The Irishman
by Elizabeth O'Connerliterary work· published 1960
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The Irishman (1960) is a novel by Australian author Elizabeth O'Conner. It won the 1960 Miles Franklin Award. The novel follows the experiences of Paddy Doolan, an Irish horse wagoner and his son Michael in the Gulf Country of north-eastern Australia. It is set in the early 1920s when horse-drawn transport was challenged by the advent of motor vehicles and aircraft—change which Doolan cannot accept. Lisa Hill on the ANZLitLovers Litblog noted: "O’Conner won the prize in 1960, in the years of postwar prosperity and well before the Swinging Sixties challenged long-established mores across the globe. Cities in Australia were being transformed by post-war immigration from Europe and by the growth in manufacturing which was driven by the sudden availability of cheap labour.
Adaptations (1)
The Irishman was adapted into a 1978 film.
The Irishman1978 · film · 108 min · dir. Donald Crombie · IMDb ↗IMDb6.4Paddy Doolan refuses to accept change. In a new century where the motor car is changing the way things are done, the stubborn Irishman, the last of the draught-horse teamsters, continues to haul timber the old way.
