‘Putting a book out there is nerve-wracking’

Moneygall’s Eimear Ryan ‘arrives like a comet’ with debut novel

‘A JOY to read’

Those were the words used by Roddy Doyle to describe Eimear Ryan’s debut novel. For the Moneygall author, a glowing review from one of her long-cherished literary heroes provided her with a great lift.

“When I was working in a bookshop in Dublin years ago, Roddy came in to sign stock, and I was so starstruck I could barely talk to him!” Eimear told.

But now Roddy, along with the likes of Marian Keyes and Donal Ryan, are exalting Eimear’s own contribution to the literary canon. While she describes this sensation as “surreal”, the quality of ‘Holding Her Breath’ is evidenced in the critical praise it has been attracting since being published earlier this summer.

“I’ve been thrilled with the reaction,” Eimear said of her first book. “Putting a book out there is nerve-wracking but it’s gotten a very kind reception, which is a huge relief. It’s also mad to me that these characters, who have been living in my head for years, now exist in other people’s heads too.”

‘THE LIFE OF RYAN’

Eimear always wanted to write, and as a child she seemed destined to one day pen a book of her own. “I was lucky to grow up in a house full of books, and read a lot from an early age,” she said.

“I remember being interested in the ‘Also by the author’ page towards the front - the likes of Roald Dahl had such a long list, and I became fascinated by the idea of becoming an author.”

Opportunity knocked when after finishing her Leaving Cert’ she got a part-time job with the Nenagh Guardian. She worked for three summers and contributed her own opinion piece - ‘The Life of Ryan’ - a popular weekly column in which she cast her perspective over various happenings of the time.

“It was invaluable experience for a young writer,” Eimear said of writing for the Guardian. “Getting the opportunity to write the column was a lot of fun as well, and having to come up with an idea and turn something in every week really helped me develop a writing discipline. Journalism is a great foundation for fiction writing because you get used to deadlines and having your work read.”

‘HOLDING HER BREATH’

Having gone on to study journalism at DCU, Eimear found great inspiration when she spent a semester abroad at Boston University. She took a creative writing class there and lit upon the American short stories she was assigned to read – authors like Amy Hempel, Karen Russell, Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff.

“That class probably cemented the idea of becoming a writer for me and I’ve been consistently writing ever since,” Eimear said.

While it took about five different drafts over several years, with characters and subplots appearing and disappearing, Eimear fleshed out the core ideas to make ‘Holding Her Breath’ the outstanding debut that it is.

She describes it as a coming of age novel about identity, grief and family secrets.

The story follows swimmer Beth Crowe in her first year of university, as she recovers from a sporting disaster, embarks on a secret relationship, and is drawn into a mystery about her grandfather, a poet who died tragically before she was born.

The Moneygall writer - well-known to many for playing senior camogie with Tipp as well as her home club - derived the idea from a book she read about acclaimed husband and wife poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, and their tragic relationship; Plath took her own life in 1963.

“I started thinking about literary myth and legacy, and how the death of a great artist impacts the people around them. I also wanted to write about being a young sportswoman, and sporting failure as opposed to glory.”

PRAISE OF PEERS

Coinciding somewhat with this year’s Olympics, in that the central character almost makes it to the Games before suffering a breakdown, ‘Holding Her Breath’ heralds Eimear’s arrival as a novelist of note. As Jennifer O’Connell wrote in The Irish Times, the book “does not feel like a debut novel; it shows the deft assurance of someone who has spent years training for this – immersed in words, building her writing muscle, honing her sentences, paring, refining, crafting”.

Burgess-born author Donal Ryan joined in the chorus of praise for Eimear’s book. “Written with a wonderful clarity and insight, ‘Holding Her Breath’ lingers in the imagination,” he wrote. “Beth’s unravelling and re-ravelling is drawn with great skill and empathy. A brilliant debut.”

Dorieann Ní Ghríofa wrote: “Through the dark sky of our times, Eimear Ryan arrives like a comet, a bright talent scorching through every page”; Kevin Power found her book “Brilliantly realised, gripping, and moving”, while for Roddy Doyle it was “precise, sure, engaging, and a joy to read”.

Revelling in reviews like these, Eimear welcomed the support she has found among her peers.

“The established writers in Ireland tend to be very supportive of the emerging ones, which is lovely,” she commented.

WRITER IN RESIDENCE

Already a published short story writer, and biographer of Gaelic football great Cora Staunton in the ‘Great Irish Sports Stars’ series, Eimear is also co-editor of the Banshee Press, a twice-yearly literary journal that she co-founded.

But now, for the first time, Eimear has a “day job” as Writer in Residence at University College Cork, and it’s something she loves.

“I’d always fit writing in around full-time work, whether in retail or publishing or admin, but now I can get up in the morning and build my day around writing, which is incredible,” she said. “The role also involves teaching students on the Creative Writing MA, which has been a brilliant experience - the students were all so talented and engaged, and it was a real joy to be able to introduce them to some of my favourite short stories.”

Living in Cork for the last seven years, Eimear recently bought a house in the city with her partner. She loves the amenities and cultural life of the compact city, and continues to play senior camogie locally with St Finbarr’s.

She is at present finishing up a book of essays about the GAA and women in sport, which should be out some time in 2023. After that, Eimear said she will get going on a second novel.

Her first offering, ‘Holding Her Breath’ is published by Sandycove and available now.