Uncategorized
-
Speke Promenade. If only…
Does it sound like a fantasy? We will never know how close we came to it being a reality. The plan of Speke estate from 1937 at the Liverpool Records Office, shows a roundabout at what could be Western Avenue, and a major road continuing right through to the shore. Tom who grew up in Continue reading
-
Death by a Thousand Cuts
I heard this week that the Metal Box in Speke had been knocked down. It had been closed for years so I guess it’s no surprise. My last blog post reported on the closure of many of Liverpool Eight’s clubs, a whole social scene was removed, wiped out. In their heydey some of those clubs Continue reading
-
So good they closed them down.
In my book Under The Bridge, Vinny and Anne are talking, she’s picked him up from Huskisson St in Liverpool Eight and is driving him to Garston. She pulled out into the street, moved up the gears, slowed, and turned into Catherine Street. As they moved through the lights into Princes Avenue, Vinny asked, “Remember Continue reading
-
Building Lives and Families Not Just Motorways
Wicklow, Rathnew and Garston in Liverpool have a long lasting connection, not one recognised by councils and authorities but one long known among residents and families. The One Road is a collection of short stories . The stories set the scene for ‘Under The Bridge,’ my first novel published in January 2021. The excerpt below Continue reading
-
Another Place
Another place…another time…another people…silent figures defying time and tide, looking out to the Mersey Estuary to the migrants who came and left and those who remain. I guess because I am from one of those migrants I feel the pull of these statues. If you haven’t seen them do yourself a favour and make theView… Continue reading
-
Chickens coming home to roost.
This is one of the most famous political remarks in modern history. It was used by Malcolm X in 1963 when he was in the Nation of Islam but finding it increasingly difficult to remain outside of politics. He was ordered by the leader of the Nation not to comment on Kennedy’s assassination, instead of Continue reading
-
Norwegian Wood, and Rubber Dinghies (from Hindi dingi ‘small boat’ )
The Beatles song always struck me as strangely titled. Wikipedia informs me it refers to the wood panelling in a house in London, where John Lennon was conducting an affair. The novel I am working on at the moment ‘Burning Down The House’ has its final dramatic scenes in The Baltic Triangle. It is an Continue reading
-
The road to publication…is ‘class’ an issue?
I am waiting for an email from a publisher, either of the first two paragraphs below could be true come Monday morning. Scenario AI am really happy to be able to report that an independent publisher has agreed to publish Under The Bridge, although I am sure there will many details to be worked out. Continue reading
-
A Truly Irish and British Thriller
The headline above, and the quote below are both from reviews of my novel Under The Bridge “Written for adult audiences, this thrilling novel explores class distinctions, nationality, identity, and the dynamics of power by combining historical and contemporary content for its mystery plot.” You can read the full reviews here https://jackbyrne.home.blog/under-the-bridge/ They mark the Continue reading
-
The Ragged Arsed Philanthropists
Philanthropist noun noun: philanthropist; plural noun: philanthropists a person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. ‘Ragged Arsed,’ sounds much more authentic. Robert Tressell or Noonan on his mother’s side left a legacy of a book first published in 1914 but credited by some with ‘helping Continue reading
About Me
Thanks for visiting my page. The aim of this page is to let you know what I am working on and allow you to tell me what you think.
I was born and raised in Speke Liverpool, although my parents first lived ‘Under The Bridge’ in Garston, and all my family goes back to Wicklow in Ireland.
The Liverpool Mystery series will be four novels, three books; Under The Bridge, The Morning After, and Fire Next Time are finished. Under The Bridge will be published in Feb 2021 and I hope at least one more will follow later in the year. I am writing The Wicklow Boys now, and I hope to finish it next year.
My writing like my blog is about the lives of working people and how they relate to society as a whole.
My collection of short stories The One Road is available below click to see details.
Jack Byrne 