Geraldine O’Neill’s books are set in the almost forgotten Ireland of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Her writing covers many themes, but the common thread that runs through her work is that of emigration. People leaving their place of birth and moving to new surroundings – often in new countries.
This is something that Geraldine has experienced herself, albeit in a very different time and different situations to her characters. She left her native Scotland to move to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England to train as a teacher. She returned to Scotland for some years and then subsequently lived in London and Stockport. In 1991 she came to settle in County Offaly in Ireland where her maternal family is from.
Settings are a major part of her novels as Geraldine loves to travel. Wherever she currently lives, she regularly travels back to the places she used to live, to catch up with family and friends. Her further afield travels to Europe and America often feature in her books as secondary settings.
Geraldine’s mother and her husband’s parents emigrated from Ireland (Co. Offaly, Co. Limerick and Co. Clare) to Scotland and Stockport (near Manchester) in the 1950’s. Her father’s family emigrated from County Carlow to Scotland back in the 1920’s.
Geraldine uses some of the places she lived in as the settings for her books.
In the Tara Flynn Trilogy the main characters sail from Ireland to Holyhead, to settle in Stockport near Manchester where there is a sizeable Irish community. There are parts of the books also set in County Clare, London and Paris.
In Aisling Gayle (also published as Cara Gayle) her Tullamore, County Offaly characters travel further afield to Upstate New York. Geraldine’s brother married an artist from this area. When she attended the wedding, she was so captivated by the American way of life that she made this the secondary setting for her next book.
The Grace Girls is set in Lanarkshire in Scotland, where Geraldine spent her formative years. The story focuses on a second-generation Irish family, and puts a microscope on the religious divide that still exists in this area.
The Flowers of Ballygrace (also published as A Different Kind of Dream) is set around the canals of County Offaly with a secondary setting in Stockport. Geraldine was involved in a community project celebrating 200 years of the Grand Canal, and this was the inspiration for the book.
Leaving Clare is mainly based in the atmospheric Burren area of County Clare where Geraldine’s husband’s family are from. The main character is determined to remain firmly rooted in her Galway Bay surroundings but the dire employment situation in the 1950’s dictates otherwise. The secondary settings are in County Offaly and the outskirts of Dublin.
Sarah Love opens in County Offaly and follows the fortunes of the main character – a talented dress-designer - as circumstances force her to move city life in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the North-East of England. Geraldine knows both these areas well, having lived in Newcastle while studying to be a teacher.
Summer’s End takes up Lily Grace’s story (the young cousin in The Grace Girls) and charts the ups and downs in her life when she leaves the familiarity of small-village life in Scotland. We follow her from Rowanhill to Newcastle and to her life-changing trip to a funeral in Ireland where she meets the love of her life. One of Geraldine’s favourite cities – Edinburgh – is explored through the eyes of the main characters..
Geraldine’s books deal with many issues that face emigrants – now and in the past - such as isolation, separation, racial, religious and class bias.
Although written with a light hand and heart-warming humour, her storylines focus on gritty, real-life issues.
GERALDINE O’NEILL – Author Q&A
Where do you live? And why?
In a country village in County Offaly in Ireland. I like the laid-back lifestyle and the Tullamore town ten minutes away, which has lots of nice restaurants and hotels. I enjoy the quiet of the country for writing and the buzz of the town where I have my writing group and other social activities.
Where do you write?
I am adaptable and when I am engrossed in a book I can more or less write in any situation. I think this comes from growing up in a large family where there was a lot of chatter and noise and I learned just to tune out when I was reading. I apply that same skill to writing. At home I have a small workstation in the corner of my sitting room with lap-top and printer. Originally, I had an office all decked out upstairs but I discovered that when I came downstairs to have a break, I was loth to cut myself off from everything and go back up again!
Typewriter, word processor or pen?
I write straight onto the word-processor. I prefer this as I can delete and add as I go along, which means I always have a tidy script. I learned to touch-type at school, which helps enormously.
Where were you born and raised?
In a small mining village called Cleland in Lanarkshire, Scotland.
What is your philosophy of life?
The secret of a happy life is lots of little pleasures! Small things that don’t cost a lot like buying a new book or the current edition of my favourite magazines, doing a bit of gardening when it’s sunny outside, watching a favourite TV show or film.
I think it’s important to do these things whatever age you are, but particularly if you’re a young mother and feel all your time is spent on others. You do things much more cheerfully when you’ve had time for yourself.
Seize the day . . . and squeeze all the pleasures you possibly can into it. Of course the big events in our life are very important – but it’s hard to go for weeks or months just waiting. Who knows what tomorrow is going to bring . . .
Is anyone else in your family a writer?
My younger brother, Eamonn O'Neill, has written three non-fiction books and is also a well-known journalist in Scotland and my son, Chris, writes for magazines and has had several short stories published.
Did you always want to be an author? If not, what did you originally want to be and when and why did you change your mind?
When I was growing up, my ambition was to be a primary school teacher, so I trained for that career and enjoyed it thoroughly. Although I've always loved writing, the thought of actually becoming an author was something that was way out of my life experience. Coming from an ordinary working-class background, I certainly didn't come across any writers. It didn't dawn on me until I was in my late thirties that I was capable of writing and book and having it published.
Name your top five pieces of music.
It varies according to the mood I'm in. Constant favourites I play in the car: Kris Kristofferson – 'Loving Her was Easier'; Vivaldi – The Four Seasons; Simply Red – 'It's Only Love'; Bob Dylan – 'Lay Lady Lay'; Valerie – Amy Winehouse.
Who do you most admire and why?
Lots of people, but the first that comes to mind is Oprah Winfrey. I think she is intelligent, honest, generous, talented and brave – and a great role model for all women.
How do you write each novel, i.e. do you block out the narrative first, take each page at a time, create the central character, build a cast of characters?
I start with an idea about the location and the main characters. When the first scene comes into my mind, I start writing and take it from there. I don't write any of the preliminary planning down – it is all done in my head. When I start writing, the characters and events take over and the book almost writes itself.
What is a typical writing day?
When I'm not teaching, I get up between eight and nine o'clock and I switch on the computer and the kettle. Over coffee and toast, I check and reply to emails; then I usually spend a short while reading a book or magazine to get my brain tuned into the written word; then I start typing! Some days (when a deadline is approaching), I write on and off until midnight, stopping only for short breaks for coffee and lunch etc. On not-so-pressurised mornings, I stop around ten o'clock to drive into town to a leisure centre for a swim, or I might meet up with a friend for lunch or shopping. Unless I'm really pressed for time, I can always squeeze in a bit of social life; but when I get home, I am straight back onto the computer and I often work later to make up for the time I've taken off. I take a break between books for home life and holidays and visitors (sometimes weeks or months) and then I gear myself back up to starting the next book. I think it's a bit like running a marathon, with a gentle lead-in for training and then suddenly you are straight into the main event which lasts for months. I always find it hard to stop writing when I've finished a book. I miss the characters and the fictitious world I've lived in for months. For days afterwards, I find myself writing really long emails and letters to fill the gap!
What do you do when you are not writing? How do you relax? What are your hobbies?
When I'm not writing, I catch up with family and friends both in the UK and Ireland. I travel to Manchester and Scotland very regularly. I relax by watching television, going to the cinema regularly and going for meals to local restaurants with my husband and friends. My hobbies are swimming, reading, walking and art classes. I'm in a writing group and a book circle.