With his gritty debut novel Dublin Seven just published, author Frankie Gaffney has been telling TEN how there was one thing he couldn't persuade Gardaí to let him include in the book.
Dublin Seven tells the story of Shane Laochra, a teenager who descends into the city's underworld, and to make the book as authentic as possible, Gaffney contacted the Garda Press Office to see if he could include a sample summons.
"At the end of every chapter there's a little piece of literary collage, if you like – a newspaper article, or a love letter, or a text message – to break up the novel and it feeds into the plot," he explained.
"I asked the Guards' publicity office but they declined – they might've thought I was up to no good or something!"
While that piece of authenticity is missing from the pages, Gaffney has succeeded in getting the city's dialect and banter just right – something that was of the utmost importance to him.
"I think it's been a failing of a lot of representations, whether literary, television or film of Dublin. One of the biggest aspects of Dublin life is that language and that linguistic exuberance," he said.
"Hopefully I think it's one of the biggest strengths of the book – plays on words and little different turns of phrase and things that Dubliners use."
Author @FrankieGaffney on how genius graffiti "Anto Farrell does the sunbeds" made it into his book #DublinSeven! https://t.co/OzBh8rfIzD
— RTÉ TEN (@RTE_TEN) December 4, 2015
Joking that his next book could be called Dublin Eight, Gaffney told TEN that he is considering making the city's dialect a major character once again.
"Originally I was thinking I'd embark on a totally different project but there's been so much demand and so much appetite for an authentic Dublin book and capturing that dialogue. People have been so happy with it and as well as that, I've collected so much more material on that basis – just talking to people and chatting to people. Once I started collecting it it's difficult to stop – little turns of phrase, little expressions – that I think maybe the next book will be a Dublin book again."
As for what his friends think about their own anecdotes and jokes making it on to the pages of Dublin Seven, Gaffney said he has been given a new nickname.
"I'm getting a good bit of stick about it," he laughed. "They've started calling me JK Rowling! Once they don't start looking for royalties!"
Dublin Seven is published by Liberties Press
