‘Did you hear mammy died?’ is what five year old Séamus O’Reilly cheerily said to visitors at his mothers wake, in this very funny and moving account of life being brought up by his father and ten (TEN) other siblings in rural Derry.

Although I was brought up about two hours south east of the O’Reilly clan, I was raised in similar circumstances with a catholic upbringing in a small border town in a rural area. However, I did not suffer the loss of my mother from cancer at such a young age and I had three other siblings, not ten (TEN).

The Craic

The premise might sound like this book is going to full of pain and struggle, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s actually an unsentimental book. There are some emotional moments, a few of which caught me unawares, but they are far outweighed by the sheer joy and craic in the storytelling, with the star being the single father of eleven (ELEVEN) children Joe O’Reilly, with his fantastically labelled VHS archive. This is also taking place in the eighties and nineties, in the shadow of the last years of ‘the troubles’ before peace breaks out, but it’s more an occasional backdrop than oppressive presence in the book. Family life went on during these years, as it had to do. You worked around the other stuff that was happening. Looking back now it must have been incredibly stressful for our parents but it’s a tribute to many of them that life continued on as normal, or as close to it as possible.

This is very much the story of Séamus, his father and occasionally some of the other siblings and it is told with a lot of love and a lot of humour. The section on crazy prices cracked me up (I’m reading another book concurrently that features two West Belfast sisters also known as ‘the crazy prices’) as did the family trip to Spain, and the dogs and priest chapter had me in absolute stitches. It’s rare that a book can make me laugh so much but this one did. There’s also a cast of quirky characters, and it’s full of mad incidents that would be familiar to a large Irish family but can be enjoyed by anyone.

Mother of the clan

Sheila O’Reilly, the mother of the clan, is very much a presence in the book, and comes across as a remarkably selfless and talented woman, as you can tell from the testimonies of friends and family. Séamus was too young to have any definite memories, but he does try to piece together what he can remember, albeit though the slippery, shifting nature of recollection, whilst realising that amassing as much information about his mother from other family members and close friends is the best way of keeping her alive in his head and heart. He’s got a real talent for describing details and is a very witty writer.

If you’re missing the much loved series ‘Derry Girls’ you’ll find plenty of similar humour in this book. Just like that award winning series, there’s a real sense of taking your laughs where you could find them, as there was plenty of darkness in those times too.

I found ‘Did ye hear mammy died’ a heart-warming, funny account of a family bonding together whilst dealing with the grevious loss of a much loved mother. It’s a great storyteller that can move you to tears and laughter on one page. I doubt I’ll read a better memoir all year.

Published by Little Brown Book Group

240 pages

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