Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?

‘hilarious, tender, absurd, delightful and charming’ Nina Stibbe

By: Seamas O'Reilly

Narrated by: Seamas O'Reilly

THE IRISH TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER

AN POST BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR

'Gorgeous' Pandora Sykes

'A rare and beautiful book' Marian Keyes

'Tender, sad and side-splittingly funny' Annie MacManus

'A delight' Dara Ó Briain

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 (most of the time), and Séamas at that point was more preoccupied with dinosaurs, Star Wars and the actual location of heaven than the political climate.

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? is a book about a family of argumentative, loud, 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. It is the moving, often amusing and completely unsentimental story of a boy growing up in a family bonded by love, loss and fairly relentless mockery.

'A heartfelt tribute to an alarmingly large family held together by a quietly heroic father' Arthur Mathews, co-creator of Father Ted and Toast of London

'Not only hilarious, tender, absurd, delightful and charming, but written with such skill as to render it unforgettable' Nina Stibbe

Critic reviews

Such wonderful writing (Nigella Lawson)

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. I now can't wait to see the TV series and/or to become Séamas's best friend (Nina Stibbe, bestselling author of Reasons to be Cheerful)

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)

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died is a delight. Both moving and funny in huge measure (Dara Ó Briain)

Tender, sad and side-splittingly funny, this is the unforgettable story of how a boy with ten siblings and no mother grew into a man. It's a love letter to Northern Ireland and all the children, dogs, priests and struggling parents that live there. I adored it (Annie MacManus)

Grotesquely funny (Sophie Heawood, author of The Hungover Games)

Melancholy and sweet and funny and sad all at once

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 Sykes)

I enjoyed this immensely. I laughed a lot (often out loud). A heartfelt tribute to an alarmingly large family held together by a quietly heroic father (Arthur Mathews, co-creator of Father Ted and Toast of London)

Beautiful and funny and beautiful because it's funny. It's also sad and life affirming and all about loss and border life and quietly heroic fatherhood and chaotically excessive siblinghood and priests and dogs. I loved it (Patrick Freyne, author of Okay, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea)

I've been struggling to commit to a book for weeks but I've just read the first few pages of Did Ye Hear Mammy Died and I'M BACK BABY (Emer McLysaght)

Did Ye Hear Mammy Died is so funny and wonderfully written, I love it (Maeve Higgins)

Lovely

I’m so very glad I chose the audiobook read by the author over the printed version. Deeply moving, heartfelt and often very funny. I did appreciate being able slowing the speech just a tad as the author sometimes takes off at quite a clip! But oh, what a sweet and true journey it is.

Beautifully Written, Wonderfully Narrated.

This book is eloquently written, funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting all at the same time. The narration is done by the author and I think his voice and telling the story using himself makes it that much more compelling. This book made me laugh, smile, get goosebumps, and made me reflect on my own relationship with my family. The author has a subtleness to his voice that makes it feel like you are listening to an old friend tell a story. The way he narrates the father's parts and talking like him is both hilarious and relatable. If you are not used to hearing the Irish dialect, I suggest slowing down the reading just a tad to make it easier. I am very glad a friend in Ireland recommended this book and can't recommend it enough as well.

Exceptional & Refreshing

So beautifully written. Seamas O'Reilly welcomes the reader into his world from childhood into adulthood with the love and confusion of losing his mother. He balances it with the love and admiration of his father . His vulnerability in allowing us to follow this journey makes this a memorable and must read.

Absolutely Hilarious

Maybe it's that I'm Irish and we're known for our quirky and sometimes black humor but whatever the reason, I found this book to be so hilarious and sad and compassionate all in one go. O'Reilly does what most writers can't - making light of a death while celebrating a life.

Slainte to you, Mr. O'Reilly - I look forward to reading more of your work.

Fantastic!

Loved this book, laugh out loud funny but could have me bawling crying in the same breath