead, she digs deep to prove to her disillusioned father that she's a true champion.
Description
"In the fall of 1960, the Vatican sent two priests, Father Thomas Riley (Lalor Roddy, Grabbers, Hunger) and Father John Thornton (Ciaran Flynn, The Survivalist, Primeval), to investigate a statue of the Virgin Mary weeping blood in a rural Irish convent, a "Magdalene laundry", that serves as a religious asylum for prostitutes, the mentally disabled, and unmarried pregnant women. In hopes of capturing photographic evidence of this apparent miracle,...