I Will Be Good

'One of the best Dublin memoirs I've ever read' Donal Fallon

Peig McManus was born into the last of Dublin's tenements before moving to one of Ireland's first social housing estates in Cabra. Her father believed that children should earn their keep and learn to face reality as soon as possible. While that reality was poverty, class prejudice and strict Catholicism, at the heart of Peig's earliest memories are music, hoolies and the bonds of family and community.

I Will Be Good is the story of a girl who rebelled against societal expectations and dreamed of further education. It tells of a young woman whose hopes of marriage to a Scottish sailor ended in the heartbreak of a daughter given up for adoption; of a mother who needed something more than her 'place at home'; and of a pioneering citizen who became one of Ireland's foremost campaigners for educational reform.

Now, in her eighties, Peig shares her story of grit and courage: an inspiring journey through the trials and triumphs of a remarkable Irish woman who refused to do what she was told.

Peig McManus was born in 1939 and grew up in one of the last of Dublin's tenements, under the shadow of the Second World War.

She learned early about social barriers and, from a young age, set about a path of community activism and educational reform.

Peig trained as a therapist and worked for many national organisations. She worked in radio and television for many years, and pursued studies and practice in homeopathy and meditation.

Now in her eighties, the mother of five recounts her journey to becoming herself in her unforgettable memoir I Will Be Good.

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