A Dublin Student Doctor

An Irish Country Novel

By: Patrick Taylor

Narrated by: John Keating

Patrick Taylor's devoted listeners oknow Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly as a pugnacious general practitioner in the quaint Irish village of Ballybucklebo. Now Taylor turns back the clock to give us a portrait of the young Fingal—and show us the pivotal events that shaped the man he would become.

In the 1930s, fresh from a stint in the Royal Navy Reserve, and against the wishes of his disapproving father, Fingal O'Reilly goes to Dublin to study medicine. Fingal and his fellow aspiring doctors face the arduous demands of Trinity College and Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital. The hours are long and the cases challenging, but Fingal manages to find time to box and play rugby—and to romance a fetching, gray-eyed nurse named Kitty O'Hallorhan.

Dublin is a city of slums and tenements, where brutal poverty breeds diseases that the limited medical knowledge of the time is often ill-equipped to handle. His teachers warn Fingal not to become too attached to his patients, but can he truly harden himself to the suffering he sees all around him—or can he find a way to care for his patients without breaking his heart?

A Dublin Student Doctor is a moving, deeply human story that will touch longtime fans of the Irish Country Books series as well as readers who are meeting Doctor Fingal O'Reilly for the very first time.

©2011 Patrick Taylor (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Please Please Please Listen

This is among the best books I have listened to. It speaks to the heart and soul, everyone could relate, it encompasses all the emotions of life, love, fear, desire, need for accomplishmment and most importantly ones responsiblity to family. You feel the story, it is narrated with perfection.

A satisfying medical story

These stories reflecting this era in medicine are dear to my heart. I love the characters and the realistic account of medical practice in this period of time..
The narrator is terrific and gives the stories personality.

The best in the series so far.

A gentle heartwarming story, Patrick Taylor paints a beautiful word picture with soft strokes.
A beautiful story in the midst of this current world filled with murder and violence.
Fantastic.

Always great to hear a Patrick Taylor story

What did you love best about A Dublin Student Doctor?

The story is so rich with detail.

Would you listen to another book narrated by John Keating?

Not sure... I felt like he was just reading the text...very sing-song, without meaning.

I'm Hooked on this series!

I have really enjoyed this series. Part of it is the narrator, John Keating. His knowledge of the accents in both Northern Ireland and in the south are a true delight. Having spent a fair amount of time in the North, and knowing the places where the book is set is part of the fun.

But, one doesn't need to have visited there to have many a chuckle over these books. The characters are great; Taylor has a love for both the area and the people. This was my least favorite of the series, but it was still a very good read. I learned a lot about how medicine was practiced in the 1930's. Also, Dr. O'Reilly's personality really takes shape in this book.

If you are looking for deeply meaningful books, this series is not for you. But if you want a rolicking good time, with characters who will remain with you, then give this a try.