Synopsis
'In the great tradition of Irish storytelling, taking her place beside Maeve Binchy and Frank McCourt, Jean Grainger's books will sweep you away to Ireland.'
Every week, Conor O'Shea collects a new group of American visitors from Shannon Airport, from where they embark on a high end tour of the Real Ireland.
But this particular tour, with its cast of unintentionally hilarious characters, presents even seasoned tour guide Conor with situations that test even his vast experience.
Among this eclectic group are Corlene, a gold digging multiple divorcee on the prowl; Patrick, a love starved Boston cop; Dylan, a goth uilleann piper; Dorothy a poisonous college professor who wouldn't spend Christmas and Elliot, a wall street shark who finally shows his true colours.
Then there's Ellen, back on Irish soil for the first time in eighty years, to discover a truth no-one could ever have guessed at, least of all herself.
And that's just a few of the colourful cast. The locals they meet on their journey, West Brits, passionate musicians, Ukrainian waitresses and Garda high flyers all help to make this a tour no-one will ever forget. And of course, there's Conor O'Shea in the thick of it all, solving problems and mending hearts, but what about his own?
The Tour is the first in the series.
Review
Jean Grainger grew up in Cork, Ireland and has been a university lecturer of history, an English, Drama and History teacher and a playwright. She also worked for twelve years as a tour guide in Ireland. She currently teaches English and History at an all-boy's secondary school which means she has a great sense of humour and absolutely no sense of smell. Her first book The Tour, is a funny warm read detailing the adventures of a group of disparate American visitors on a high end bus tour of Ireland. The story details the visitors individual journeys as well as weaving their experiences together. There are returning immigrants, searching for truth, lonely souls looking for love and mysterious figures observing it all. Jean Grainger's second book, So Much Owed, is a historical family saga centered around the Buckley family of Dunderrig House, near Skibbereen in Ireland. Spanning two world wars, the story opens at the end of World War 1 in France and moves to tranquil West Cork, Ireland. All too soon however the next generation are faced with a world once again at war. From wartime Belfast to neutral Dublin, from battered London to occupied France the story follows the fortunes of the Buckleys of Dunderrig.This era was Grainger's academic specialty, in particular the resistance in Europe to Nazi oppression, which is a feature of this novel. Jean Grainger lives in Cork, Ireland with her husband and four children.
The Tour
Take a tour you'll never forget as you navigate the stunning vistas of gorgeous Ireland along with the hearts and minds of a cast of characters who will live with you, long after you've finished the last page. During a routine tour of Ireland, tour guide Conor O'Shea finds himself on a journey of his own through the lives of his hilarious companions as together they navigate both the Irish countryside and the secrets of their individual lives. A Wall Street banker, a divorcee, a musician, a cop, and a professor all enter Ireland with something on their minds, and throughout their journey with Conor as their guide, they each begin to show something of themselves against the spectacular backdrop of Ireland. As colourful and turbulent as an Irish hillside, The Tour offers more than just a look at one of the world's most beautiful places, but contrasts Ireland's open skyways and idyllic views against the secret lives of the individual. Witty, informative, and with a touch of romance, The Tour offers a unique look at the lives of others as they travel the Emerald Isle
"Every week, Conor O'Shea collects a new group of American visitors from Shannon Airport, from where they embark on a high end tour of the Real Ireland."
The Homecoming of Bubbles O'Leary
A luxury stay in an Irish castle, a handsome, experienced tour guide, and a secret that has never been revealed. Life as manager of the magnificent resort of Castle Dysert on Ireland's wild Atlantic coast is never dull, and Conor O'Shea's life to date has taught him to be prepared for the unexpected. Even he however, is not ready for the gang from Bubbles O'Leary's bar in New York. A motley crew, from spinster sisters of a certain age, to exhausted social workers, they are all in Ireland for one reason. The fact that this bunch of unusual people arrive during Ireland's biggest matchmaking festival just adds to the intrigue. But is everyone who they say they are? Are all their motives pure? Conor is ready to do his best to show the visitors his beloved Ireland, but his personal life takes a devastating turn and he finds himself torn, unsure how to proceed. Is the past best left there, or is there redemption to be found in opening old wounds?Wise and witty, heart-warming and deeply satisfying, Jean Grainger takes us once more on an unforgettable trip to the Emerald Isle.The Homecoming of Bubbles O'Leary is the fourth book in The Tour Series.
Is the past best left there, or is there redemption to be found in opening old wounds?Wise and witty, heart-warming and deeply satisfying, Jean Grainger takes us once more on an unforgettable trip to the Emerald Isle.The Homecoming of ..."
The Story of Grenville King
Conor O'Shea has had enough of driving and guiding tours of Ireland. So when an opportunity to renovate and run the magnificent but rundown Castle Dysert as a five-star resort presents itself, he grabs it with both hands. But problems arise almost immediately when his business partner appears to have more on her agenda than just business. To add to that, his darling wife seems discontented as a stay at home mom, and his in-laws have moved in. With his family's future now entangled in a stunningly beautiful old castle on the coast of Clare, Conor undertakes a mammoth project, and in so doing, he uncovers the troubled past of this ancient stronghold. The mystery of the family who lived, loved, and lost their lives within the walls of the castle are reflected in his own family as they too struggle to let go of the past. Like in every small Irish village, gossip abounds. But do the ghosts of regret still haunt these ancient hallways? It is now left to Conor to explore the truth and uncover a heartbreaking lesson on the power of memory and the long threads that bind us together. In The Story of Grenville King, Jean Grainger takes you once again to the real heart of Ireland.
It is now left to Conor to explore the truth and uncover a heartbreaking lesson on the power of memory and the long threads that bind us together.In The Story of Grenville King, Jean Grainger takes you once again to the real heart of ..."
Kayla's Trick
When Conor's dream for Castle Dysert is facing ruin by circumstances outside his control he refuses to be beaten. Surely there must be a way to save everything they've worked so hard for?Then, as all hope seems lost, a solution in the form of a reality TV show called 'Grandma says we're Irish' presents itself. The producers are convinced Conor is just the man they need to host the show, and what better setting than the gorgeous castle, but is will this new venture save Castle Dysert or destroy it?A bunch of so-called celebrities are installed, all looking for their Irish roots, and the cameras are rolling, but not everyone is as they seem, and soon, Conor finds himself stuck in the middle of something that even he can't manage.
When Conor's dream for Castle Dysert is facing ruin by circumstances outside his control he refuses to be beaten."
Finding Billie Romano
Twenty-five year old Billie Romano is struggling. She is grieving the death of her beloved dad and nothing in her life is going right. Her mother has remarried with indecent haste, so when her grandfather presents everyone in the family with a DNA testing kit for fun, Billie couldn't be less interested in playing happy families. The test results are shocking, and Billie finds herself caught in a turmoil of emotions as she is faced with a reality she could never have imagined. Her journey of discovery takes her to Ireland, and to the stunningly beautiful Castle Dysert on the Wild Atlantic Coast, when Conor O'Shea once more steps into the role of fixer of problems and soother of troubled souls. Can Billie make a whole new start or are some cans of worms best left closed? Finding Billie Romano is the fifth book in the Tour Series.
Can Billie make a whole new start or are some cans of worms best left closed? Finding Billie Romano is the fifth book in the Tour Series."
Safe at the Edge of the World
On the run from a notorious mob boss, this mysterious couple flees the U.S. in search of sanctuary on the shores of the Emerald Isle, hoping to blend in with the tourists. In their wake lies a mafia family's secrets and a scarred priest torn between his duty to the cloth and to the truth. Intriguing and uniquely consuming, Father Declan Sullivan's tale of destiny and duty lies at the feet of those he has betrayed. Can distance and deliverance save the innocent in their desperate pursuit for peace, or will evil catch up to them all?
On the run from a notorious mob boss, this mysterious couple flees the U.S. in search of sanctuary on the shores of the Emerald Isle, hoping to blend in with the tourists."
Jean Simmons
Arriving in Hollywood in 1950 to launch her American film career, Jean Simmons (1929-2010) had already appeared in 18 British films and was best known for her portrayal of Ophelia in Laurence Olivier's Hamlet. She soon became a favorite female face working with some of filmmaking's greats and acted opposite many Hollywood A-listers. Two of her most popular films--Guys and Dolls (1955) and Spartacus (1960)--were international box-office hits, and in her seven decades-long career she collected numerous awards and honors including a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and two Oscar nominations as Best Actress. Despite the accomplishments and accolades, radiant beauty, and stunning versatility, Simmons is considered by many to be an underrated artist, too often handed more comfortable leading female roles than those that could've elevated her to the level of super stardom experienced by some of her peers. This, the first full-length biography of Simmons, fills a gap in film and performing arts studies, and includes extensive notes and photographs.
While Jean and Granger signed autographs outside the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool, the crowd was so unruly that ... First a tour to promote The Blue Lagoon that took her to Austria and Germany; at military bases, she met several ..."
Grainger the Modernist
Unaccountably, Percy Grainger has remained on the margins of both American music history and twentieth-century modernism. This volume reveals the well-known composer of popular gems to be a self-described ‘hyper-modernist’ who composed works of uncompromising dissonance, challenged the conventions of folk song collection and adaptation, re-visioned the modern orchestra, experimented with ‘ego-less’ composition and designed electronic machines intended to supersede human application. Grainger was far from being a self-sufficient maverick working in isolation. Through contact with innovators such as Ferrucio Busoni, Léon Theremin and Henry Cowell; promotion of the music of modern French and Spanish schools; appreciation of vernacular, jazz and folk musics; as well as with the study and transcription of non-Western music; he contested received ideas and proposed many radical new approaches. By reappraising Grainger’s social and historical connectedness and exploring the variety of aspects of modernity seen in his activities in the British, American and Australian contexts, the authors create a profile of a composer, propagandist and visionary whose modernist aesthetic paralleled that of the most advanced composers of his day, and, in some cases, anticipated their practical experiments.
According to the critic D. C. Parker in a promotional booklet from 1918, Grainger 'pays an eloquent tribute to albéniz, ... Jean -aubry and J. b. trend.37 on his 1934 tour Grainger Encounters with the Modern Spanish School 131."
What Once was True
Robinswood, Co Waterford, 1939. The once grand house is home to two very different families.Despite delusions of grandeur, Lord and Lady Kenefick and their adult children, live a life of decayed opulence as the money needed to keep such a large house and grounds ever dwindles. Meanwhile, the Murphy family, Dermot, Isabella and their three almost grown up girls, live and work on the estate and do their best to keep everything running smoothly. From the leafy grounds of an Irish stately home, to the bombed out streets of London in the Blitz, allow yourself to be swept away once more in Jean Grainger's latest bestselling historical saga.
One House, two families and a war that changes everything that once was true... Robinswood, Co Waterford, 1939."
Motion Picture Story Magazine
Mitzi Gaynor has been beautifully dressed during her year's tour to publicize South Pacific . She and her husband have a play slated for Broadway , a TV show coming up , and an important picture . I was amazed when Pier Angeli ..."
Musical Opinion
Issues for include section: The Organ world.
Both lived to a good age ( Grainger to 78 and Sibelius to 91 ) ; both wrote highly individual music ; both lived colourful lives ; neither had either deep ... Grainger visited Finland only once , during a concert tour in late 1913."
The Empire State Granger
... Jean Midgley , Ida Newbold , Marie Boutcher , and Virginia Edwards . State Youth ... from page 4 exemplified and a super tour was enjoyed by those attending . We even had a proposal of marriage and guess what , she said " yes " !"
Musical America
The orchestra will have tours in November , January and February with such soloists as Mischa Elman , Percy Grainger and Frieda Hempel . The itinerary of the annual spring tour of the orchestra , which will carry the organization to the ..."
The African American Theatre Directory, 1816-1960
A comprehensive directory of more than 600 entries, this detailed ready reference features professional, semi-professional, and academic stage organizations and theatres that have been in the forefront in pioneering most of the advances that African Americans have made in the theatre. It includes groups from the early 19th century to the dawn of the revolutionary Black theatre movement of the 1960s. It is an effort to bring together into one volume information that has hitherto been scattered throughout a number of different sources. The volume begins with an illuminating foreword by Errol Hill, a noted critic, playwright, scholar and Willard Professor of Drama Emeritus, Dartmouth College. A comprehensive directory of more than 600 entries, this detailed ready reference features professional, semi-professional, and academic stage organizations and theatres that have been in the forefront in pioneering most of the advances that African Americans have made in the theatre. It includes groups from the early 19th century to the dawn of the revolutionary Black theatre movement of the 1960s. It is an effort to bring together into one volume information that has hitherto been scattered throughout a number of different sources. The volume begins with an illuminating foreword by Errol Hill, a noted critic, playwright, scholar and Willard Professor of Drama Emeritus, Dartmouth College. Included in the volume are the earliest organizations that existed before the Civil War, Black minstrel troupes, pioneer musical show companies, selected vaudeville and road show troupes, professional theatrical associations, booking agencies, stock companies, significant amateur and little theatre groups, Black units of the WPA Federal Theatre, and semi-professional groups in Harlem after the Federal Theatre. The A-Z entries are supplemented with a classified appendix that also includes additional organizations not listed in the main directory, a bibliography, and three indexes for shows, showpeople, and general subjects. Cross referencing makes related information easy to find.
... with " Mann & Luigi , for the purpose of producing Bright's musical revue Get Set in Harlem and on tour . ... the Stock Swindler ) , Porter Grainger ( Hitt Keys , a Pianist ) , * Jean Starr ( Vera Blues , a Torch Singer ) , Amelia ..."
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