Tá saibhreas canúna agus saibhreas Gaeilge san iarracht seo. Tá súil ghéar ag an údar agus is léir sin ar an mionchuntas a thugtar dúinn sna scéalta seo. Brian Ó Conchubhair
Cnuasach gearrscéalta ó Phádraic Breathnach, údar a bhfuil cáil an stílí air, agus údar a léiríonn bá ar leith leis an dúlra agus leis an óige ina chuid scríbhneoireachta. Bronnadh an phríomhdhuais do chnuasach gearrscéalta ar an saothar seo i gcomórtas litríochta an Oireachtais 2003.
Tá éagsúlacht ábhar in Ingne Dearga Dheaideo, mar is dual do chnuasaigh ón údar céanna. Sa chéad scéal, Anam Mná, caoineann máthair bás a céadghin, agus is maith mar a chuireann an t-údar síos ar an mbriseadh croí agus ar an díchreideamh a ghoilleann uirthi. Déanann Iníon cur síos ar oíche fhada a chaitheann athair ag fanacht go bhfillfidh a iníon óg ón dioscó. Beirt chailleach a speireann a chéile le clocha i gcath fíochmhar i Manhattan atá faoi chaibidil i M’Uncail Máirtín agus Cailleacha Mheiriceá. Ar na téamaí a chíortar sa chnuasach seo tá an chumha, an aois, an choimhlint shíoraí idir an sean agus an nua, agus an saol mar a fheictear don pháiste é.
Breathnach is always a special pleasure to read for his clean, spare style, which can be poetic, supple, or moving as the moment requires. The Irish Times
Pádraic Breathnach is a writer renowned as a stylist, a nature lover and for his depiction of youth, and the seventeen stories in this collection will do much to reinforce his reputation as a talented wordsmith. This work was awarded the top prize for a short-story collection in the Oireachtas literary competition 2003.
Ingne Dearga Dheaideo has the variety that readers have come to expect of a Pádraic Breathnach collection of short stories. The opening story, Anam Mná, explores the plight of a mother mourning the loss of her first-born child, and brilliantly captures her devastation and disbelief at what has happened. Iníon describes a father’s anxious wait for the return of his wayward teenage daughter from a night out. M’Uncail Máirtín agus Cailleacha Mheiriceá is a wonderful, parable-like tale of two witches in Manhattan who engage in a fierce stone-throwing battle. The author explores a wide range of themes in this collection, including grief, old age, the eternal struggle between tradition and modernity and life through the eyes of a child.
