I came across this delightful book at Half Price Books and found it similar to the style of
All Creatures Great and Small the books of
James Herriott. An Irish Country Doctor begins with Dr. Barry Laverty arriving in Ballybucklebo to begin work as a G.P. with a crochety Dr. O'Reilly.
Patrick Taylor paints vivid pictures of each of the village characters and immerses you quickly into the goings on in Ballybucklebo through the eyes of the new doctor. Although
Ballybucklebo is a fictitious village, Mr. Taylor has placed it near Belfast in Northern Ireland and to help the reader with the numerous Irish expressions, he has provided a glossary of Irish terms which is humorous in itself. This was a book that I didn't read very quickly because I didn't want it to end.
From the cover:
Barry Laverty, M.B., can barely find the Northern Ireland village of Ballybucklebo on the map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there. But 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 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 the village's colorful and endearing residents and a host of other eccentric characters who make every day an education for the inexperienced young doctor.
