Lee Dunne
Lee Dunne | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 December 1934 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 10 April 2021 (aged 86) Bray, County Wicklow |
| Nationality | Irish |
Lee Dunne (21 December 1934[1] – 10 April 2021) was an Irish author, best known for his novel Goodbye to the Hill set in the Mountpleasant Buildings in the Hill Area, Ranelagh, Dublin.
Early life
Christopher Lee Dunne was born in 1934, the fourth of seven children born to Mick and Katy Dunne of Mount Pleasant Buildings, a tenement slum in the area known as "The Hill" in Ranelagh, Dublin City, Ireland.[2][3] A memoir of his early life in Dublin, Goodbye to The Hill, was an instant and controversial bestseller, with its frank depictions of sex and alcohol.
Writing career
The Dublin-born writer's first novel, Goodbye to the Hill (1965) was a semi-autobiographical account of a rebellious young man growing up and coming of age in poverty in 1950s Dublin.[4] It was an instant success and caused great controversy for its frank depiction of sex and alcohol. His second novel, the semi-autobiographical A Bed in the Sticks, documented his time as a travelling entertainer. Paddy Maguire is Dead, published in 1972, details the main character's alcoholism. [5]
Reception
Dunne was described as the "most banned author in Ireland", with one of his novels being the last piece of literature to be banned, in 1976.[6][7]
Dunne’s third novel, Paddy Maguire Is Dead (1972), a graphic account of an Irish man’s descent into alcoholism, was banned in Ireland in 1972. In a subsequent appearance on RTÉ Television's The Late Late Show, Dunne called the censor a cretin, which led to the banning of his next six books. Dunne appealed the decision of the Irish Censorship Board and was represented in court by barrister and future president of Ireland Mary Robinson. After his appeal was rejected, he provocatively handed out free copies of his books to the public on Grafton Street, Dublin, daring gardaí (police) to arrest him. [5][8]
Radio
Dunne wrote many radio scripts for RTÉ. He wrote the first 750 scripts for the Harbour Hotel radio series, which ran from 1975 to 1990 and was set in the fictional fishing village of Kilmahon. [9] Altogether Dunne wrote some 2,000 scripts for RTÉ.[10][11]
Films
Lee Dunne wrote several films, including Paddy (1968), which was based on his book Goodbye to the Hill. This was banned in Ireland in 1970 for issues relating to sexual themes.[12]
Death
Dunne died on 10 April 2021, at the age of 86.[13][14][15]
Works (incomplete)
Books
- Goodbye to the Hill (London: Hutchinson, 1965)
- A bed in the sticks (London: Hutchinson, 1965)
- Does your mother? (London : Arrow Books, 1970)
- Paddy Maguire is dead (London : Arrow Books, 1972) (Banned 1972)
- The cabfather (London : Coronet Books, 1975) (Banned 1976)
- The cabbie who came in from the cold (London : Coronet Books, 1975) (Banned 1975)
- Ringleader (Glasgow : Molendinar Press, 1981, ©1980)
- Requiem for Reagan (Dublin : Kildanore 1990)
- No time for innocence (Dublin : Gill & Macmillan, 2000)
- Barleycorn blues (Dublin : Poolbeg Press, 2004)
- Dancers of Fortune (Dublin : Poolbeg Press, 2005)
- Seasons of destiny (Dublin: Poolbeg Press, 2006)
- Off the edge (Mullingar : Killynon House Books, 2006)
- My middle name is Lucky (Mullingar : Killynon House Books, 2006)
Plays
- Does Your Mother? [10]
- Goodbye to the Hill
- The Full Shilling
Radio plays
- Harbour Hotel (RTÉ Radio 1)
- Convenience Corner
Films
- The pale-faced girl, 1968 (screenwriter)
- Wedding night, 1969
- Paddy, 1970 (writer) (banned 1970) [12]
Television
- Callan (1969, writer, 1 episode: season 2 episode 11. 'Once a big man, always a big man) [16]
References
- ^ "Irish author and playwright Lee Dunne dies, aged 86". BreakingNews.ie.
- ^ Slater, Sarah (11 April 2021). "Irish author and playwright Lee Dunne dies aged 86". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "Lee Dunne's Christmas story: You can call me lucky". independent.ie. irish Independent. 25 December 2011. Archived from the original on 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ Wright, Loic (2021). ""A Pint of Plain is Your Only Man": Masculinities and the Pub in Twentieth Century Irish Fiction". Estudios Irlandeses (15): 143–155. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ a b Mauger, Alice (2023). "'Didactic' or 'Obscene'?: Personal Accounts of Alcoholism in Contemporary Irish Writing". Cultural and Social history. 20 (1): 79–94. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "Lee Dunne". Retrieved 30 April 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Ó Drisceoil, Donal (2005). "'The best banned in the land': Censorship and Irish writing since 1950". The Yearbook of English Studies. 35 (1): 146–160. doi:10.1353/yes.2005.0042. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ Prendeville, Tom (1 May 2006). "'Obscene' book to hit shelves after years in the cold". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "Behind The Scenes At Harbour Hotel, 1978". RTÉ Radio Telefís Éireann. 2018. Archived from the original on 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ a b "People: Lee Dunne". Irish Playography. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "Tributes pour in after the death of Dublin author and playwright Lee Dunne".
- ^ a b "Paddy". Irish Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ "The death has occurred of Lee DUNNE". RIP.ie. 13 April 2021.
- ^ Slater, Sarah (11 April 2021). "Irish author and playwright Lee Dunne dies aged 86". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ Laird, Heather (12 April 2021). "How Lee Dunne challenged idealised representations of working-class Irish motherhood". Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ "Callan". imbd.com. Imdb. Retrieved 19 March 2026.