Mark Mulholland
Writer
Mark Mulholland is not from the USA or Canada or the UK or even Australia or anywhere snazzy like that. Mark, through no effort of his own, was born in Ireland. However, when fifteen, and as luck again would have it, he underwent a stroke of genius and left schooling to spend his time poking around a second-hand bookstore where he explored writing by cover or title or some indefinable inclination. The whole world was to be found in that bookshop, he says, and everything a boy needed to learn could be learned there. He has been educated in this way ever since.
Mark writes on what he gathers around light, sound, gravity, charge, motion, emotion, notion, thought, purpose, contribution, patterns, variances, belief, behaviour, bias, reason, life, love, hope, death, soul, good, bad, and God, well, you know, all the goofy stuff, and he comes at these questions from odd angles. Because what Mark eventually figured out is that nobody knows anything, so he might as well have a go at it.
Mark is the author of the acclaimed novel A Mad and Wonderful Thing published in Melbourne, London, Hamburg, and New York.
Mark is the author of the children's illustrated book A Moo Cow Came Traveling published by Flyway at Iowa State University.
Mark's shorter work has been published in the USA, Canada, Scotland, Australia, England, France, India, and Ireland; including first publication of work by universities in Paris, Melbourne, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Iowa.
Mark lives in Ireland and France.
'We are all a gathering. In each of us there is a multitude. To be human is to be a confusion of many.'
A Mad And Wonderful Thing (Novel)
Johnny Donnelly is a curious boy. He observes life as if viewing from higher ground. He meets the beautiful Cora Flannery and they share an intense and poetic love for each other and for the historic earth of Ireland. But, unknown to the girl, Johnny Donnelly is a rebel, a fighter, and he is a killer for cause. With a cast including a boy who is an apostle for the philosophies of Plato and Mary Poppins and yet kills for country, a girl who believes that the gateway to the land of eternal youth is a hill on the edge of town, a caretaker who dispenses droplets of commentary but who has been dead for years, and a teacher who takes a boy to battle, A Mad and Wonderful Thing is a hunt for why we do the things we do. It is the story of the search for reason through one boy's war for nation.
'This is a fascinating and profound book – a story of love and brutality and tenderness and death – in which the tone and title are at odds with the subject, and the central character clashes with the heart. It is a book which stays.'
The Irish News, Ireland.
A Moo Cow Came Traveling
Mark says, ‘this work is thanks to the fantastically talented Flyway team in Iowa State University, and to Dorothia Rohner a genius illustrator. Dorothia's work is so incredible, so perfectly perfect in every way. I love it. And to Christine Kettner, book designer, in New York City. The Moo Cow book is so wonderfully beautiful.’
American novelist Stephen Pett says, ‘humanity encounters enlightened bovinity over tea in an Irish pub on the edge of the universe. Douglas Adams meets Roddy Doyle? It’s A Moo Cow Came Travelling – Mulholland’s whimsical wise yarn in this lovely wee book with out of this world illustrations by Dorothia Rohner. You’re in for a treat.’
A Mad and Wonderful Thing Reviews
'An extraordinary book; it confronts political and moral choices with a harsh brutality, but is, as well, a great love story.’
Mark Rubbo, Readings Monthly, Australia.
'This is a fascinating and profound book – a story of love and brutality and tenderness and death – in which the tone and title are at odds with the subject, and the central character clashes with the heart. It is a book which stays.’
The Irish News, Belfast, Ireland.
'Mulholland has certainly read this (war) canon. He opens his book with Hemingway’s quotation about the criminality of war, and his novel explores what happens when someone thinks they can kill with a clean conscience. Mulholland grew up with it, but he does not celebrate the revenge motive. He’s sides Heaney, who felt its lure, the pull of tribal kinship, the seduction of communal violence. Anyone who read Chris Kyle’s American Sniper should read A Mad and Wonderful Thing. Taken alone, Kyle’s memoir is poison. Combined with the Irish novel, it’s medicine. Mulholland reminds us that we need to answer the big questions.'
Glebe Street Hacks, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
‘An impressive and yet unsettling read. ... Like nothing you have read before. ... It is a major achievement.’
The Dundalk Argus, Ireland.
'Romance is the mad and wonderful thing that gives the novel its name, but it's not the emotion that drives the plot ... Mulholland's prose has all the elan of fine conversation after a couple of pints ... the final act is marvellous'
Michelle Griffin, Canberra Times, Australia.
'Remarkable, it in some way insisted itself upon me. It's an emotional, shocking, gorgeous read, rooted in such painful reality, I just had to read it. And I'm grateful, so grateful to Mark Mulholland for writing such a magnetic and lyrical read.'
Jon Snow, Newscaster, Channel 4 News, UK.
'In this heart-breaking love letter to Ireland, the young and tortured Johnny Donnelly must reckon the two drastically different world he lives in: the one of books and poetry and the beautiful Cora Flannery, and the one where he shoots British soldiers for the Irish Republican Army. A gripping tale of love, loyalty, and redemption, A Mad and Wonderful Thing will sweep readers off of their couch and set them squarely in the middle of The Irish Troubles of the 1990s.'
Bustle, New York, USA.
'A Mad and Wonderful Thing is a declaration of love to Ireland. But not cheesy transfigured, but painful and desperate. Mulholland's novel is extremely diverse and as complex as each one of us.'
Die Blaue Banane, Germany.
'The final act . . . is marvellous as Johnny faces the brutal calculus of his moral code. Here we also see echoes of McGahern's marvellous work Amongst Women as Mulholland fashions his own grim IRA chieftain and settles his own account of the cost. . . . thrilling, appalling, and marvellously resolved.’
The Age, Melbourne, Australia.
‘Remember that phrase from Jerry McGuire '"You had me at hello"? Well this book did that. Intense and unashamedly romantic. Written with playful, light, and poetic language ... it tackles the great moral paradox of its central character with deftness and sensitivity. A sparkling debut that celebrates the vitality, resilience, and humanity of Ireland.’
Carolina Baum, Booktopia - Australia's largest bookseller.
'Our Book of the Month'
Booktopia, Australia.
'The storyline of this markedly ambitious first novel is one to reckon with ... and there is much to admire therein ... “the futility of action if it is measured against time ... what tribal claims we make, ultimately don’t make sense” is a hugely persuasive argument — and not without heart, like the novel itself.’
The Sunday Times, London, UK.
'A great read. I enjoyed this book very much.'
Jeremy Irons, Actor.
‘Mulholland’s debut novel, A Mad and Wonderful Thing, has plenty to say. The novel is narrated by a young man named Johnny Donnelly. Johnny is charming, funny and eloquent. He is also an IRA sniper. Part fable, part thriller, A Mad and Wonderful Thing can be read as a modern take on the story of Cú Chulainn.’
The Irish Times, Dublin, Ireland.
'Real pathos, underlying the Irish charm and wit, permeates the book as Mulholland brings to life Ireland's bitter strife-torn history. And he proves to be an extremely gifted storyteller to boot.'
Elaine Fry, The Weekend West, Perth, Australia.
'Mark Mulholland’s debut novel A Mad and Wonderful Thing is not perfect, but it comes close ... the tale is funny, fascinating, devastating and heart-warming and left me longing for whatever comes next from Mulholland’s pen.'
Clare Boyd-Macrae, Fabulous Reads, UK.
'A passionate and heart-wrenching debut novel. Johnny Donnelly dominates the book in a brilliant way. Mulholland uses Donnelly to carry out a conversation about the ‘Irish Problem.’ But there is a good deal of humour.'
Absolutely Magazine, UK.
'A Mad and Wonderful Thing inspires a sense of pure delight. ... Despite some dark themes, this riveting novel manages to be one of the great uplifting reads of the year.'
Great Escape Books, Australia.
'The real central character in this book is Ireland. Mulholland apparently effortlessly conjures up the country through its history, myths and legends, and its landscape . . . . Mulholland has a great gift for the vernacular, and the novel is both evocative and lyrically written.'
The Daily Mail, UK.
‘Super.' 'Love it’
Sheila O’Reilly. Dulwich Books. UK. Leading independent bookseller.
'I thought it excellent. Deeply satisfying and moving. I also think that sufficient time has passed since the Good Friday Agreement to, at last, have a novel that goes inside the head of one of the 'Troubles' protagonists and hear the pros and cons of conflict (to take up arms or not) told in an original and exciting way. All Mark's hard work has paid off. Ireland has a new and exciting voice.’
Liam Neeson, Actor.
'Highlights modern Ireland in all her graces and faults . . . . grounded in the realities of recent Irish history.'
The Wild Geese, USA.
'Our Book of the Month.'
Blackwell's, London, UK.
'This novel explores the moral paradox that makes a gifted young man chose terrorism as a way of life. The lyrical charm of the Irish vernacular and romanticism of the writing lifts it from the usual searing, relentless nature of war stories.'
Whichbook, UK.
‘I salute Mark Mulholland for writing this thought provoking, brave and well written book and I look forward to his next publication. In a year when the market is overwhelmed with war related books, mainly about WW1, Mulholland’s book explores another dimension in the nature of war.’
Renée Leen-Huish, Tinteán, USA.
‘A Mad and Wonderful Thing feels like ENYA with a spiked nose ring ... beautifully written.'
Eva Novy.
‘Beneath the passion, wit, and poetry of A Mad and Wonderful Thing is an undertow of tragedy. This is a world where our moral certainties are challenged, where gentle domesticity and sudden violence disrupt our expectations.’
Robert Gott, Novelist, Australia.
‘Broaches a heavy theme.’
The Living Butterfly.
'A thoroughly engaging novel ... weaving Irish folklore and history into a landscape where the lines are blurred between home and war, the threat of violence always being around the corner doesn't diminish the shock and heartbreak.'
Sarah Deasy, Avid Reader/Sunday Mail, Brisbane, Australia.
‘This is a first novel and it clearly demonstrates that Mark Mulholland fulfils another one of those Irish stereotypes — he really knows how to tell a story.’
Clare Donaldson, New Books, UK.
'Reading my first book of the year and it is a cracker; A Mad and Wonderful Thing by Mark Mulholland. Another gem from Henry at Scribe.'
Jon Page, Pages & Pages Booksellers, Australia.
'A Mad and Wonderful Thing is Mark Mulholland's terrific first novel. Johnny Donnelly, our charismatic hero, is a young man of many parts: a carpenter, a self-taught philosopher, and a cultural nationalist of the first order. Mulholland has pulled off that most difficult of literary quinellas: a serious story, entreatingly told.'
The New Zealand Listener.
‘A lyrical, poetic, and passionate tale ...'
Sydney Morning Herald / Canberra Times, Australia.
‘Johnny Donnelly is a romantic and a rhetorician ... it's easy to be swept along ... Mulholland has Roddy Doyle's gift of vernacular ... you'll be there with him to the bitter end.’
Herald Sun / Gold Coast Bulletin / Townsville Bulletin / The Weekend Post, Cairns, Australia.
‘I really enjoyed reading this ... An amazing narrator, he's charming and funny, realistic, patriotic, and wistful. Ultimately this is a redemption story and a story about life - just how mad and difficult and surprising, heart-breaking, impossible, and wonderful it can be. The language is descriptive and flows beautifully making it a really lovely read that has surprising twists and high drama.’
The Co-op Bookseller, Australia.
'Lovely lyrical writing - you can hear the Irish intonation and turn of phrase as you read it. A Greek tragedy from the first page. A good read and a good book club discussion.'
Virginia Cairns.
‘A debut novel from that clever Aussie publisher - Scribe. In turns elegiac and disturbing. Pulls off that trick of making you sympathise with a character who does some truly awful things. Has a genuine OMG moment. One to watch.’
May Contain Nuts.
'Probably one of the best books I have ever read.'
Aoife Cullen.
'A fabulous, wonderful tour of Ireland. A passionate and heart-wrenching story about an IRA sniper and his beloved homeland. Faintly disturbing.’
Booktique, Merimbula, Australia.
'Awesome.’
Ink361.
'An unexpected pleasure. Well written, engaging, with constant twists and turns.’
Australasian Journal of Irish Studies.
'The book rides a wonderful mixture of emotions, sometimes you can feel on top of the world and others be sniffling at the sadness and injustice of life. Johnny Donnelly is a character who has more layers than an onion. A mad and wonderful thing. Sounds the best of both worlds, doesn’t it? Something exciting, something to get your heart both racing and singing… This term can be used to summarise the protagonist in A Mad and Wonderful Thing, Johnny Donnelly – he’s full of wonderful ideas, love and kindness but he also hears and does some things that could be rightfully termed as completely mad. A solid debut by Mark Mulholland and a fantastically complex character created in Johnny Donnelly.’
Sam Still Reading.
'Johnny Donnelly is one of those captivating fictional characters you come across in Irish literature.'
Mayo County Library, Ireland.
‘What defines a man? Is it the overall shape of his life, or the individual moments? The insignificant kindnesses or the significant cruelties? A study of character, both of the individual and country, A Mad and Wonderful Thing traces the life of Johnny Donnelly, a charismatic and philosophical young man ... but (who) is also involved with the IRA. It is a wonderful novel.’
The Book Show, 4zzz FM, Brisbane, Australia.
'This is a novel about love and commitment...to another person, an ideal and a homeland. Written in the tradition of Irish mysticism and with self-deprecating humour and insight, the story tells us about Johnny's double life as a secret IRA sniper and a decent, intelligent member of a small community. Rich in the ancient myths and imbued with a deep love of the Irish countryside, the book taught me a lot about one of the world's longest enduring civil conflicts and those who fight in it.'
Sue - Drink Tea and Read Books.
'This is an amazing book. The central character, Johnny, is a charismatic, funny, intelligent young man who also happens to be a sniper, killing on behalf of Ireland against the English. The story intersperses his family and romantic life with his alter killing life. Johnny discusses ancient Irish stories, sayings, politics, the settlement of Ireland and who it genuinely belongs to, not in a dry way, but thought provoking so that the reader can see this is a complex issue with a myriad of viewpoints. The author cleverly introduces a close friend of Johhny, a father like mentor who has passed on, who appears throughout the story and has conversations but maybe this is Johnny's conscience? This is a debut book by Mark, what a stunner! Brilliantly written, the characters are life like. My book of the year.'
Stephanie from Goodreads
'Johnny Donnelly is the thinking man’s paramilitary. He sees himself as a latterday Cuchulain, achieving glory by taking on the fight of his ancestors. He is angry – with reason – at the British occupation of the six counties and believes it his duty as an Irishman to fight the oppressors. That he lives in Dundalk, just a stone’s throw from Teamhair, the epicentre of Irish legends, just adds to the weight on his shoulders. So, a combination of personal slight, the frustration at the senselessness of the Hunger Strikes, and the gentle encouragement of a schoolteacher sees Johnny set his personal life aside to join the struggle.
But as an intellectual, Johnny struggles to reconcile his own involvement in an organisation full of bullies, thugs and racketeers. He struggles to cope with the lack of engagement of his southern compatriots. He struggles to deal with the lack of recognition that should come to a hero. Johnny is the South Armagh sniper. He is a professional in an army of amateurs. Each hit is prepared, calculated, mapped out in minute detail. The squeeze of the trigger and the gentle bloom of red are just details in each operation that was weeks in the planning, and hours in the fleeing. Johnny’s targets are carefully chosen, each making simple procedural errors to seal his fate.
Johnny is also a magnetic attraction to the ladies. Everywhere he goes, every evening, every day, Johnny gets lucky. But as a gentleman, as a thinker, Johnny uses his charm judiciously. He has complex emotions and a burning love for Cora. Johnny is a decent man.
A Mad and Wonderful thing is a poignant novel charting the disillusion of a true Irish rebel caught between wanting victory but enjoying the fight. As a love story, it has a shining beauty – the love of Cora and the love of Ireland. But both of these loves are ultimately unrequited leaving Johnny as a disillusioned, lonely man travelling the length and breadth of Ireland in a futile attempt to gain self-knowledge. Rather than Cuchulain, we find a latterday Leopold Bloom, wandering in constant search of endorsement and affection from those who are not fit to polish his shoes. The language is marvellous. The title, when it appears in the text, is unexpected and subsequently becomes haunting and moving. The locations – bleak hilltops, forests, the bare stone pavement of The Burren – all come alive. The people feel real, understated, human. Sometimes there seems to be just a bit too much navel gazing and philosophizing, but it adds to a complex picture in which paramilitary involvement was as much about boredom and loneliness as it ever was about exciting operations. That we are able to relate to Johnny on a human level whilst also loathing the fear and suffering he imposed on others (and himself), is a sign of a delicate, intelligent novel that doesn’t seek to impose a political slant or lead to a trite conclusion.'
MisterHobgoblin Reviews
The Short Stories
Mark's shorter work has been published in the USA, Canada, Scotland, Australia, England, France, India, and Ireland.
‘Golightly and the Crazy Fool ' first published in Backstory Journal, Melbourne, Australia. (A literary publication of the University of Swinburne) Thank you to Dr Wendy J Dunn Managing Editor Backstory Journal for so warmly and receptively accepting the piece, to Backstory Senior Editor Marnie Reid for her great work, to Claire Smith for her work on editing copy, and to the university peer readers for their very positive commentary.
Literary journal reviewer Tom Meagher says: ‘Mark Mulholland takes me right back to the sounds, sights and often interesting smells of my hometown of Dublin with Golightly and the Crazy Fool where he explores loss, the transformative nature of human encounter, aging, the nature of time and space, and the smooth vocals of Roger Whittaker!’
Story here: http://www.backstoryjournal.com.au/…/…/golightly-crazy-fool/
'Moonlight at Saint Helena Park’ first published in Abstract Magazine Contemporary Expressions in the good old USA. Fair play to Editor and Art Director JL Jacobs.
Story here: http://abstractmagazinetv.com/2019/09/30/moonlight-at-saint-helena-park-by-mark-mulholland/?fbclid=IwAR0aZ-F_jQN4NVvtHMbQXz8ohC_Z__XcSC8dfnnmefFbtJC3bpPzjs3_IPY
‘Jennifer’ first published in Deceiving Light an anthology of short-listed stories from the Dorset Fiction Award, UK.
Story here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/…/…/1986411516/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_5…
‘Tsunami’ first published in the Glasgow Review of Books in wonderful Scotland.
Fair play and thank you to the editorial team, Rebecca DeWald, Mark West, Eilidh McCabe, and Samuel Tongue.
Glasgow Review of Books here: https://glasgowreviewofbooks.com
‘Four Kids and a Mortgage’ first published and short-listed for the Solution UK Short Story Prize. Fair play to Alex Silverman and fellow judges.
The judges said: ‘What we particularly liked about Mark’s story is how he looks at the concept of ‘home’ beyond that of a physical, bricks and mortar structure. He shows us how a sense of home and belonging can be found in simple pleasures: routines and rituals, favourite foods and, of course, love and companionship. Some lovely lyrical writing with the Irish voice and great use of symbolism in this story.’
Story here: https://www.solution-loans.co.uk/…/results-wint…/runner-up1/
'Sandals For Summer' first published in Glassworks Literary Magazine, Issue 18, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, USA.
Story here: https://issuu.com/glassworksmagazine/docs/issue18
'The Cloths of Heaven' first published in October Hill Magazine, New York City, USA. Thank you to Short-Story Editor Selin Tekgurler and Assistant Short-Story Editor Katilynne Berg for their kind and astute work on the piece.
'Broken Grain' first published in Genre: Urban Arts Magazine, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
'Black Rock' first published in COG Literary Magazine (Issue 13), Cogswell College, San Jose, California, USA.
Thank you to Soma Mei Sheng Frazier and Alana Boctor
(Editor and Student Editor-in-Chief, COG) for their generous and wonderful work with the piece. They have great talent and skill.
Story here: https://www.cogzine.com/copy-of-f-master-1
'The Butcher's Hook' first published in StylusLit Journal, Queensland, Australia. Issue 6. Thank you to Prose Editor Andrew Leggett for his kind work on the piece. And thank you to poetry editor and publisher Rosanna Licari.
Story here: http://styluslit.com/fiction/the-butchers-hook/
'The Gathering' first published in Crossways Literary Magazine, Cork, Ireland.
Story here: https://crosswayslit.com/708-2/?fbclid=IwAR023hHLjhRI52THHTJ2AU9LqKex0jvKcSFYRepXWPI53lH9xs-HGBmovZ8
'Devils Will Come' first published in Chaleur Literary Magazine, Madison, New Jersey, USA.
'The Devil Rides Métro Line 4' first published in The Fiction Pool literary magazine, Taunton, in the good old United Kingdom. Fair play editor Jo Simmonds.
'One Fainting Robin' first published in The Bangalore Review (Literature & Arts Magazine), Bangalore, India.
'Monsieur Micheau’ first published in Blue Lake Review, Rochester, New York, USA. Fair play Mitchell Waldman, Fiction Editor.
Story here: http://bluelakereview.weebly.com/monsieur-micheau.html
‘The Devil’s Hand’ first published in Dime Show Review, Folsom, California, USA. Fair play Kae Sable, Editor in Chief.
'A Grey Sky Low Over Dark Water' first published in The Menteur, Paris, France. Issue 2019. (A Literary and Arts Magazine from the Paris School of Arts and Culture, Rue de Chevreuse, and affiliated to the University of Kent)
Thank you to Fiction Editor Hajar Woodland for the acceptance and kind work on the piece, and thank you to fellow Menteur editors Sinéad and Heather.
Story here: https://thementeur.com
'The Braided Cord' first published in Duck Lake Journal, Volume 2, Ocean Shores, Washington, USA.
Thank you to Editor ED Jay.
Journal here : https://catalog.ducklakebooks.com/p/dlj-v2.html
'A Grey Slanted Evening' first published in Passager Journal, Issue 68 - Winter 2020, Baltimore, Maryland, in the good old USA.
Thank you to co-editors Mary Azrael and Kendra Kopelke who have been editing this great literary journal non-stop for twenty-five years. That is fantastic effort, work, perseverance, creativity, and wonder.
Journal here : https://www.passagerbooks.com/2020-passager-open-issue-68/
'Dino Toast' first published in the Spadina Literary Review, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Edition 32)
Thank you to Editor Ian Allaby for his brave acceptance and kind work on the piece.
Story here: https://www.spadinaliteraryreview.com/SR32-Fic-03.html
'The God Particle' first published in Pennsylvania English - Issue 40.2, Pennsylvania, in the good old USA.
'Millie and Me' first published in Abstract Magazine Contemporary Expressions, USA.
Story here: http://abstractmagazinetv.com/2020/06/17/millie-and-me-by-mark-mulholland
'A Moo Cow Came Travelling' first published by Flyway Journal, Iowa State University, in the good old USA.
'Twenty-Twenty and the Girl' first published in An Tain Arts / The Argus, Ireland.
Story here: http://www.pressreader.com/ireland/the-argus/20200602/page/40
'Few Days' first published in An Tain Arts / The Argus, Ireland.
Story here: http://www.pressreader.com/ireland/the-argus/20200602/page/40
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