Cork dentist: ‘It’s surreal to see my debut novel in Waterstones' window’

Neil Tully’s grandmother’s home in the 1950s and ’60s probably resembled the homes of many of our own elderly relatives here in Ireland.

“Of course, it goes without saying that there was the famous JFK photograph in pride of place on the wall over the fireplace in granny’s sitting room after the President visited New Ross!” says Tully.

“His visit to Ireland in June, 1963, was a pivotal moment in Irish history and one that ignited the spirit of the nation.”

JFK’s arrival into his ancestral home is seen as heralding the beginning of change in this country - and is the pivotal point in Tully’s new book, The Visit.

“The book captures Ireland at a significant point, embracing modernity over piety and poverty,” says Tully, a Cork-based dentist originally from Mayo.

His debut novel has all the intriguing ingredients that make for a good thriller; with true to life characters such as the villain, the local garda who knows a lot but says little, and the ambitious property developer.

It is all based around the historic visit of President Kennedy that has gone down in Irish history.

Tully is delighted to have his first book published. Like his dad before him, he is an avid reader.

“I read for an hour before I go to work in my dental practice in Shandon Street and I read for an hour at lunchtime,” says Tully.

“My late dad, who was a superintendent garda, was a great reader. Dad was one of 13 and brought up on a rural farm. He loved Dickens and the classics.

“He has a quote attributed to Dickens written on his tombstone, ‘A Loving Heart is the Truest Wisdom’.”

Tully has the gift of authenticity when writing about one of the main characters in his book, Jim Field, the local garda.

“My twin brother is also a garda,” says the author, who spent time working in Australia and completed an MA in Creative Writing at UL during covid. He learned from the best.

“Joseph O’Connor and Donal Ryan are such literary icons who I have always admired,” says Tully.

“With the two talented authors supporting me and encouraging me, The Visit was completed and published.”

But not in his dental rooms, I presume?

“No, for sure not in my dental rooms!” laughs Tully.

“At home in Bishopstown, I am fortunate to have a converted garage out back that I can use for writing, which was always one of my passions.

“As a child, I wrote match reports and poetry. I also admired songwriters like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, which was unusual for a young child.”

Neil ended up writing the sort of novel that he likes to read.

“A small town, a sense of trouble lurking...

The main character in The Visit is Patrick Hatten.

“Patrick is an outcast whose parents are dead and who is at a loss financially. He is troubled and he is eccentric,” says Tully.

“Garda Jim Field feels a paternal responsibility towards him, even though there is a risk Patrick might be dangerous and cause trouble nearer to JFK’s visit to New Ross.”

Patrick lives on the fringes of the community. As time goes on, his actions threaten to unravel Jim, who is burdened by a guilty conscience of a previous event involving Patrick’s father being committed to a mental institution.

The town is unravelling with the threat of what Patrick might do ahead of the American President’s visit to Ireland.

An interesting plot to be sure.

“It’s a fusion of interests of my own,” says Neil.

“Kennedy - that generation of men and women, the casualties of progress. There are undercurrents of trouble with focus on atmosphere and place.

“It’s the beginning of a new Ireland emerging.”

The chapters in the book alternate between the viewpoints of Jim, who is a thinker and a romantic, and the third person for Patrick adds a distance that suits his isolation.

Tully reels the reader in to all the issues of 1963, and the strides men and women made after, year on year, decade on decade.

“Letting the reader know what Patrick is up to before Jim does helps build tension,” explains Tully.

“The social strife in Ireland in the early 1960s, like housing and emigration, for instance, is the vital beat of the book.

“Kennedy captured the national mood and aspiration of the nation in 1963.

Does Neil aspire to being a full-time writer? Can he ‘extract’ himself from the day job as a dentist?

He laughs.

“In a dream world, I’d like to be writing full time,” says Tully.

“On the flip side, it gives me a kind of independence. I hope the book will be received well.”

And if it sells well?

“Even better!”

The Visit is in the front window of Waterstones in Cork. How does that feel? “Surreal!” says Tully.

He is having the last laugh.

“For 10 years now, my colleagues have had a laugh about my writing,” says Tully. “They have been super supportive.”

His wife, Sinead, from Cork, is also hugely supportive, he says

“I try and build writing into all aspects of my life and try to make sure all the dials are turned towards it,” says Tully.

“I enjoyed visiting New Ross for my research and for local references. The landscape was important.

“I did a book signing there and I was delighted with the turn-out.”

No doubt he’ll be delighted if The Visit is a best-seller?

“That would be fantastic. But if it doesn’t sell well, I’ll keep writing!”

The author is looking forward to book signing events around the country in the coming months, and had one in Waterstones in Cork city last week

The Visit, by Neil Tully, is published by Eriu and on sale now.