Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
Loading
RD![]()
author
Richard Edward Devlin
The author, Richard Devlin, would be the first to tell you he is the last person you would expect to write a book about Irish dancing or dancing of any sort. “It’s obvious, “ he says, “ That when S...view moreThe author, Richard Devlin, would be the first to tell you he is the last person you would expect to write a book about Irish dancing or dancing of any sort. “It’s obvious, “ he says, “ That when St. Patrick came around the north of Ireland passing out the music and dance genes, he must have made a wrong turn when he came to Devlin’s Hill in Tyrone because dancing was simply a non-event in the lives of my family while I was growing up.”
Devlin points out, however, that his exposure to the Irish and Ireland over the past few decades has been extensive. The Devlins own a small piece of his family’s ancestral lands in Tyrone, and enjoy their time in Ireland working out of a “ wee small place” nestled on a sloping sheep pasture nearby. For many years, Devlin worked for the Shannon Development Corporation and the old Irish Tourist Board representing Ireland tourism at angling shows all up and down the east coast of America. He also has an active track record in Irish genealogy including membership in the Clans of Ireland, The Irish Cultural Center of New England, the Irish Genealogic Society International, and Comhaltas Ceiltiori Eareann, the international cultural organization which promotes Irish music and dance throughout the Irish diaspora. His writing credits include two previous books and several articles in Irish Roots magazine and The Septs, the two leading publications in Irish genealogical circles.
“I was a late starter in Irish social dancing,” Devlin says, “ But once I did start, like a bee to honey, more than the actual dancing itself, I was fatally attracted to the endless parade of Irish and Irish American characters I met at set dancing affairs. I found them to be a true cast of Irish eccentrics, an irresistible breath of fresh air in a world of increasing conformity and sameness.” In his new book, Devlin brings these characters into your hearts and at the same time makes an insightful social commentary about the Irish in America and the sense of being Irish in a place where the attachment to the land of our ancestors is fading and diminishing as time passes.view less