Cover of An Irish Country Doctor

An Irish Country Doctor

Irish Country seriesbook 1 of 11Next:An Irish Country Village(2008) →

Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there, but already he knows that there is nowhere he would rather live than in the emerald hills and dales of Northern Ireland. The proud owner of a spanking-new medical degree and little else in the way of worldly possessions, Barry jumps at the chance to secure a position as an assistant in a small rural practice.

Read more

At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly.

The older physician, whose motto is to never let the patients get the upper hand, has his own way of doing things. At first, Barry can't decide if the pugnacious O'Reilly is the biggest charlatan he has ever met, or the best teacher he could ever hope for. Through O'Reilly Barry soon gets to know all of the village's colorful and endearing residents, including:

A malingering Major and his equally hypochondriacal wife;

An unwed servant girl, who refuses to divulge the father of her upcoming baby;

A slightly daft old couple unable to marry for lack of a roof;

And a host of other eccentric characters who make every day an education for the inexperienced young doctor.

Ballybucklebo is long way from Belfast, and Barry is quick to discover that he still has a lot to learn about the quirks and traditions of country life. But with pluck and compassion and only the slightest touch of blarney, he will find out more about life―and love―than he ever imagined back in medical school.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 356 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked An Irish Country Doctor? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked An Irish Country Doctor. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Shannon Shares Ireland, historical fiction, fiction
  2. Galway Bay Shares Ireland, historical fiction, fiction
  3. Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show Shares Ireland, historical fiction, fiction
  4. My Dream of You Shares Ireland, fiction, historical fiction

“People who read An Irish Country Doctor tend to reach for these next.”

  1. The Tavern on Maple Street
  2. The Chisellers
  3. 1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State
  4. Storm in the Village

“If you want more of the same (historical fiction about medical), start with these.”

  1. Reading in the Dark
  2. Lies of Silence
  3. The Good Son
  4. Death And Nightingales

“If it was the Ireland that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. The Last Storyteller
  2. Ireland
  3. The Secret Scripture
  4. A Star Called Henry

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Harvest / Life Support
  2. Carnival of Shadows
  3. The Courtneys: When the Lion Feeds / The Sound of Thunder / A Sparrow Falls
  4. A Killer's Kiss