A family affair that covers all the bases of a changing Ireland

Inspired by the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979, matriarch Bridget Doyle is determined that her family will produce the first Irish pope

Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ireland in 1979 plays a key part in Darragh Martin’s first novel for adults.GETTY

FICTION

Future Popes of Ireland

By Darragh Martin

HarperCollins, €16.45

If someone fell into a coma in 1979 and woke up in the Ireland of 2018, then Future Popes of Ireland would be the perfect read to get them quickly up to speed on all of the major events in the history of this little island over the past 40 years. A bittersweet and at times heart-wrenching tale, it navigates the tricky differences ...