I have lately happened upon an excellent novel, ‘Groundwork' (Belfast, 1997),
by the Irish scholar, poet, and novelist Robert Welch (b. 1947, said to be
‘currently Professor of English at the University of Ulster'), and perhaps
contributors to the List can add to the little I know. Is anyone familiar not
only with ‘Groundwork,' but with an earlier work of fiction, ‘The Kilcolman
Notebook'?
In a series of time-specific vignettes, mostly from the first half of the 20th
century but harking back as far as 1586 (in a letter addressed to Edmund
Spenser and meant for Sir John Norrys, President of the Council of Munster),
‘Groundwork' deals poignantly with the lives of Irish people, most of them in
several generations of the Condon family, and with representatives of the
propertied English in Ireland. Connections with Philip Sidney and his Stella
are to be found in several passages devoted to Mountjoy and his exploits in
Ireland.
I wonder if I read something in the Spenser Newsletter about ‘The Kilcolman
Notebook.' If it is in any way comparable to ‘Groundwork,' which instructs
and delights with its mixture of history, thick description, and convincing
characters, ‘Notebook' would be worth seeking out. Can anyone provide more
information on Robert Welch?
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