INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR TONY (DUTCHY) DOHERTY
This month we have the privilege of interviewing Irish author
Tony (Dutchy) Doherty who is the scribe of “This man’s wee boy.” A beautifully
crafted memoir and riveting story set in the trouble torn streets of Derry in
the 1960s and 70s. Written with the innocent voice of a young child Tony never
wavers from it throughout. In this very personal story he gives a snapshot of
family life, street relationships, characters, tensions and the love he had for
his father Patrick. The book unfolds in a series of stories about civil strife,
conflict, C.S. gas, tracer bullets, family
struggles and heartache.
The
chaos of conflict in Ireland finds its way into this young life through the
death of a friend under an army truck and more horrifically, directly into his
own home. This book has been described as ‘a treasure'. It is filled with humour, innocence, sorrow , pain and draws
it’s readers into a world of unsupervised children left to their own devices. This
is a guaranteed best seller and I defy anyone who reads this not to cry. N.B.
You may need to brush up on you Derry Dialect. An extract can be found here. “The book is a gritty, warm account of life in
Derry’s Brandywell, Creggan and Bogside in all its colour. “ - The Irish News
ISBN: 9781781174586
What
school did you attend?
Initially passed the eleven plus and attended St. Columb’s College. Then
attended St. Joesph’s
What
made you write the book?
I always had a yearning to tell the story and after I read Seamus Deane’s
“Reading In the Dark “ I made my mind up to do it.
Are
these all true stories and are characters all real?
What
tips would you give to aspiring writers?
Anyone hoping to be a writer should read Stephen King’s book ‘On Writing’;
read everything you can get your hands on; and keep a notebook handy. You never
know when things will pop into your head.
What
do you do when you aren’t writing?
I love gardening and typically grow herbs and vegetables.
Who inspires you or who are your favourite authors?
Well… let me see. As a child I loved to read Walter Mackan books. But my
favourite reads are by Hemmingway; Brendan Bethan; Thomas Hardy and of course
Seamus Deane who has been a great inspiration to me. I also love reading Alice
Taylor.
What
are your greatest loves?
My beautiful wife Stephanie, and of course my two sons, Rossa, 19 and
Oscar 11.
What
have you gained from writing this book.
“Well… I believe I know myself a little better. I certainly
know and understand my father a little better and have had a valuable insight
into my child hood. If you’ll pardon the pun, those are three bonuses in my
book.”
Are
you shocked that your book sold out on Amazon in 24 hours?
Completely! I can’t
believe it but it’s a great feeling.
Are you happy with the finished product?
Totally happy! When you see your words and works in a real book with your
coupon on the cover it is a truly thrilling experience. I’ve been reading bits
and pieces since I got it and it’s definitely very, very different reading from
your bound book than reading the same words from a screen or in reams of A4s.
What best describes how you feel now?
I love the idea of describing myself as a writer and published author.
It’s a thing I could get used to!
About the Author
Tony
Doherty was instrumental in setting up the Bloody Sunday Justice Campaign in
1992, which led in 2010 to the exoneration of his father and the others killed
and wounded on Bloody Sunday, and to a public apology from the British Prime
Minister in the House of Commons. He has worked extensively in community
regeneration in Derry, is a member of the Big Lottery Fund's NI Committee and
is currently Regional Coordinator for Northern Ireland's Healthy Living Centre
Alliance.
This Man’s Wee Boy is
published by Mercier and will be launched by author Jimmy McGovern at Tony’s
old school, Long Tower Primary School in Derry on Thursday, August - 25 - 2016.
Where
to purchase:
Listen TO Tony on The Pat Kenny Show.
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