Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor: An Irish Country Novel    by Patrick Taylor Order:  USA  Can Forge, 2014 (2014) Hardcover, Softcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth I fell in love with Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly on reading the first novel in this heartwarming series by Patrick Taylor. In Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor, the eighth in the series, we become even more involved with Dr. O'Reilly. He is living, literally, the life of Reilly. He loves Ballybucklebo, the small Irish village where he practices medicine. He loves his long-lost sweetheart Kitty, whom he was lucky enough to convince to marry him. He even loves his cook/housekeeper Kinky, who keeps his life on an even keel. There is always something in Ballybucklebo to keep him as busy as he likes to be. He worked for thirty years at a dispensary in Dublin's tenement slums. But he found the demands on his emotions very trying. Hence, his move to the village. Having Kitty back in his life completed his feeling of delight with the turn his life had taken. What more could a man ask? What more indeed? I could ask who is Deidre? She is offhandedly mentioned at times in this series. She obviously has played a big part in the Doctor's life. Who is she? This mystery is tantalising. Author Taylor has managed to fill the pages with the details of his practice (I think I am safe to presume that some of the tales are taken from his own practice). The glossary at back of this book helped with some of the idiosyncrasies of the rural Irish tongue. I reveled in the ones I already knew and gloried in learning more. I was lucky enough to spend a good deal of time in Ireland – both the Republic and the North – from 1970 to the late '90s. I hold those memories to my heart. This novel brought many sweet ones back to me. Pick up a copy of Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor and create your own relationship with the good doctor. Well worth a read. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews