An Irish Country Doctor

A Novel

By: Patrick Taylor

Narrated by: John Keating

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

An Irish Country Doctor from bestselling author Patick Taylor is a charming and engrossing tale that will captivate listeners from the very first word—and leave them yearning to visit the Irish countryside of days gone by.

Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there, but already he knows that there is nowhere he would rather live than in the emerald hills and dales of Northern Ireland. The proud owner of a spanking-new medical degree and little else in the way of worldly possessions, Barry jumps at the chance to secure a position as an assistant in a small rural practice.

At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly.

The older physician, whose motto is to never let the patients get the upper hand, has his own way of doing things. At first, Barry can't decide if the pugnacious O'Reilly is the biggest charlatan he has ever met, or the best teacher he could ever hope for. Through O'Reilly Barry soon gets to know all of the village's colorful and endearing residents, including:

A malingering Major and his equally hypochondriacal wife;

An unwed servant girl, who refuses to divulge the father of her upcoming baby;

A slightly daft old couple unable to marry for lack of a roof;

And a host of other eccentric characters who make every day an education for the inexperienced young doctor.

Ballybucklebo is long way from Belfast, and Barry is quick to discover that he still has a lot to learn about the quirks and traditions of country life. But with pluck and compassion and only the slightest touch of blarney, he will find out more about life—and love—than he ever imagined back in medical school.

©2004, 2007 Patrick Taylor (P)2009 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Narrator John Keating has a field day with the humor, long-winded stories, and colorful accents...[Keating] skillfully presents the unique and sometimes-hilarious Irish take on joy, sorrow, illness, and death.” —AudioFile

“Welcome to the colorful Northern Ireland community of Ballybucklebo where there's always something brewing beneath the Village's deceptively sleepy surface. Fans of Karon's Mitford series will enjoy this.” —Smoky Mountain Sentinel

Sugary, amusing story

The narrator in this audio book did an excellent job. The story itself is pleasant and amusing - suitable for a long drive or overseas flight. It's far from great literature, but is a feel good picturing of rural Irish life from the point of view of the village GP doctor.

A good Irish story

I enjoyed the story very much. Looking forward to the next book in the sseries

Love it so much

I was so delighted to discover this series. I love Irish stories and this one is one of the best I have come across. Fantastic characters and great narration. Such fun to listen too, I downloaded the second one immediately.

An instant favorite!

I'm a rural family doctor and the satire laced with insight is spot on. wonderful narration!

Excellent Audio

What a marvelous story so much description of the Irish Country Doctor. I felt I was right there in the little Irish town. It's so nice to hear a book that you can enjoy the country live and being accepted in that little town. 5stars for both the story and narrator's speech.

I love the relationships.

OK, so this is kind of a chick flick. I've got that. and I'm a man. But I love the relationships, I love the story, I love how everybody interacts with everybody else.The language is about Irish people by an Irish man. So it gets a bit rough. But, hey, this is real life. And, this is how our God works in the lives of real people. I am looking to get many more in this series.

Gentle and Endearing Story

I listen to books on my two plus mile walk each day. This was the perfect book and I'm looking forward to the rest in the series. I'm already in love with doctors O'Reilly and Laverty as they thrive and survive in their small village. Personally I get tired of trauma porn and romance genres. this book was engaging, the characters colorful and well developed, and an ongoing story you can truly become vested in. Downloading the next book in the series!

Not my cup of tea, sorry!

I managed to get through the book, but I won’t be looking for anymore. Just a wee bit boring for me!

it made me actually laugh out loud!

I cannot say I am at all displeased with this book. I took a long time to finish it because I usually only listened as I was walking or doing small jobs around the house.

This means I did not get huge chunks of the book done at a time. However, I completely enjoyed the book! It made me laugh out loud as I was walking, which I'm sure made people look oddly at me.
The narrator's accent was amazing and I completely understood the difference between characters.
The end of the book came together a bit too conveniently.? But it did make sense. I did not see it coming completely.

I was recommended this book and will recommend this book to anyone who actually enjoys this type of writing. It was absolutely fantastic.

I could not enjoy it.

I thought the characters too stereotyped. I did not finish the book It did not grab me, I guess