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Walking with Ghosts

A Memoir

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Walking with Ghosts

By: Gabriel Byrne
Narrated by: Gabriel Byrne
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About this listen

This audiobook is exquisitely and eloquently read by the author, Gabriel Byrne.

Walking with Ghosts is the stunningly evocative memoir by Irish actor and Hollywood star, Gabriel Byrne.

'Dreamy, lyrical and utterly unvarnished' – Colm Tóibín

As a young boy growing up in the outskirts of Dublin, Gabriel Byrne sought refuge in a world of imagination among the fields and hills near his home, at the edge of a rapidly encroaching city. Born to working-class parents and the eldest of six children, he harboured a childhood desire to become a priest. When he was eleven years old, Byrne found himself crossing the Irish Sea to join a seminary in England. Four years later, Byrne had been expelled and he quickly returned to his native city. There he took odd jobs as a messenger boy and a factory labourer to get by. In his spare time he visited the cinema, where he could be alone and yet part of a crowd. It was here that he could begin to imagine a life beyond the grey world of ’60s Ireland.

He revelled in the theatre and poetry of Dublin’s streets, populated by characters as eccentric and remarkable as any in fiction, those who spin a yarn with acuity and wit. It was a friend who suggested Byrne join an amateur drama group, a decision that would change his life forever and launch him on an extraordinary forty-year career in film and theatre. Moving between sensual recollection of childhood in a now almost vanished Ireland and reflections on stardom in Hollywood and on Broadway, Byrne also courageously recounts his battle with addiction and the ambivalence of fame.

Walking with Ghosts is by turns hilarious and heartbreaking as well as a lyrical homage to the people and landscapes that ultimately shape our destinies.

‘Make no mistake about it: this is a masterpiece . . . poetic, moving and very funny’ – Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin

©2020 Gabriel Byrne (P)2020 Recorded Books Entertainment & Celebrities Celebrity Ireland Funny Witty

Critic Reviews

The wonder of this memoir is its unembellished truth. It is written by a man whose amazing story is the stuff of literature (Edna O'Brien)
The allure of Gabriel Byrne's memoir is that it persuasively humanizes what it is to be a big deal movie star. Byrne is wonderfully without cant or bluster or phony humility. Instead he leads with felicity, candor, humor and empathy. In the end, he seems to be somebody you'd be glad to know (Richard Ford)
A wry and warm, swirling poetic reverie of a memoir (Colin Barrett)
A joy of a book - full of heart and humour, beautifully told (Sinéad Gleeson)
The writing is so vivid it’s as if we are by Gabriel Byrne’s shoulder through the sorrowful times and the joyous moments. He weaves an intimate and absorbing tapestry of the poignant and the funny (Kirsty Wark)
A working-class family memoir as well as a meditation on fame and its discontents (Sena O'Hagan)
Walking with Ghosts is exquisite. This book feels like the culmination of a long literary career and not the debut of a famous actor. Byrne makes himself fully vulnerable while in total command of language and form. There is great truth and great beauty in this close examination of a life and the passage of time. I’ve never read a memoir so raw and honest and literary and absolutely, staggeringly brilliant (Lily King)
Mercurial, ferociously honest and moving . . . A poignant symphony of memories and dreams, longing and loss, in a search for the immigrants most elusive prize, home (Karl Geary, author of Montpelier)
A poetic journey into those secret realms of memory which dominate our lives, but are rarely spoken about. By revealing himself with such courage, compassion, and exquisite poise, Gabriel Byrne gives readers that rare gift of being able to see themselves in the feelings of another person. This book is more than a memoir—it’s a mirror that reflects the deepest parts of us in exile (Simon Van Booy)

What listeners say about Walking with Ghosts

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Profile Image for Fiona

Witty, emotional, deeply moving

What an excellent read. I laughed, chuckled and bawled my eyes out. Bless him. What a special man

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Profile Image for Rita Ashton

Beautiful listening

A great story, brought back many Irish Memories for me, Thankyou, An extra bonus was listening to the brilliant voice of Mr Byrne

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

Honest, funny and moving

Gabriel's memoir resonated with me as a fellow survivor of a strict Catholic childhood. That's not to say that the story was gloomy or maudlin though. I basked in his lyrical prose and musical accent and there were many laugh out loud moments.

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Profile Image for Jane

Unforgettable

An instant classic! Far beyond what you would expect from a celebrity memoir. Excellent narration.

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Profile Image for AWard

Thank you

Oh the beauty in such an honest account of a life. Beautiful, moving, & hilarious...

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Profile Image for Profit

Witty, Moving, Deep

I listened to Billy Connolly’s book ‘Windswept and Interesting’. (Great listen). He recommended this book and I’m not disappointed. It’s excellent. I feel like I’m listening to a lonely introverted man who has gone through a lot of bad experiences but one who has made good of it all. Famous and yet solitary, proud of his roots.

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Loved this book.

Loved this book. Brought back great memories of growing up in Dublin. Very sad, very funny but very real.

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Profile Image for joyce.dalgleish

Magical performance

The gift of speaking lyrically is not managed by many but in this remembrance the author tells his and some of Ireland’s truth, and the joys anguish and tragedy that all can relate to and many may have also experienced in different ways. But few could put into such words. Wonderful . Thank you.

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Profile Image for Marce Howard

Visceral, poetic, spiral storytelling

I laughed out loud at the recounting of so many familiar Catholic memories. Wonderfully told!

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Profile Image for Robbie

Dont' think I will walk with that ghost

I know this is a true life story, it is a depressing life for such a talented man to have endured. I have not been able to finish this book as it was just weighing me down too much.

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