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Séamas O'Reilly
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Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?: A Memoir Hardcover – June 7, 2022

by Séamas O'Reilly (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,329 ratings
Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs
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A heart-warming and hilarious family memoir of growing up as one of eleven siblings raised by a single dad in Northern Ireland at the end of the Troubles.

Séamas O’Reilly’s mother died when he was five, leaving him, his ten (!) brothers and sisters, and their beloved father in their sprawling bungalow in rural Derry. It was the 1990s; the Troubles were a background rumble, but Séamas was more preoccupied with dinosaurs, Star Wars, and the actual location of heaven than the political climate. ­

An instant bestseller in Ireland, Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? is a book about a family of loud, argumentative, musical, sarcastic, grief-stricken siblings, shepherded into adulthood by a man whose foibles and reticence were matched only by his love for his children and his determination that they would flourish.

“In this joyous, wildly unconventional memoir, Séamas O'Reilly tells the story of losing his mother as a child and growing up with ten siblings in Northern Ireland during the final years of the Troubles as a raucous comedy, a grand caper that is absolutely bursting with life.”―Patrick Radden Keefe, NYT bestselling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year

Previous page
  1. Print length
    240 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Little, Brown and Company
  4. Publication date
    June 7, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0316424250
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0316424257
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Patton Oswalt

Chris O'Dowd

Patrick Radden Keefe

Editorial Reviews

Review

“In this joyous, wildly unconventional memoir, Séamas O'Reilly tells the story of losing his mother as a child and growing up with ten siblings in Northern Ireland during the final years of the Troubles as a raucous comedy, a grand caper that is absolutely bursting with life. Jostling with indelible characters and shot through with bittersweet longing, it is moving and mordantly hilarious, a love letter to the resilience (and the insanity) of family. I laughed, I cried -- but really.”―Patrick Radden Keefe, NYT bestselling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain

"I cannot stress enough how much I love this funny, adorable memoir. Not only hilarious, tender, absurd, delightful and charming, but written with such skill as to render it unforgettable."―Nina Stibbe, bestselling author of LOVE, NINA and REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

“I laughed out loud reading Did Ye Hear Mammy Died, especially at the bits that recalled for me the way my own family laughs to keep from crying…It's rare to read about good fathers in memoirs, and O'Reilly's portrait…is hilarious and moving….It is this thread of refusal to be pitied, to have what happened to his family reduced to ‘a tawdry bit of sentimental fluff for people to tut along to and say how sad,’ that makes Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? so rousing. That it is also deadly funny is an extra treat.”―NPR

"A gorgeous piece of work. Thoughtful and charming, it’s a book that sprouts abundant humour from one of Ireland’s most emotionally fertile past-times…grief.”―Chris O'Dowd

"Northern Ireland in the time of the Troubles is often cast into a narrative that doesn’t allow room for joy or delight...O’Reilly’s recollection is a splendid paradox, both cheery and heartbreaking."―Booklist, Starred

"Séamas’ memoir is delightful and horrifying, sometimes within the same sentence.”―Patton Oswalt

"I laughed until I choked, I cried BUCKETS, I have NEVER been so charmed, I fell in GIANT LOVE with Daddy O’Reilly. Seriously, this is a rare and beautiful book.”―Marian Keyes, internationally bestselling author of Watermelon and Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married

“An almost improbable true story of an Irish man bringing up eleven (yes, eleven) children on his own, after his wife dies. Séamas is the ninth of these ‘half-orphans’ and he writes about his childhood and grief with such pathos and wit—even the chapter on his father’s love of dogs is exquisite. A gorgeous memoir.”―Pandora Skyes, author of How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right

“Such wonderful writing."―Nigella Lawson

"It's hard to imagine a memoir about an author's dead mother could elicit actual belly laughs, but somehow, O'Reilly makes it happen... what ultimately emerges in O'Reilly's recollections is never macabre. Instead, it is a tribute to the parents who raised him--his mother, by the legacy she left behind, and his father, in his sometimes strange and yet seemingly deliberate ways of caring for each of his children through their grief. Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? expertly combines heartfelt sentiment with a dry Irish wit that will leave readers questioning if the tears on their cheeks come from joy or sadness or dark humor--or all of the above."

―Kerry McHugh, Shelf Awareness

"In this rollicking debut, O’Reilly, a columnist for the London Observer, weaves a hilarious look at his Irish Catholic childhood with a touching tribute to his mother...Chock-full of wit and compassion"―Publishers Weekly

“An actually laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking memoir about growing up with ten siblings and a widowed dad in 90s Derry.”―Emily Temple, LITERARY HUB

“Sometimes, a story hits hardest when told in the voice of the person who lived it. That’s the case with DID YE HEAR MAMMY DIED?...an equally lighthearted and profound examination of grief, family life and Northern Irish society against the backdrop of the waning years of the Troubles…It is disarming to find yourself laughing amid discussions of death, but O’Reilly’s sense of humor lands with the finality of a fruitcake hitting the kitchen floor. In a legato, Northern Irish timbre, O’Reilly nails the unreliability of memory… O’Reilly’s sketches are so visceral and intimate, you can almost imagine yourself as part of his tightknit community, too.”―Sebastian Modak, NEW YORK TIMES

“Séamas O’Reilly’s rousing grief memoir shuns sentimentality in favor of gallows humor. Its title comes from a favorite family tale: when O’Reilly was five, his mother died, leaving behind 11 (!) children. At the wake in their house in Northern Ireland, O’Reilly went around the crowd “like a chipper little maître’d, with the cheerful enquiry: ‘Did ye hear Mammy died?’” I laughed out loud reading this memoir – O’Reilly’s style and mining of family farce recall David Sedaris, but with a Derry bent.”

―NPR, Best Books of the Year

About the Author

Seamas O'Reilly is a columnist for the Observer and writes about media and politics for the Irish Times, New Statesman, Guts, and VICE. He lives in the London borough of Hackney with his family.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company (June 7, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316424250
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316424257
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.75 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,329 ratings

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Séamas O'Reilly

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
2,329 global ratings
Hilarious account of growing up as one of 11 children in Northern Ireland!
5 Stars
Hilarious account of growing up as one of 11 children in Northern Ireland!
Beautifully written, Did ye Hear Mammy Died is a funny, honest memoir of O’Reilly’s Northern Irish family life as one of eleven children after the death of his mother.Growing up as a Catholic in a majority Protestant society, O’Reilly has presented an humorous and poignant memoir of his life after bereavement. The reader will laugh out loud and cry silently. A great book for anyone who needs a lift!
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Top reviews from the United States

Tom Field
5.0 out of 5 stars Best title award
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Oh, how fun! A memoir about losing you mother at a young age. Despite that I can relate; this Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? by Seamus O’Reilly (Little Brown; 2022) really is fun. Delightful. LOL and all that. First of all, the act of reading this (which I got on Kindle) is simply one of ease and enjoyment. Our narrator has subscribed to that format where each chapter is so self-contained, what we’re really getting it a series of sketches. You want to gobble it all up at once—but you certainly don’t have to.

The humorous-grief-memoir (is there such a genre… yes, there is—but this one is exceptional) is a beautifully drawn life reflection in the voice (which may or may not match the age at the time) that delights the soul. I liked it all… the stories of an Irish lad and his ten (that’s right, ten) siblings, the stories of the father and his eccentricities, the stories of growing up during The Troubles, and mostly… the scenarios where you are clearly riding right along with the big ol’ Catholic family in the caravan. As light as it is, you can reach down deep if you want—or you can chuckle the whole way through in the same vein as you would watching a comedy movie like Home Alone.

At times I felt like I was reading my own story. Some death, for sure, knocking ye down; but more than enough life to pick ye back up. (An absolutely brilliant title, by the way. It describes just one tiny episode that indeed, sets the tone, and blows like the wind at your back as you trek along the road that rises up to meet you, as they say.)

- Tom Field
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2022
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O'Reilly's painful, truthful memoir is a real contribution to our understanding of childhood grief. Children have no experience by which to compare their terrible & permanent loss. His loss at 6 of his mother in a community at war with itself is unfortunately not unique but overlooked. His grief is frozen in his 6 year old self undermining him until the family doctor dares to ask the wise question. I am the stepmother of 3 successful, intelligent, professionals who lost their mother suddenly in their early teens. Years ago I realized this loss is frozen or fossi!ized in each of them at the developmenta! level they were in at the time of her death. They
look really good but up close I can see the harsh reality of their lasting grief. Seamus, it's difficult to be grateful for such a searing description of childhood grief. I recommend the film "The Never Ending Story" as a brave & beautiful depiction of the effects of parental !oss on children..
11 people found this helpful
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guinnessluvr
5.0 out of 5 stars I Could Not Stop Reading!
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
I, on the enthusiastic recommendation of a relative, ordered this book on KINDLE, assuming I’d read a couple of chapters here and there.
Seven hours later, after countless laugh-out-loud moments, a few tears, and being enthralled by Mr. O’Reilly’s creative, dramatic, very often hilarious (VERY often), and descriptive phrases and observations, I’m sitting here astounded at what an amazingly talented writer he is (even the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS are brilliant! What a book!
Get to know him, his siblings, relatives, friends and, most importantly, his remarkable parents. You won’t begrudge a minute of time spent devouring this remarkable creation.
The standalone chapter about “the troubles” is unique and incredibly touching.
One person found this helpful
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Jane Austen
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the title throw you off.
Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2022
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This is the most moving and delightful book I've ever read. (I read 2-3 books per week) And if you ever wonder about how young children process grief and loss this is an eye opener. Seamas has a wonderful way with words and a great way of bringing humor into the stories about his upbringing in a family with a widowed Father of 11. Amazing. I love this book more than I can say. My 2 sons lost their Dad when they were little and I was never able to comprehend what that loss meant to them. For their whole lives. I cried and I laughed. Perfect book.
10 people found this helpful
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Jamanosa
3.0 out of 5 stars Not Frank McCourt
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2023
This isn’t really a literary memoir so don’t think you’re reading Angela’s Ashes. Yea there was a death early on but he seems to have been surrounded by love and support at every turn. As the 10/11 child in a very dogmatic Irish catholic family I do wonder whether his siblings agree with his memories of life growing up. Seems idyllic. Despite the shock of losing mom at 6, it’s all jokes of a type that are familiar to me. Dramatic tension there is not. This is a lighthearted exposition that could’ve been a long moth radio presentation. No harm in reading. Not anything to run towards. To use the Irish phrasing: it wasn’t half as bad as I thought it might have been. Said another way: meh.
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elysejody
4.0 out of 5 stars Rest for a man’s story
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2023
Audiobook…read by the author, Seamas O’Reilly.
…..5 hours

A friend recommended this book to me recently.
I suppose I just wasn’t much in the mood for it. I found it all -okay — I listened - but my feelings were neutral.

Much of Seamas’s childhood was spent thinking nobody had it as hard as he did. His older siblings had more attention- for longer - than he did before their mother died.
Seamas was the 9th child - out of 10.
I couldn’t help but wonder- (I’m Jewish not Catholic, but even my own mother was the 10th child in her family)
But Why?
My mother’s father was a Rabbi. Her mother, a homemaker, worked day and night, scrubbing, cleaning, cooking and keeping a Kosher home.
I never met my maternal grandmother. She died before I was born.
My mother said “she died of too much hard work”.
My own father died when I was 4 years of age. My older sister was almost 10.
My mom and dad were only 34 years of age.
My mother - a young widow … emotionally died that day too.
My sister and I had a double loss. We grew up like weeds - were latchkey kids … found our own way to survive.

This book triggered memories.
My father died when I was four.

Between the author stories and my own childhood memories—I became a little restless—wanting to move on…
But —
blessings to the author for telling his story.

It ‘is’ a powerful true story! 3.5 rating up.

elysejody
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Top reviews from other countries

Rob Boffard
5.0 out of 5 stars Hysterical to
Reviewed in Canada on June 14, 2022
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One of the funniest books I've ever read. I snort laughed about twenty times. You have to read this. Trust me.
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Mrs. C. Dyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilariously heartbreaking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 13, 2024
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I loved this book so much. I felt like I knew this large, loving family and I wanted to have a cup of tea with Joe.
One person found this helpful
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O. Klepper
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and moving
Reviewed in Italy on May 27, 2023
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Funny in a very personal way, always compassionate and generous
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Tell everyone about it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2022
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Funny, pure, heartwarming and gut wrenching at times but ultimately just one of the loveliest books I’ve ever read. Amazing
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usually mystified
5.0 out of 5 stars How can it be funny? Well, it is - and also spans a bit of recent NI history.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
Writing skills to enjoy - and to envy. The base premise of the story is unbearable, but offered as irresistibly readable, and much more than "bearable".
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