A coming of age novel in 1950's Ireland, The Flying Swans takes for its story the boyhood and early manhood of Ulick O'Rehill. It is also the story of Ulick's family: his father, Robert O'Rehill, a troubled, dream-driven man who gave up his claim to the Moylough fortune to marry Saba, the herdsman's daughter; Saba herself with the compassion and dignity of simple people; Ulick's younger brother, Breasal, who was denied the right of every son -- a father's name. The book's powerful theme is an eternal quest: a boy's need to find himself, to reconcile himself with his heritage and to achieve manhood.
Primarily, Padraic Colum is a poet, and to read his writing is to hear the impressive cadence of the Irish tongue. Through it Mr. Colum reveals his sense of the majesty and humility of life wherever it is lived -- in the stillness of an Irish village or in the busy corners of the world today..."
http://www.nooksofbooks.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=4782
See also Kirkus Reviews at:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/padraic-colum/the-flying-swans/
The author,Padraic Colum (1881 – 1972) was an Irish poet, novelist, dramatist, biographer, playwright, children's author and collector of folklore. He was one of the leading figures of the Irish Literary Revival.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padraic_Colum
