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‘Feeding strawberries to pigs’ ‘The people you see when you haven’t got a gun’ ‘For every old sock, there’s an old shoe’ ‘Be civil, but strange.’ ‘Nature shines through the eyes of a cat.’ ‘As delicate as bully, when he ate the dishcloth.’ I grew up with these sayings: my parents were Irish immigrants to England so I am the product of my Anglo- Irish upbringing. I live in a world that is in-between two cultures. I used to feel that I belonged nowhere. Now I realise that I have been enriched by these diverse influences and my obsession with these issues has informed my writing. When I am in Ireland I feel there is a bond with the people and their outlook, but unfortunately for me, when I speak people think I must be English. Many Irish people cannot accept that I am Irish. I also recognise that a part of me is English, and this makes for an interesting creative mix. These stories seek to show, what it has been like to grow up Irish in England. I have also attempted to explore what being Irish means. I have also let my imagination wander rather a lot. I hope you enjoy them! ** ### Review Gerry Rose writes with a fresh eye and an acute ear about human - and female - experience, and most particularly, about that Irish diaspora in Britain who have sometimes been overlooked: the hard-working emigrants who strove so ardently to give their families the best start in life, while retaining a deep attachment to Ireland. Anyone who has ever been between two cultures will be charmed and amused - and will identify.A" Mary Kenny Journalist, playwright and author ### About the Author Gerry Rose works full time as a Speech and Language Therapist in Suffolk and Norfolk. She writes at weekends when she gets a few odd hours away from playing taxi driver to her 17 year old son and his friends. Gerry has won the Irish Post/Stena line Listowel writers' week short story competition twice and the Journalism prize once. These stories are published in the Listowel writers' week anthologies. Gerry has written 4 novels and is pursuing agents!