A very religious and conservative society at the time meant that families had secrets, many secrets, kept hidden for years. Ireland was a very very different place in the 70s than it is today. Elizabeth finds it very difficult to accept that the person mentioned in these letters is her mother as she seems so very different from the woman she remembers.Įlizabeth follows the trail of these letters and takes a journey into the heart of West Cork, where she discovers a past that she was totally unaware of, a past that holds secrets that changes everything Elizabeth ever thought to be the truth about her mother….and about herself.Ī Keeper is a story told over two different timelines as we read about Elizabeth today and about her mother in the early 70s. These letters are addressed to her mother and appear to be from an admirer. No groups of friends around after school, no displays of affection yet Elizabeth was always safe, she just never felt very loved.Īs Elizabeth trawls through her mother’s stuff she happens upon some letters dated over forty years ago. With no father present and a mother who was very staunch and strict, Elizabeth grew up believing she was different to everybody else. Elizabeth didn’t have the happiest of childhoods. Now living in New York, she returns home to Ireland after her mother’s passing to sort through her belongings and to finally close the door on this part of her life. All very familiar places and names to me.Ī Keeper is the story of Elizabeth Keane. He refers to Cork train station and The Cork Examiner all set against the backdrop of a Cork of old.

It reminds me of my Mary on the banks of the Lee’ (The Banks of the Lee) ‘Every bush, every bower, every wild Irish flower

In A Keeper Graham Norton writes about the familiar, with many references to local Cork sights and landmarks. Graham Norton is the ultimate entertainer and a fantastic guest on any show.with anecdotes from his life recounted with such wit, it’s easy to forget about reality for awhile. I am a 100% born and bred Corkonian and was thrilled when Graham Norton came to the Cork Opera House recently to chat with Rick O’ Shea about his life to date, his writing plans and of course about his latest release A Keeper. His humour is infectious and, without doubt, along with Joanna Lumley, he is on my list of dinner invitees for my ultimate dinner party. His show on Friday nights, The Graham Norton Show, is the perfect viewing to entertain and to relax with at the end of a week.

Graham norton a keeper synopsis