To save himself from becoming a sinner in the eyes of the Church, Phelim decides to take Father Coyne's advice and join the priesthood, but his friend, Philpot, refuses to believe in carnal sin and lives his life the way he chooses despite any future consequences he may face. Reprint.

Celibates & Other Lovers (Harvest Book)

Keady, Walter

Literature & Fiction

Mariner Books

In 1946 rural Ireland, Brideen Conway has her heart set on Kieran McDermot, but one thing stands in the way of their union. The couple can't afford to marry, and Kieran's curmudgeonly father won't pass down the family farm. Kieran faces the unpleasant possibility of leaving Brideen behind to find his fortune in England. Meanwhile, wealthy pub owner Austin Glynn has more than enough money to offer a substantial dowry, if only someone would take an interest in his daughter Aideen. Kieran's feckless older brother Martin volunteers to take Aideen's hand, though the rest of the village suspects he's interested more in Austin's dowry than in his daughter. When Martin disappears after his proposal and is believed to be dead, the parish priest Father Donovan sets in motion a plot to see Brideen and Kieran wed. After all, so what if the dowry might change hands a few more times than is entirely usual, as long as the couple can tie the knot? In The Dowry, Walter Keady spins a winsome tale in the best traditions of Irish literature, applying a wealth of charm and graceful wit to this story of love, money, and marriage.

The Dowry: A Novel of Ireland

Literary

Thomas Dunne Books

How does one go from being a fervent Catholic to becoming a religious agnostic? This is the story of Walter Keady’s odyssey, travailing from a conservative Catholic upbringing in Ireland when ‘the whole country was a monastery,’ through his agitating for right-wing religious policies that culminated in his decision to become a priest, through his missionary career in Brazil while Vatican II awakened the Catholic world from slumber, to his loss of religious faith stemming from issues like birth control and celibacy. Keady tells his story with extraordinary honesty, without sparing either himself or the religious milieu that shaped his life. His recounting of battles with sex and celibacy is central and poignant.

Being and Becoming: The Memoir of a Former Catholic Priest

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

It is 1945, and in a rural Irish village called Creevagh, a young man waits eagerly for the mail, convinced that one letter will bring his salvation. Since the age of reason, Phelim O'Brien has been obsessed by a morbid fear of hell; and from the age of puberty, tormented by the certainty he'll wind up there. But his friend, Philpot Emmett, refuses to accept that the slightest tittle of carnal pleasure is a mortal sin, and where Phelim struggles, Philpot happily yields. Father Coyne admonishes, Catherine Ryan tempts, and the formidable Maura Higgins rebels against them all, vanguard of the encroaching modern values that are slowly changing the face of village life. This is an this endearing and sweetly funny first novel, by an engaging and talented new writer.

Celibates and Other Lovers

United States

MacMurray & Beck

After her father's death, Sister Mary Thomas leaves her convent to reclaim the family farm in the Irish village of Creevagh. In 1950, her status as ex-nun scandalizes the women of the village, but her beauty, strength, willfulness, and wit attract every eligible male.

Mary McGreevy

After her father's death, Sister Mary Thomas leaves her convent to return to the family farm in the Irish village of Creevagh, where her status as ex-nun scandalizes the women of the village and her beauty attracts the eligible men

Macadam Cage Pub

Eilis is a feisty young woman, growing up in an Ireland that has changed significantly since the days of her grandmother’s youth. But some things do not change: Eilis, too, flouts conventional mores, especially when she decides to have a baby out of wedlock like her grandmother before her. Family fireworks, courtroom drama, and romance ensue. 
Written with Keady’s characteristic charm and graceful humor, The Altruist is a moving and forceful novel of the heart.

The Altruist: A Novel

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Keady, Walter. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Keady, Walter

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Keady, Walter. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Celibates & Other Lovers (Harvest Book)

The Dowry: A Novel of Ireland

Being and Becoming: The Memoir of a Former Catholic Priest

Celibates and Other Lovers

Mary McGreevy

Mary McGreevy

The Altruist: A Novel