The Great Hunger in Ireland

Sep 5

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Interview with Pat McEntegart

It’s not every day that you come across a book that weaves history, language, and passion together as seamlessly as Pat McEntegart’s Crossmaglen Paddy Said.

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing McEntegart to delve deeper into the motivations and inspirations behind this novel, particularly in its exploration of the Great Hunger in Ireland, a pivotal period that remains shadowed in many mainstream narratives.

Q – The book is beautifully written and addresses a subject that is not very well known, the period of Great Hunger in Ireland. Why did you want to write about this topic in Crossmaglen Paddy Said?

A – Pat McEntegart:

To Establish Truth and Justice

The Troubles in Northern Ireland

Respect for the Dialect

Crossmaglen Paddy Said is a reflection on how societies evolve and the importance of carrying forward stories that shape our identities. Read Crossmaglen Paddy Said through the link below.


This is not a book to be read just for laughs as it contains a mix of tragedy and comedy, it is a true story, all incidents mentioned happened as they are described and at that time and place. In the words of an eminent professional who first read the manuscript, who said “This book does not follow any set plot or order. Perhaps this is intentional and you are going for a James Joyce stream of consciousness effect. Or Beckett where everything happens with only one or two characters in one room on one day. Or Flann O’Brien’s writings, where there are surreal theories and weird characters and the reader has the sense of entering a strange world”.

It has been compared by a Hollywood producer with Conor McPhersons Laurence Oliver award winning play “The Weir” which won the play of the year award in 1999. In this book is contained authentic evidence of the British ships and regiments who exported the food off the island of Ireland during the period of the “Great Hunger” 1845-50.

Inside it also draws a unique paralleled comparison between an incident which occurred relating to Crossmaglen on the 15th Aug 1971 and Boston Massachusetts on the 5th March 1770 the most important date in American history.

In the second phase, this book becomes an inspirational story which details and outlines the lifetime achievements of both Paddy and the narrator Paudric Moore and it then becomes a super motivational tool for its readers.

Posted on September 5, 2023, in Interviews and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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