The SNP and Sinn Féin

I reckon that the featured image would have been unthinkable even a few years ago.

Full discosure, I’ve only ever been in Mr Swinney’s presence once.

I remember it well.

It was almost 40 years ago when he was dispatched by SNP HQ to the East End of Glasgow.

His mission was to find out exactly what was happening with the party in the city’s Shettleston constituency.

Apparently, there was a new organiser on the ground who was not using the literature sent out by head office but instead was using locally produced material.

To the alarm of the then party leader, the late Gordon Wilson, the local messaging seemed redolent of Irish Republicanism.

Dear reader, I can attest to the accuracy of that view as your humble correspondent was the SNP organiser in question.

I recalled those days on here in 2008.

When I saw the headline in the Scotsman, I was reminded of a passage from Native Shore, when the Taoiseach, Róisín Ní Fhlaithearta of Sinn Féin, is discussing events in Scotland with her Foreign Affairs Minister, Cathal Doherty, a tough lad from Donegal.

It is worth noting that I began plotting the novel in 2018.

Eight years on, fact appears to be catching up with fiction.

A few weeks ago, there was a special delivery up my bóithrín.

It was one that I had been eagerly waiting for.

Finally, I had physical evidence of the new print run of Native Shore.

It has a new glossy cover.

I did not notice that the new one was considerably slimmer than the first edition.

My publisher informed me that the higher-quality paper resulted in a slimmer volume despite the exact same number of pages.

Hat tip to the folk at Frontline Noir.

My second novel had been a victim of its own success, with the first print run selling out faster than expected.

When Native Shore was first published, it was reviewed on the Scottish website Bella Caledonia and by my friend and comrade Danny Morrison.

You may wish to compare and contrast them.

I remain intrigued that the review from the Scot addressed the novel’s plot without ever once mentioning the central character, Gerry O’Donnell, a native of Scotland’s major city.

Danny, on the other hand, saw, in every sense, the centrality of the ex-IRA Volunteer to the story.

Sin mar atá…

Writing is, by its very nature, a solitary activity.

When the book is published, it’s out there, and the author wonders how it will land.

So, feedback is crucial for any writer.

Consequently, I’m very grateful to my publisher, Frontline Noir, for collating the following comments from my readers.

I’m told that these are merely a selection, as many of them were simple expressions of congratulations and gratitude for the novel.

If you haven’t read Native Shore, then these might give a flavour of what could await you.

 

Native Shore shows us ordinary folks just how power works and the lengths the powerful go to keep us in line, all the time pretending they care about democracy. The lead character in this novel, though, has them sussed!

1. Stewart

 

Native Shore reminded me of Scotch on the Rocks by Douglas Hurd, which also addressed some of the issues Scotland’s pursuit of independence might throw up. But Native Shore is a far more exciting read and even more believable. The author clearly knows his subject. The main character, Gerry, has a dark sense of humour which helps make him someone you care about because he seems real.

1. Taylor.

 

I was given Native Shore as a gift and started reading it not knowing what to expect, not having read the author’s previous books. I was blown away. Read it in two sittings. I hope there’s a sequel soon!

1. Dean

 

The best way to describe this book is rip-roaring. The machinations of the British State to prevent the democratic will of the Scottish people, at least according to this tale, really made me ask what is really going on? Full disclosure, I voted YES in 2014 so I suppose this book is right up my street. That said, I’ve read a few books that allude to Scots Indy but this is the only one with characters that seem real. I couldn’t recommend this book enough.

1. Buchanan

 

I’m sure one day we’ll see this book on the big screen – or maybe even the small screens in our living rooms and on our phones. Native Shore is so intensely plotted that it’s almost claustrophobic in the best sense. There is so much going on that the reader is aware all the time of the ground moving underneath their feet. It’s a thrilling experience. As close to being a visual experience as a book can be.

1. Aitken. 

 

This is an action-packed book, but one with a lot of thought and tension going on. It’s not just a Scottish spy story. Much more subtle. A thinking man’s Bourne. It illuminates media manipulation by dark forces, which should be noted by us all.

 J Hunter 

 

If you thought the UK was reluctant to let Northern Ireland go, imagine that times ten for Scotland. Gerry O’Donnell, an ex-IRA member, is in Scotland on holiday when a terrorist attack takes place. But, something seems strange about it and Gerry, no stranger to military actions, investigates. Some readers might have a moral issue with a former IRA member being a hero in a story. Perhaps they should have the same issue with half the media’s output that glorifies CIA and other spies.

1. Irvine

 

I thought it would be hard to follow The Squad, the book that first introduced anti-hero Gerry O’Donnell to the world. But Phil has done so, and then some. Moving the action from Ireland to Scotland was a masterstroke, given the cultural commonalities and mutual experience of Perfidious Albion. Native Shore is like an action movie between two book covers. It should leave you breathless.

1. Dubois

 

Native Shore bubbles with a plot that keeps you thinking and keeps you surprised. There’s so many characters in it that seem real and familiar, especially if you watch the news. Native Shore brings to our attention the world behind the curtain of politics and security services. You’ll never look at these the same way again.

1. Black

 

I love books where the characters have depth. In thrillers, so many times the story might be good but the characters seems shallow. Native Shore is one of these rare things – a terrific story, relating to Scotland independence debate, and a leading man who gets things done but also seems human and flawed. I’m not sure you’ll keep your faith in democracy after reading this. The author must have done a mountain of research to come up with these scenarios because they are all worryingly plausible.

1. Rush. 

 

Every wondered what would happen if Scotland looked like voting for independence? 2014 gave us a flavour. But, Native Shore shows you just how far the UK State would go to keep Scotland, even to the point of murder. This thriller is political but it’s also the personal story of Scottish-based former IRA man Gerry O’Donnell’s personal battle with the powers that be and with himself. This is real drama.

1. Geddes

 

I don’t have an opinion on whether Native Shore hits the spot or falls short, as I’m only the author.

However, my publisher and I have often discussed the believability of the central plot since the book was first published in 2022.

As one of the readers noted, as a piece of fiction, it is “worryingly plausible”.

Another reader thought that Native Shore might one day make it to the screen.

I found that I had created “a thinking man’s Bourne” to be a particularly gratifying observation by J Hunter.

It reminded me of what a film director said to me about The Squad, as my debut had originally started as a screenplay.

It is clear that the issues around Scotland’s current constitutional impasse haven’t gone away.

Moreover, with more and more revelations about what Brit spooks did here in Ireland during their dirty war, the central plot of Native Shore looks more like a future documentary than a work of fiction.

I’m heartened that the first print run is sold out.

Therefore, a second batch was required, and my publisher has now arranged that.

There is an emotional process in letting a book go, and now seems like the right time to do that.

So, what’s next for this Irish writer?

Well, I have to assess whether or not this should be the end for the central character.

Is the arc complete for Gerry O’Donnell up his mountain in Cloich Cheann Fhaola?

That’s a question I have to answer to MY satisfaction.

At the moment, I don’t know, and art can’t be rushed.

I’ve now set myself the task of reading Native Shore as if I were a reader coming to the story afresh.

Then I might be able to answer whether Gerry’s story should end there,  on the final page of Native Shore.

Probably only writers will get this, but the decision about whether or not there is a third novel isn’t my call, but the characters’.

Dear reader, if any of that intrigued you, then the good folk at Frontline Noir are happy to send you a copy with free postage in Britain.

You can order your copy HERE.