PJ McKeown arrived in 1965 to Irish parents.
Like millions of others, they arrived in Lancashire for work in the 1940s. He claims to have created a new genre of writing called ‘Mirthsery’, a cross between humour and misery. A new philosophy for examining the concepts of migration, settlement, and home.
In the first volume of his autobiography - My Generation: The Memoirs of a Second-Generation Irish Wimpy Kid — McKeown familiarises us with the first decade of his life, having the craic on the mean streets of a multi-cultural inner city and in the green fields of mono-cultural Galway. Co-starring are his monolithic socialist father, his quasi-fascist mother, his extended family, various bands and his best pal JJ. Together they battle against corporal punishment, adult sectarianism and “slum” clearance
McKeown paints a truly colourful picture of a life full of laughter, anguish, comradeship and betrayal in equal measures. It’s a powerful recipe, with each enthralling slice of nostalgia served up with a dollop of irreverence and a sprinkling of sociology.
He arrived bright eyed, and bushy tailed in Aigburth in 1984. By understanding his story, you’ll likely discover something profound about your own.
In this hour, PJ McKeown will speak with the Liverpool Irish Festival Director, Emma Smith, about bringing his book in to public view.
