We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It
A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood
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We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It
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Narrated by:
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Gerard Doyle
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By:
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Tom Phelan
About this listen
In the tradition of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes and Alice Taylor’s To School Through the Fields, Tom Phelan’s We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It is a heartfelt and masterfully written memoir of growing up in Ireland in the 1940s.
Tom Phelan, who was born and raised in County Laois in the Irish Midlands, spent his formative years working with his wise and demanding father as he sought to wrest a livelihood from a farm that was often wet, muddy, and backbreaking.
It was a time before rural electrification, the telephone, and indoor plumbing; a time when the main modes of travel were bicycle and animal cart; a time when small farmers struggled to survive and turkey eggs were hatched in the kitchen cupboard; a time when the Church exerted enormous control over Ireland.
We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It recounts Tom’s upbringing in an isolated, rural community from the day he was delivered by the local midwife. With tears and laughter, it speaks to the strength of the human spirit in the face of life's adversities.
©2019 Tom Phelan (P)2019 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about We Were Rich and We Didn't Know It
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- A. Cruise
- 11-11-24
Insight into life in rural Ireland beautifully written
I have greatly enjoyed the two previous books by Tom Phelan I have listened to. This, of course, didn't have the plot of the others, but it shared his amazing skill of creating the pictures and emotions from the fine detail and beautiful use of words.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claire
- 14-02-21
Reminiscent of a bygone era
Having listened to this I bought it for my 90 year old Dad who was brought up on a farm in Ireland. When he started reading it I had an emotional phone call from him to say how much he was enjoying it and how it was bringing back lots of memories of his time spent with his Dad when he was young.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-12-20
Excellent
This has to be one of the best audio I have listened. it brings you back to life in Ireland when money was short but people stilled looked out for one another
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DublinPete
- 16-09-24
I didn't want this book to end.
Tom Phelans book is so full of love and shared, if reluctant, joy of a different and difficult time in Ireland. For me every page stirred my good memories of rural Ireland in the 50s and 60s. It also revealed the horrible secrets we were not aware of then.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- S. Kenny
- 21-01-21
Hard to listen
I found it very difficult to listen to the narrator , for me it killed the great book .
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