The work of John McGahern is known around the world and he is rightly regarded in very high esteem and is often spoke about in the same glowing terms as some of the country's’s finest authors. What isn’t always so well known or appreciated is the sim
plicity of the man and his love of Co Leitrim. But for the large audience gathered in the Landmark Hotel on Thursday last, September 11, a beautiful portrait of the man was put on display through Ronan Gallagher’s film ‘Three Days In Summer.’
Ronan’s half-hour film features many glowing tributes to John McGahern, not only as a writer but the man himself, and more significantly the Leitrim man inside him.
Contributions from the likes of county librarian Sean Ó Suilleabhain, who described John McGahern as “an ordinary person” and Fr Liam Kelly helped to paint the picture while several academics, from universites around the world, also spoke giving a unique insight into the man.
Sean Conlon recalled a “most remarkable conversation” with John McGahern in Paris “that ultimately brought me to live in Leitrim.”
There was no music to accompany the film, a decision which was consciously made by Ronan and instead the soundtrack was the wildlife of birds singing, rivers gushing and the everyday sounds that are sometimes taken for granted when living in Leitrim.
“If you notice there’s no music soundtra0ck I just used a wild soundtrack from Leitrim which worked a treat. I like to show off Leitrim I love this county, I love travelling through it, I think it’s the greatest asset we have (the county’s scenery). I think sometimes we take it too much for granted but we’re very privileged to live here.”
Ronan’s own interest in John McGahern stemmed from the fact that he knew the man, but one day as a 17 year stumbled across his father’s copy of ‘The Pornographer.’
“I knew McGahern first as a farmer and a local man and my father, Pat Gallagher, was a vet in Mohill so my father was his vet. One day I was in my father’s office and I discovered this book called ‘The Pornographer’ with a picture of this John McGahern man who I only discovered was a writer.
“I snuck off with the book because I didn’t feel right. I didn’t think at 17 years of age my father would be very interested in someone reading ‘The Pornographer’. But I discovered that like ‘Trainspotting’ doesn’t have any trains ‘The Pornographer’ hadn’t much pornography either!
“I discovered a great book, a book that resonated with me about the people I lived with, where I lived, even at that age back in the 70’s. McGahern just spoke to me literally and since then I was hooked.”
The connection between Leitrim and John McGahern is a significant one and one that Ronan has done a fine job in transferring on to screen.
As Ronan said himself “McGahern was probably as much embedded in the Leitrim landscape as Sliabh an Iarainn itself.
