Jack Byrne

Dr. Jenny Farrell lecturer at ATU and writer in Galway, reproduced from People’s World USA, Socialist Voice Ireland, Morning Star UK. LITERATURE AND ART are often used to present viewpoints on history that are marginalised in mainstream historiographies and education. Crime fiction is a preferred and successfully used genre to explore the working-class experience. It is also a popular and…

From ‘Across The Water’ published by Northodox Pressbook 2 of The Liverpool Mysteries 1974 and Paddy a character from Across The Water is panicking. He kept the door open with his foot to combat the smell of piss and held the coin above the slot. Once it dropped, there’d be no going back. Beep… beep… beep… the coin hovered, beep…beep… beep. Fuck it. He pressed the 2p, and with a mechanical…

Before The Storm published by Northodox Press Excerpt of Chapter 1311.30am, Friday, June 3rd, 1981 The kid was scrambling back up the slope. Sammo stepped outand started moving towards him.‘Sammo,’ Macca shouted. ‘Wait. What are you doing?’Sammo didn’t wait. Vinny watched, impressed by Sammo’sindependence, as he ran to the top of the slope.Macca waited, then frowned. ‘Fuck it. Come on.’He and…

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My first three books Under The Bridge, Across The Water, and Before The Storm, The Liverpool Mysteries deal with times from the 50s to 2010 in Garston and Speke.   Before The Storm shows the rise of a Reform type Councillor in Speke, a nationalist who’s constant refrain is ‘Stop the boats.’ Whatever is wrong in society his answer is to blame immigrants. This is not so far from the truth in many…

Some early reviews Loved it. Unputdownable, five star read. Bloody Brilliant. Kind of feel sad that I read it so quick, but I couldn’t stop. Such a gripping, twisted read! Multi-layered brilliance! Exceptional! Natalie Freeman @Natfree37 I’ve just finished this book by Jack Byrne.It has everything. Set in Liverpool the novel tells a story of murder and police corruption. Against a backdrop of…

This website brings the city’s history to life, reminding us that the streets we walk were paved and made from the profits of slavery and the industries that relied on it. Check out the maps, join the walks, or share with friends. *text from Liverpool and slavery websiteLiverpool’s history is deeply intertwined with the history of transatlantic slavery, a phenomenon that significantly shaped the…

The response to the killings of the young girls in Southport a few weeks ago, contained different elements, there were vigils and gatherings in sympathy with the families. The flowers and teddy bears left on pavements were a symbol of support for families and at the same time concern about the direction of a society in which such crimes take place. Whatever the initial motivation for street…

by Jack Byrne Below is a draft opening of a novel. I’m happy to hear your thoughts, if you would like to read more and are willing to give me notes on it get in touch. Chapter 1 March 2021 Mina Mina Haidar came to the Pier Head often, but today was different. A woman bumped into her and waved a sign. ‘No vaccine for The China Virus’. People came from all directions, voices grew, chants and…

May Day or Loyalty Day? May 1st is International Workers Day, to commemorate the struggle for the eight hour day in 1886 during a strike and protest the Haymarket Massacre took place in Chicago when police fought strikers and many died. But did you know the US government tried to replace it with Loyalty Day? Check out the video linked below. Below is from the Acknowledgements for my third book…

By Mattie Lennon UNDER THE BRIDGE I told you last month that I was starting to read Under the Bridge, the first of Jack Byrne’s trilogy, which covers a hundred years of the connection between Liverpool and the author’s ancestral home of Wicklow. The other two are Across the Water and Before the Storm. After the first few pages I predicted that it was going to be a brilliant read and, while I…

Arthur John Dooley (17 January 1929 – 7 January 1994) went from being a welder at Cammell Laird shipbuilders on leaving school, to developing as an artist making impassioned religious sculptures in metal, via the Irish Guards, the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and a cleaning job at St. Martin’s School of Art, where he finally found his true vocation. The Black Christ  As a kid I regularly…