An Irish Country Doctor cover art

An Irish Country Doctor

A Novel

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An Irish Country Doctor

By: Patrick Taylor
Narrated by: John Keating
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About this listen

An Irish Country Doctor from bestselling author Patick Taylor is a charming and engrossing tale that will captivate listeners from the very first word—and leave them yearning to visit the Irish countryside of days gone by.

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.

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.

©2004, 2007 Patrick Taylor (P)2009 Macmillan Audio
Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Medical Small Town & Rural Village Feel-Good Medical Education

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Critic reviews

“Narrator John Keating has a field day with the humor, long-winded stories, and colorful accents...[Keating] skillfully presents the unique and sometimes-hilarious Irish take on joy, sorrow, illness, and death.” —AudioFile

“Welcome to the colorful Northern Ireland community of Ballybucklebo where there's always something brewing beneath the Village's deceptively sleepy surface. Fans of Karon's Mitford series will enjoy this.” —Smoky Mountain Sentinel

All stars
Most relevant
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the 'goings on' in Ballybucklebo and getting to know the inhabitants.
At first I thought the narration was a bit slow and wouldn't hold my attention but soon it became perfect as the tone of the narrator's voice and the speed of reading added colour to the written word and I found myself planning activities so that I could carry on doing my various chores while listening to more of the story. An enjoyable story full of wit, charm and the deviousness of the Irish. I am looking forward to meeting my friends again in the next audiobook by Patrick Taylor.

I miss my newfound friends

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A really lovely story with real issues, light and dark humour running through it This is a throughly enjoyable book. Im now starting on book two of the series of seven. What a lot to look forward too.

Go back in time

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Mostly i really luved this story, its such an easy to read but i feel so sorry for the dog. ♡

lovely story

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Good stories with humour and good flow. Great characters and takes of rural Irish life.

A Glorious Book

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A charming book from start to finish. I didn't want it to end. Full of humour and observation of human life. Well worth a read.

Loved it from the beginning to the end

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