''Tarry Flynn'' is a novel by Irish poet and novelist

Patrick Kavanagh Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel ''Tarry Flynn'', and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life th ...

, set in 1930s rural

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The book is based on Kavanagh's experience as a young farmer in

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

, but the novel is set in

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

. The story is based on the life of a young farmer poet and his quest for big fields, young women and the meaning of life.

Publication history

began writing ''Tarry Flynn'' in 1940 under the title ''Stony Grey Soil''. It was, however, rejected. After his collection of poetry ''A Soul for Sale'', containing the poem ''The Great Hunger'', was published to great acclaim in February 1947, he set about revising the novel and spent the summer of 1947 working on it. It was published by The Pilot Press in November 1948. The novel was banned by the Irish Censorship Board for being ''"indecent and obscene"''. The ruling was overturned following a challenge by the publisher, although the novel did not return to publication until the 1960s. The novel was produced as a play at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, in 1966, adapted by P.J O'Connor. It was adapted for the stage again in 1997 by Conall Morrison. The novel was published in Penguin Modern Classics in 2000 with the typographic error "Tarry Flyn" on the cover and spine. Quotations of ''Tarry Flynn'' were sprayed on the walls of O'Connell street in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

in 2009 as

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

Synopsis

Tarry Flynn lives on a small farm with his widowed mother and three sisters. While he is expected to fulfil his duties as a farmer, Tarry feels constrained by the monotony and harshness of rural life. He yearns for something more—both a deeper understanding of the world and an escape from the confines of his small, insular community. The novel delves into Tarry's internal struggles as he navigates his family and community's expectations, desires for love and artistic expression, and his search for meaning and identity. Tarry is torn between his love for the land and the simplicity of rural life, and his ambitions to pursue poetry, find romance, and explore the world beyond his village. Through a series of episodic events, Kavanagh paints a vivid picture of Irish rural life, with its mix of beauty, poverty, humour, and hardship. The novel is also a meditation on the difficulties faced by those who are sensitive and imaginative in a world that often values practicality and conformity over artistic and intellectual pursuits.

References

{{reflist

External links

''Tarry Flynn'' at PenguinClassics
1948 novels Fiction set in the 1930s Culture in County Cavan Novels by Patrick Kavanagh Novels set in Ireland Irish novels adapted into plays