The Boy at the Gate - Softcover

Danny Ellis Ellis Danny

Softcover

ISBN 10: 184827128X ISBN 13: 9781848271289

Publisher: Transworld Ireland, 2012

Synopsis

Danny Ellis is a survivor, strong and resilient. An acclaimed singer/songwriter, he is proud of the way  he handled his difficult past: poverty in the 1950s Dublin slums and the brutality of the Artane Industrial School. He felt as though he had safely disposed of it all, until one night, while writing the powerful song that would launch his highly-praised album, 800 Voices ("A searing testament." —Irish Times), Danny's past crept back to haunt him. Confronted by forgotten memories of betrayal and abandonment, he was stunned to discover that his eight-year-old self was still trapped in a world he thought he had left behind.

Although unnerved by his experience, Danny begins an arduous journey that leads him back to the streets of Dublin, the tenement slums, and, ultimately, the malice and mischief of the Artane playground. What he discovers with each twist and turn of his odyssey will forever change his life. Elegantly written, this is a brutally honest, often harrowing, depiction of a young boy's struggle to survive orphanage life, and stands as an inspiring testament to the healing power of music and love.

About this title

About the Author:

Danny Ellis, born in 1947 in Dublin, Ireland, is a singer-songwriter and author. He attended the Artane Industrial School from 1955 to 1963. As a professional trombonist, Ellis played with Irish showbands such as The Airchords (1964), The Jim Farley Band (1965–66), The Nevada Showband (1969), Dickie Rock's Miami Showband (1969–1971), and Stage 2 (1972–73). In 2009, he released the album 800 Voices.

From Booklist:

Abandoned by his mother at age eight at the notorious Artane Industrial School in Dublin, Ellis lost his childhood. Decades later, the professional musician begins to recover his past by recording the album 800 Voices about his experiences, and this powerful memoir gracefully tells that story. A gifted writer, Ellis is effective at presenting abuse and neglect from the young boy’s perspective, without the elaboration of hindsight, the pathos of the memories only unraveling fully later. The tale is as rough as his tweed trousers and hobnail boots, rough as the cold showers and stinging leather straps he was forced to endure. Ellis is at his most poetic when writing about the power of music to protect and motivate him. The neglectful parents, the cruel Christian Brothers, and the scrappy orphanage boys are fully drawn, without mercy but equally without demonizing them. The rare moments showing kindness and courage in those surrounding him sparkle against a relentlessly grim backdrop. Filled with both winks and tears, this book proves that goodness can shine even in the ugliest places. --Bridget Thoreson

About this edition

• Publisher: Transworld Ireland
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 184827128X
• ISBN 13: 9781848271289
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352