Cry of Morning
Encyclopedia
Cry of Morning is a novel
by the English
-born author, Brian Cleeve
. It deals with the economic and cultural transformation that overtook Ireland
during the 1960s. It marked a significant shift away from the murder mysteries and spy thrillers for which Cleeve had previously been noted.
during the period of economic expansion that took place in the 1960s when Seán Lemass
was Taoiseach
. The narrative is concerned with an attempt by property developer, Francis O'Rourke, to erect a new office block in the centre of Dublin. The site is occupied by a slum dwelling whose occupants are about to be evicted in order to make way for the new development. Pitted against O'Rourke is a determined coalition of interests opposed to his plans. As the story unfolds, Cleeve highlights examples of corruption in Irish political and business life at that time.
.
John Lennox: a high profile TV presenter.
Lady Honoria Gandon: a member of the Anglo-Irish
aristocracy who leads the campaign against the destruction of historic Dublin buildings.
Felicity O'Connor: a playwright from the west of Ireland whose semi-autobiographical plays make her famous in England.
Father Herbert Tracey: a Catholic
priest who works with the poor and who is concerned with social justice.
(20 November 1971): "The book is a consummately professional piece of work, continuously interesting and amusing, its extensive cast so inticately marshalled that each takes his precise share of the limelight."
Evening Standard
(January 11 1972): "This is an honest book, and an entertaining one, with its face resolutely set against sentimentality. It must be as good a picture of Ireland today as we are likely to get."
in 1974.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-born author, Brian Cleeve
Brian Cleeve
Brian Brendon Talbot Cleeve was a prolific writer, whose published works include twenty-one novels and over a hundred short stories. He was also an award-winning broadcaster on RTÉ television. Son of an Irish father and English mother, he was born and raised in England...
. It deals with the economic and cultural transformation that overtook Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
during the 1960s. It marked a significant shift away from the murder mysteries and spy thrillers for which Cleeve had previously been noted.
Plot summary
The novel is set in the Republic of IrelandRepublic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
during the period of economic expansion that took place in the 1960s when Seán Lemass
Seán Lemass
Seán Francis Lemass was one of the most prominent Irish politicians of the 20th century. He served as Taoiseach from 1959 until 1966....
was Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
. The narrative is concerned with an attempt by property developer, Francis O'Rourke, to erect a new office block in the centre of Dublin. The site is occupied by a slum dwelling whose occupants are about to be evicted in order to make way for the new development. Pitted against O'Rourke is a determined coalition of interests opposed to his plans. As the story unfolds, Cleeve highlights examples of corruption in Irish political and business life at that time.
Characters in "Cry of Morning"
Francis O'Rourke: an Irish-born property developer who has made his fortune working in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
John Lennox: a high profile TV presenter.
Lady Honoria Gandon: a member of the Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
aristocracy who leads the campaign against the destruction of historic Dublin buildings.
Felicity O'Connor: a playwright from the west of Ireland whose semi-autobiographical plays make her famous in England.
Father Herbert Tracey: a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest who works with the poor and who is concerned with social justice.
Literary significance & criticism
The Irish TimesThe Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
(20 November 1971): "The book is a consummately professional piece of work, continuously interesting and amusing, its extensive cast so inticately marshalled that each takes his precise share of the limelight."
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
(January 11 1972): "This is an honest book, and an entertaining one, with its face resolutely set against sentimentality. It must be as good a picture of Ireland today as we are likely to get."
Film, TV or other adaptations
In conjunction with Peter Hoar, Brian Cleeve adapted Cry of Morning as a radio play and it was broadcast by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in 1974.
Trivia
- Because of libel fears, Cleeve's regular publisher, Cassell, delayed publication several times. His patience exhausted, Cleeve took back the manuscript and sold it to the eventual publisher, Michael Joseph Ltd.
- The novel was originally entitled The Green and the Gold, but Cleeve came up with the present title prior to publication.
- Doubleday published the novel in the USA as The Triumph of O'Rourke.
- Several of the characters are quickly recognisable as thinly disguised versions of real people in Irish society of the time; "John Lennox" is obviously Gay ByrneGay ByrneGabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne is a veteran Irish presenter of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of The Late Late Show over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999...
while "Felicity O'Connor" closely resembles Edna O'BrienEdna O'BrienEdna O'Brien is an Irish novelist and short story writer whose works often revolve around the inner feelings of women, and their problems in relating to men and to society as a whole.-Life and career:...
.
Release details
- 1971, United Kingdom, Michael Joseph Ltd. ISBN 0718107624, Pub date 15 November 1971, Hardback
- 1972, United Kingdom, Corgi ISBN 0552091049, Pub date 15 December 1972, Paperback