Gealach

Gealach, 126 pages; paperback; ISBN 978-0-898332-63-6

This book is available on Kindle.

Gealach, one of the finest racehorses in Canada, is the pride of the La Tour farm in Nova Scotia. As she is being ferried across Fungie Bay she falls into the sea and, in heavy fog, disappears from view.
On the farm, the twins, Jack and Liz, refuse to believe Gealach has drowned, and hurry off to find her. But time is short: the farm is in debt to the banks and, without their prize mare, they will lose everything. Not only that, she is carrying a foal and, if she is still alive, they must reach her quickly or both horse and foal will drown.

Seán Mac Mathúna is a novelist, short story writer, and a playwright. He has been awarded the Oireachtas prize for his collection of short stories Ding and the Ó Súilleabháin Award for his second collection Banana.

This novel has been awarded the 2009 Oireachtas Prize.

Reviews

Ropleabhar a rachadh faoi chroí an léitheora, idir óg is aosta. Lasann chuile radharc ar an leathanach – Aifric Mac Aodha

Seo ceann de na leabhair is fearr dá bhfuil léite agam sa Ghaeilge. Meallfaidh sé idir óg agus aosta. -Ríona Nic Congáil

Insint eipiciúil lán teannais. An-scéal ar fad. – Ciarán Ó Pronntaigh

Máistir i mbun pinn. – Éilis Ní Anluain, The Irish Times

It is always a literary occasion when the name of Seán Mac Mathúna, one of the Irish language’s most gifted writers, appears on a book. Mac Mathúna’s stories and novels demand to be read. His latest novel, Gealach, is one of his shorter books, which could be accurately classed as an adventure story. Mac Mathúna sets the action in Nova Scotia rather than Ireland, and the main character is a racehorse called Gealach, or Moon. An accident on a ferry sees Gealach cast into the water, much to the consternation of her owners, who are in debt and need both her and the foal she is carrying to save the financial day. It is left to the twins, Jack and Liz, to save the family farm from the bank and Gealach from being turned into horsemeat, in a story that sits comfortably somewhere between Ros na Rún and Black Beauty. – Póíl Ó Muirí, The Irish Times, 01.12.12

Gealach: Read an excerpt from the book

Gealach: Clubleabhar ‘Book of the Month’ May 2013