The Black Suitcase

Growing up poor in mid-century Limerick is a nightmare of eviction food deprivation flea-bites and never enough heat. An orange at Christmas is a massive treat. And yet Seanie Morrisey despite having to beg scavenge and steal to help his overwhelmed single mother and his eternally-hungry younger siblings somehow manages to live a joyful little boy's life. He loves fishing for eels in the River Shannon; the pennies he gets at his First Communion; his warm extended family; the times his mother manages to earn enough to bring home fish and chips; and the giddy freedom of running wild with his little gang of friends. <br /><br />When Seanie is thirteen years old he makes a mistake that gets him sent to an industrial school run by Catholic Brothers...and his life takes a dark and horrific turn. Recounted in a uniquely expressive voice resonant with the lilting musicality of its roots in Limerick The Black Suitcase captures the joy and horror of an Irish boyhood thwarted and ruined by a cruel and twisted system. Supported by chilling historical documents it makes the unimaginable personal and painfully real.