The Barracks in Cootehall, Co. Roscommon just outside Carrick-on-Shannon is unique: the childhood home of John McGahern, there is no other building in Ireland which has been written about so much with such emotional intensity.
Through his writings, particularly The Barracks (1963) and Memoir (2004) we gain an insight into family life, the life of policemen, and everyday life in and around the village of Cootehall in the middle of the last century.
Using quotations from his writings along with photos, a documentary video of McGahern, sound recordings and a variety of artefacts from the middle of the last century, the exhibition tells the story of how a young boy went on to become one of Ireland’s most famous writers.
The exhibition is an introduction, particularly for those not so familiar with his work, to the life and times of McGahern, rural policing and village life in Cootehall at the time.
