Leavings, returns, and arrivals in contemporary Irish fiction.

‘Emigrants Leave Ireland’, engraving by Henry Doyle, from Mary Frances Cusack’s Illustrated History of Ireland, 1868

Leavings and returns occupy a large place within the Irish psyche, and by extension, creative works by Irish creators. As a country that has experienced an influx of people from foreign nations in its early history as well as waves of emigration, this is no surprise. To this day the Irish diaspora maintains a strong link to the country; the first American movie to be filmed on…