Marry

Against soap. Why Colleen McCullough didn't like The Thorn Birds. The Thorn Birds: A Tragic Love Story By The Thorn Birds

The book was first published in 1977. A piercing family saga about eternal love has received a large number of positive reviews and recognition around the world. Based on the work, a feature film of the same name was shot, which added to the popularity of the novel.

The novel was written by Australian writer Colin McCullough. In it, emotionally, convincingly and subtly, she created romantic images. Readers will draw from the book interesting thoughts about fidelity, love, friendship, relationships between children and parents.. The book will be loved and read at all times.

In the center of the plot is the life story of the Australian Cleary family. By coincidence, in their family, men die one by one, and those who remain cannot continue the family.. Gradually, their family is dying out. In connection with the dramatic episodes in their lives, the women of this family have become real stoics.

They were distinguished by self-control and restraint of their feelings. The main character Maggie grew up in a difficult environment for the psyche. Childhood was not distinguished by carelessness and happiness, she matured early. The girl learned to hide her feelings deeply.

Maggie wasn't friends with anyone. Due to her secretive freedom-loving nature, she was not liked at school. The only one who understood her was her brother Frank, and even he, having left his father's house, ended up in prison. She could talk heart to heart only with the priest Ralph de Bricassar.

He also did not hide his sympathy for her. The girl grew up before his eyes, turning into an attractive person. It is not surprising that Maggie, not seeing responses from other men, fell in love with Ralph. The reverend also had by no means paternal feelings for her. Ralph was drawn to the girl.

The Cleary family was not religious. Their relationship with God was reduced to the observance of rituals, and nothing more. Maggie did not understand why she could not love a priest and in her heart she even rebelled against church customs. In her opinion, the church took away from her to be happy in marriage with her beloved.

The writer created the image of Ralph ambiguous. On the one hand, the priest is ambitious, wishes for a career as a bishop, cunning, sometimes cruel and presumptuous. On the other hand, it has many positive qualities. Ralph finds happiness in serving God, helps ordinary people, and is honest with himself.

With all his might, he tries to drown out the attraction to Maggie. In the novel, in addition to the relationship between Maggie and Ralph, there are many stories about other heroes: Paddy, Luke, Fia, Dan, Justin. All of them are looking for happiness, but it does not want to fall into their hands, but, like a bird, flies away.

For ease of reading, McCullough divided the book into seven parts, each of which tells the sad story of these heroes. . So, the main character Maggie is forced to marry her unloved Luke O'Neill. From the first lines of reading the novel, it becomes clear to readers that Ralph and Maggie are made for each other, so you vividly feel how unhappy a woman is in marriage.

Will they ever be together? You will learn about this by reading the book by Colin McCullough "The Thorn Birds" in full. You can do it on our website.

Criticism

The product leaves a lasting impression. Using the example of several generations of the Cleary family, the author described the life of Australians and the problems they face.
The book excites and intrigues with a twisted plot, making readers also think about their lives, because often we also hide our feelings and emotions and this affects our future fate.

Read a book - a classic of world literature! You will definitely enjoy the exciting love story of the characters and the realities of the lives of other characters.

The Thorn Birds

A family saga by Australian author Colleen McCullough published in 1977.

C Olin McCullough

Colleen McCullough

Colin McCullough was born on June 1, 1937 in Wellington, New South Wales to James and Laura McCullough. Colin's mother was from New Zealand, among her ancestors were representatives of the Maori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand. The McCullough family moved frequently, eventually settling in Sydney. Colleen read and drew a lot and even wrote poetry. Under the influence of her parents, Colin chose medicine as her future profession. She studied at the University of Sydney, where she majored in neuropsychology. After graduation, she worked at the Royal North Shore Hospital. In 1963 Colleen McCullough moved to London.

From 1967 to 1976, McCullough was a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Neuroscience at the Yale Medical School at Yale University. It was also during this period that she first turned to writing and wrote her first novels, Tim and The Thorn Birds, and eventually decided to devote herself entirely to writing. She has lived on Norfolk Island since the late 1970s.

"The Thorn Birds"

summary

The events described in the novel by the famous Australian writer Colin McCullough "The Thorn Birds" begin in 1915. In the center of the story is the large Cleary family living in New Zealand. The head of this family, Padrick Cleary, usually referred to as Paddy, is forced to earn a living for himself and his loved ones by the hardest physical labor, taking care of the sheep, his wife Fiona also works around the house from morning to evening. The six children of Padrick and Fiona, the youngest of which is the girl Maggie, are forced to help their parents in everything from an early age, the father already makes the same demands on the eldest son, sixteen-year-old Frank, as on an adult worker, severely punishing the teenager for the slightest mistake.

The book begins with the birthday of the youngest daughter, Maggie, who is four years old. The life of a large family, the hard daily work of the mother of the family, Fiona, the difficulties of teaching children in a Catholic school under the command of harsh nuns, the dissatisfaction of the eldest son Frank with poverty and the monotony of life are described. One day, his father, Padrick Cleary (Paddy), receives a letter from his sister Mary Carson, the wealthy owner of the vast Australian estate of Drogheda. She invites him to the position of senior shepherd, and the whole family moves from New Zealand to Australia.

When Maggie first goes to school at the age of five, she encounters a very cruel and embittered nun called Sister Agatha. On the very first day, the girl experiences serious humiliation at school, the nun mercilessly beats the baby in front of all the other children, and from now on, virtually every school day becomes a real nightmare for Maggie, Sister Agatha does not stop poisoning her. However, the girl, in accordance with the traditions of her family, tries to endure everything steadfastly, not to cry or complain even to her relatives, Maggie learns patience and silence from an early age.

When World War I breaks out, Frank tries to run away from home to join the army, although his father strongly objects to his decision. However, the young man makes an attempt to escape, but he is quickly returned home, and the guy realizes with desperation that he will have to stay with his father, for whom he has an increasingly strong dislike. This concludes the first part of the novel.

In Australia, the Cleary family is met by a young parish priest, Ralph de Bricassar. Ten-year-old Maggie, the only daughter in the family, attracts his attention with her beauty and shyness. Getting older, Maggie falls in love with him, but they are not destined to be together, because Ralph, like any Catholic priest, took a vow of chastity (celibacy). However, they spend a lot of time together, riding, talking. Mary Carson, widow of "King of Steel" Michael Carson, has an unrequited crush on Ralph and watches over his relationship with Maggie with ill-concealed hatred. Sensing that Ralph is about to give up his priesthood for the sake of the matured Maggie, Mary sets a trap for Ralph at the cost of her life: after the death of Mary Carson, her huge inheritance passes to the church on the condition that the latter will appreciate her humble minister Ralph de Bricassar, who becomes sole steward of the Carson estate, and the Cleary family is given the right to live in Drogheda as stewards. Now, when the possibility of a church career opens up again in full breadth before Ralph, he refuses to connect his life with Maggie and leaves Drogheda. Maggie misses him. Ralph also thinks about her, but is overcome by the desire to return to Drogheda.

(1929-1932) A great fire claimed the lives of Maggie's father Padrick and brother Stuart. As their bodies are being transported, Ralph arrives at Drogheda the same day, but leaves again after the funeral. From Maggie, he receives a rose that survived the fire as a gift.

(1933-1938) Luke O'Neill, a new worker, appears at the estate and takes care of Maggie. Soon Maggie marries him, and outwardly Luke looked like Ralph. After the wedding, Luke got a job as a cane cutter, and Maggie got a job as a maid in the house of a married couple. Maggie wants to give birth to a child from Luke, but he is not in a hurry with this yet. But still, using her feminine charms, Maggie gives birth to a daughter, Justina. After a difficult birth, she falls ill and the owners of the house where she served as a maid allow her to go to Matlock Island. Even after arriving, Luke did not want to see his wife and went back to work. Then Ralph arrives. After hesitating, he goes to Maggie. They spend several days together. But soon Ralph returns to Rome to continue his career. Maggie leaves Luke and returns to Drogheda pregnant by Ralph.

(1938-1953) Maggie has a son in Drogheda, whom she named Dan, who looks like Ralph. But others think that this is Luke's son. Only Fiona, Maggie's mother, guessed. When talking with Maggie, it turned out that Fiona in her youth was crazy about one influential person, from whom she was the son of Frank and who could not marry her. She then married Padrick Cleary. The lovers of both women cared about their careers. Soon Ralph arrives in Drogheda and meets Dan, not suspecting that this is his son. Maggie didn't say anything either. When the Second World War broke out in Europe, Maggie's brothers all go to the front. Already a cardinal, Ralph resigned himself to the fact that the Vatican supported Mussolini's regime.

(1954-1965) Growing up, Maggie's children began to choose their own professions. Justina leaves for London, intending to become an actress. Dan wants to devote himself to the church, no matter how much Maggie opposes this. But still sends Dan to Ralph in Rome. After passing the rite, he leaves for Crete and during the rescue of two women, he drowns. After Maggie's arrival, Ralph learns that Dan is his son and helps to transport his son to Drogheda.

(1965-1969) Justina experiences Dan's death but finds solace in her work. She oscillates between returning to Drogheda and mending her relationship with her German friend Lyon Hartheim. Lyon wants to marry Justine. Yet she marries him. By telegram, she announces her marriage to Maggie, who is in Drogheda. There are no more children in their family. And Justina doesn't want to have them either.

It is interesting to know why Colina named the saga THE BLACKBORNE SINGERS.

There is such a legend - about a bird that sings only once in a lifetime, but it is the most beautiful in the world. One day she leaves her nest and flies to look for a thorn bush and will not rest until she finds it. Among the thorny branches she sings a song and throws herself at the longest, sharpest thorn. And, rising above the inexpressible torment, it sings so, dying, that both the lark and the nightingale would envy this jubilant song. The only, incomparable song, and it comes at the cost of life. But the whole world freezes, listening, and God himself smiles in heaven. For all the best is bought only at the cost of great suffering ... At least that's what the legend says.

Sources - Wikipedia, 2mir-istorii.ru, sochinyalka.ru

Colin McCullough - The Thorn Birds - Saga Summary updated: September 10, 2017 by: website

Despite poverty, the family is very friendly, older brothers, especially Frank, protect little Maggie from all sorrows and troubles. True, Paddy is too harsh with Frank, conflicts periodically arise between him and the young man, but the guy has to obey the will of his father.

In the second part, Mary Carson, the elder sister of Padrick Cleary, who lives in Australia and is a very wealthy widow, appears for the first time in the story, her long-dead husband left her a huge estate called Drogheda, which brings an elderly woman considerable income. Mary has no heirs, her only son died in infancy, Mrs. Carson is no longer young and is increasingly thinking about who, after her death, will receive the estate and all the funds she has.

In Gyllenbone, the parish where Mary Carson lives, a new priest, Ralph de Bricassar, arrives, distinguished by his external attractiveness, charm, and the ability to build speech very beautifully and smoothly. Mary likes this young man, although she wonders why the leadership decided to send him to such a wilderness. The widow tells Ralph that she plans to call her brother and his entire family to Australia so that they get used to working in Drogheda and subsequently receive this estate at their disposal. The priest approves of Mary's idea, and she writes a letter to Padrik inviting him to come, although she had not communicated with him at all for several decades.

Paddy and his sons are very enthusiastic about the news that they will move to Australia, life in New Zealand is becoming increasingly difficult for the family, finding at least some kind of income is often almost impossible. Fiona is more reserved about Mary's proposal, but is forced to comply with her husband's wishes.

When the Cleary family, exhausted from traveling on a steamboat without basic comforts, arrives at their destination, they are met by the priest Ralph de Bricassart, who immediately feels affection for the sincere and hardworking men of this family, and Maggie, who at that time was not yet ten years old, he is literally mesmerized. Mrs. Carson is arrogant and caustic with her relatives, showing her brother and his children that she considers them only servants. Despite this, Paddy and his sons diligently work in Drogheda, diligently mastering all the nuances of a huge economy.

Maggie, along with her brother Stuart, begins to study at a monastery school, here she is treated differently than in New Zealand, the teachers show attention and care to the girl, but she still feels lonely. Father Ralph is gradually becoming the closest person to her, to whom Maggie almost without hesitation trusts her thoughts, feelings, observations of the life around her.

Once, during a festive festivities, another quarrel occurs between Paddy and Frank, and the man in anger lays out to the young man the truth that in fact he is not his father at all. Frank is not too surprised by his words, in the depths of his soul he had long thought that this was the case. The young man decides to leave home with a team of boxers, and the priest convinces Paddy that there is no need to keep the guy, they still cannot live under the same roof without constant conflicts. He also insists that Padrick not reveal the whole truth to Maggie, who accidentally witnessed what happened, but did not understand everything from the conversation between her father and brother.

Paddy then has a candid conversation with Father Ralph, telling him the story of his marriage to Fiona. The woman came from a wealthy and respected family, her father would never have given her as a wife to a common man if the girl had not become a mother before marriage. Fiona's father offered Padrick a certain amount of money for the fact that he would marry his daughter and go away with her and Frank, saving the family from shame. Cleary, after some hesitation, agreed.

After her 72nd birthday, celebrated on a grand scale and with many guests, Mary Carson no longer gets out of bed, the servants are horrified to discover that the elderly woman is dead. Father Ralph is the first to read her will and learns that the huge fortune was bequeathed not to the members of the Cleary family, who worked virtually without rest in Drogheda for seven years, but to him, Ralph de Bricassar. True, Padrick Cleary and his children are given the right to live permanently on the estate and manage some part of the income, but this is where their opportunities are limited.

Acquaintances persuade Paddy to protest the will, but he and his sons decide to be content with the fact that Mary chose to leave them and not challenge her will. Ralph leaves for Rome, having received a new appointment due to his changed financial situation. Maggie is desperate because of this separation, although her father explains to her that there is absolutely no need for a girl to dream of a priest who can never become her husband anyway.

Some time after these events, a grandiose fire occurs in the district, the victim of which is Padrick Cleary. In the same days, a wild boar cracks down on Stuart, one of his sons. Ralph de Bricassar comes to support the orphaned family, he asks Fiona to take into account that Maggie has already become quite an adult and it is time to introduce her to young people, her mother should already think about her marriage. However, Fiona does not want to listen to his words, believing that the girl does not need to pay too much attention to anything, sooner or later she will meet her fate anyway.

Soon, a new shepherd named Luke O'Neill appears in Drogheda, outwardly he is very reminiscent of Ralph de Bricassard and this is what causes Maggie's clear interest. The young man plans to earn a lot of money, he is not afraid of any work, in the future Luke is going to buy his own house. He considers Maggie a very profitable match for himself and begins to court the girl, who without hesitation agrees to his proposal, knowing that Ralph will forever remain inaccessible to her, and with Luke she will have a family and children, which she has long dreamed of.

After the wedding, Maggie learns that her husband has arranged for her to work as a servant for some Mullers, while Luke himself intends to spend all the time on a cane plantation. The husband tells Maggie that this situation will not last long, that they need to quickly save up money for a house. The young woman reluctantly agrees with his arguments, besides, she is met by a sincere, cordial attitude in the Muller family, Maggie feels absolutely equal to the owners.

After a short period of time, a woman feels great disappointment in her husband, although at first she does not dare to admit to herself that her marriage turned out to be a clear mistake. Luke does not actually come to visit Maggie, not wanting to leave his plantation for at least a few days and lose his earnings, besides, the man categorically does not want to have children. Maggie, believing that without a child, her marriage is completely meaningless, redoubles her efforts, trying to get pregnant, and yet achieves the desired result.

Childbirth turns out to be extremely difficult, the young woman almost loses her life. It was at this time that Ralph de Bricassar comes to visit her, and Maggie sharply reproaches him that for men their ambitions are much more important than simple life joys, such as a home, family, love, children. After that, the woman goes to rest on Matlock Island for a while, and Ralph soon arrives there.

This time, these two are still unable to resist the strongest temptation and approach physically, although the priest feels guilty for breaking his vow. Maggie only wants to have a child from this meeting, and soon after returning to the Mullers, she is convinced that her wish has come true.

The woman announces to Luke about their complete break, that she is returning to Drogheda and will be there to raise her daughter Justina and, possibly, another baby. A man does not try to keep his wife, for him it is much preferable to spend time working on a plantation and in the company of friends.

In the future, Maggie really devotes herself entirely to raising Justina and her son Dan, who was born to her, in which her mother and brothers help her. Frank spent decades in prison for a fight that ended in murder, but now he is at home, although he is kept extremely closed, almost not communicating with family members. Maggie is counting on the fact that her children will also take care of the estate in the future, but each of them, having matured, chooses a different path. Justina is about to become an actress, and Dan announces to his mother that he intends to become a priest.

Maggie is desperate, but she is unable to change the young man's decisions. Dan studies at the theological seminary and then begins to serve, all this time Ralph de Bricassart watches the young man and helps him a little, although he does not know that Dan is actually his own son. One day, a young priest goes to the island of Crete and dies in the sea there, preventing two women from drowning. It was at this time that a grandiose political upheaval began in Greece, Maggie could not get her son's body given to her, and turned to Ralph for help, finally revealing the truth to him. The elderly Cardinal de Bricassard dies of a heart attack, having learned that his own son was nearby for a number of years, and he did not even suspect it.

Justina is also very hard going through the death of her beloved brother. During this period, her old acquaintance Lyon Hartheim becomes her main support, and after a while the young woman agrees to become his wife. Having received a telegram about her daughter's marriage, Maggie once again mentally recalls her whole life and comes to the conclusion that she does not regret anything, that she has always acted as her heart told her, and now the cycle of life will have to be resumed by the next generations, and this is absolutely natural.

This is a novel about the history of several generations of one family. As in all such works, it contains drama, comedy, and elements of a love story. For those who want to know more, here is a summary. The Thorn Birds consists of seven parts, each of which focuses on one character, viewing events through the prism of his feelings and emotions.

Family

The narrative in the novel begins in 1915 and spans more than half a century. During this time, the main characters - the Cleary family - go a long and hard way from the New Zealand poor who do not have their own corner to the owners of a huge estate in Australia. To emphasize the changes in the main characters, the writer broke the text of the book "The Thorn Birds" into several parts. The summary of each of them is a characteristic of not only the characters, but also the period of time in which they live.

First part

In the very first chapter, we get acquainted with the smallest member of the Cleary family - Maggie, who appears before readers as a four-year-old baby. The narrative of this part covers the interval from 1915 to 1917, and shows the life of a large New Zealand family. The mother of the family, Fiona, is constantly at work, her children, for the most part, are brought up by the nuns in strictness and humility. Of course, this state of affairs often causes problems. The eldest son rebels against such a life and further complicates the situation. However, a letter from an aunt changes their lives dramatically. The whole family moves to Australia, to the estate of Drogheda. This concludes the first part of McCullough's The Thorn Birds. The summary allows the reader to understand how poor the Cleary were, what position they occupied in society, and why they agreed to move without hesitation.

Part two (1918-1928)

A new character appears on the scene - Ralph de Bricassar, who immediately draws attention to Maggie and they respond to him in the same way. But due to the rules of the Catholic Church, priest Ralph cannot tie the knot. To avoid temptation, he leaves for Europe as soon as he receives the rank of Bishop. This is told in this part of the novel by Colin McCullough "The Thorn Birds". The summary reflects the main problem of all subsequent sections: forbidden relationships.

Part three (1929-1932)

There is a big fire in the estate, which takes the lives of the head of the family and one of the sons. This sad event brings the remaining relatives together. Ralph returns to Australia to support Maggie in her grief. But immediately after the funeral, he leaves without drawing attention to himself.

Part Four (1933-1938)

In the process of rebuilding the house, many workers come to Drogheda. One of them, Luke O'Neill, begins to court the youngest daughter of the Cleary family, and she reciprocates and marries him. The couple soon have a daughter, Justin, but the father doesn't want to see her. Luke gets a job as a cane cutter and is away from home for a long time. Appearing at a convenient moment, Ralph resumes his relationship with Maggie, despite her marriage. They spend some time together, but then church business calls him back to Rome. Lonely and pregnant, the girl returns to Drogheda.

Part Five (1938-1953)

The events of the Second World War also affect the characters of the novel The Thorn Birds. The summary of this part tells us that Maggie had a son, whom she named Dan. After some time, Cardinal Ralph returns to Drogheda, not suspecting that he has a child. At this time, Maggie's brothers are taken to the front, and they will not return home.

Part six (1954-1965)

The children grew up and went their own way. Justin's daughter has gone to London to become an actress, and Dan decides to connect his life with the church. Maggie resists this, but ultimately gives in and lets her son go to Rome. Unfortunately, immediately after passing the rite, the young man dies in an attempt to save two women from the water. Ralph finds out about his son too late. He decides on the return of the body of the guy to his homeland.

Part seven (1965-1969)

Justina takes the death of her brother hard and goes headlong into work. After some time, she gets married, about which she informs her mother in a letter. Also, she decides never to have children. And considering that all the other members of the family died, this is the end of the Cleary family. This concludes the novel The Thorn Birds. The summary of the last part shows the reader how much the war changed the views on life of the younger generation, made them both more cheerful and independent.

After the book was published, it was filmed, but the author did not like the film version at all. She called her monstrous. The Thorn Birds is a novel whose summary cannot be conveyed in a few voluminous sentences. Each part requires a full analysis and analysis.

Fiona Armstrong Cleary (Fee)

2 0 0

Paddy's wife, a woman from a wealthy aristocratic family. Mother of Frank and Paddy's children. Very beautiful, and even hard work, coupled with frequent childbearing, could not leave an imprint on her appearance.

Fiona lived with an illegitimate child in her parents' house, hiding from society. Then her father sold her out of his hands, marrying the already mature Padrick Cleary. Paddy loved her, respected her and adopted Frank. Fia learned to run the household, gave birth to her husband's children, but always considered herself unhappy. Impeccably fulfilling her duties, emotionally she always kept her distance and seemed cold to everything. She also treated the children ambiguously: pitying Frank, she singled him out among the other sons (after all, he was the fruit of his first love), but Maggie did not appreciate it at all, because she was a girl who only had to face the uninteresting fate of all women.

Only after Paddy's death did she realize that she had loved him for a long time, and learned to express her love to children.

“... Unusual there or the most ordinary, but I am a very unhappy woman. For one reason or another, I have been unhappy since the day I met Pakeha. First of all, it's my own fault. I loved him, but God forbid any woman experience in life what happened to me because of him. And then, Frank ... I treasured one Frank, but I didn’t think about all of you. I did not think about Paddy, and he is the best thing that was given to me in life. But I didn't understand it then. The only thing she did was compare him with Pakekha. No, of course, I was grateful to him, and I could not help but see that he was a wonderful person ... "

Characters of the same name and relatives

James Cleary (Jims)
One of the twins, Maggie's youngest brothers. They participated in the Second World War. Of the two, Jims is the most talkative. After the war, the twins joined the rest of the brothers in the work on Drogheda.

John Cleary (Jack)
Maggie's third oldest brother. The three brothers Bob, Jack and Hughie become more and more like their father as they grow older. Remaining bachelors, they live out their days in Drogheda.

Magenn Cleary (Maggie)
The central character, the only daughter among sons, the sixth child in the family. In the novel, she is present from early childhood (4 years) to adulthood (58 years). Mother of Justina and Dan, was in a short marriage with Luke O "Neill; beloved of Ralph de Bricassar.

Mary Elizabeth Cleary Carson
A wealthy widow, the owner of Drogheda, who skillfully coped with the role of hostess of a diversified fortune. Padric's older sister and Ralph de Bricassar's benefactor. Mary Carson died some time after Cleary's arrival, leaving an unexpected will.

Padrick Cleary (Paddy)
Maggie's father, a simple hardworking Irishman, a loving family man. All his children got red hair, only different shades. Moved his family from New Zealand to Australia at the invitation of his sister, drove Drogheda; died in a wildfire.

Show 6 more characters

Collapse character list

Patrick Cleary (Patsy)
One of the twins, Maggie's youngest brothers. They participated in the Second World War. Patsy was injured, which made it impossible for him to have children. After the war, the twins joined the rest of the brothers in the work on Drogheda.

Robert Cleary (Bob)
Maggie's second oldest brother. The three brothers Bob, Jack and Hughie become more and more like their father as they grow older. Remaining bachelors, they live out their days in Drogheda.

Stuart Cleary (Stu)
A benevolent boy who resembles his mother and is the closest to Maggie in age. At school, he received the nickname "little saint." He died in Australia when he was crushed by a boar.

Francis Armstrong Cleary (Frank)
Maggie's older brother, Fiona's illegitimate first son. Fia gave birth to him for herself, in order to have a child from a man who could not be with her. However, this did not bring happiness to either her or her son. Frank was never able to get along with Paddy, who replaced his father, and most of all loved his sister and mother; was a support and comfort to them.

Hugh Cleary (Hugo)
Maggie's fourth oldest brother. The three brothers Bob, Jack and Hughie become more and more like their father as they grow older. Remaining bachelors, they live out their days in Drogheda.

Harold Cleary (Hal)
The first child since Maggie, a beloved younger brother whom she took care of herself. Died of croup at the age of four.

Characters of the same name in other fandoms