The Last Roundup
Encyclopedia
The Last Roundup is a series of three novels by Irish
writer Roddy Doyle
. They follow the life of Henry Smart from Ireland to America spanning most of the 20th century. The series is narrated by Henry as well, providing us the "Omniscient Narrator."
By age fourteen, Henry has survived long enough to take part in the Easter Rising
, becoming well known for his guerrilla combat skills, and even famous in his escape from execution.
Months after the Rising of 1916, working (under an alias) in the shipyards of Dublin, Henry learns about how his amazing escape has made him a modern legend in the pubs of Dublin, by former Easter Rising member, Jack Dalton. Henry, on hearing this news, takes part in the Rebellion once again, and soon discovers how much of his (and his father's) past will back come to haunt him.
Key Plot Points:
, the English town with a large Irish influence, and eventually makes his way to America. By March 16, 1924, Henry reaches Ellis Island
, and sets up a new life in America.
However, Henry remains haunted by his past. Over the course of the novel, Henry is forced to flee from New York City
all the way to Chicago
. There, he meets a young man playing the trumpet by the name of Louis Armstrong
. Because segregation
is all too alive in the city, Armstrong needs a man - a white man - to become his personal guard. Henry's fighting days may not be over . . .
Key Plot Points:
plans a movie based on Henry's life, but Henry eventually realizes the film that Ford has planned will reduce his story to sentiment. Henry plans to kill Ford, but his callousness has faded, and he drifts into the Dublin suburbs, where he meets a respectable widow who may possibly be his long-disappeared wife. Henry ages in obscurity until the 1970s, when the Provisional IRA uses a distorted version of Henry's story as a public relations ploy.
Also, many events that Henry walks through are historical as well. Another list:
----
Three books have now been published: A Star Called Henry
(1999); Oh, Play That Thing!
(2004); and The Dead Republic
(2010).
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
writer Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle
Roddy Doyle is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Several of his books have been made into successful films, beginning with The Commitments in 1991. He won the Booker Prize in 1993....
. They follow the life of Henry Smart from Ireland to America spanning most of the 20th century. The series is narrated by Henry as well, providing us the "Omniscient Narrator."
Volume I: A Star Called Henry (1999)
Henry S. Smart, born in Dublin, 1901, becomes a character of epic proportions from the moment of his birth. His one-legged father, known by the name of Henry Smart as well, vanishes without a trace, forcing Henry to abandon his mother, Melody Smart, and takes to the streets of Dublin with his younger brother Victor, where they are forced to survive by any means possible. Henry is five years old, and Victor two years younger.By age fourteen, Henry has survived long enough to take part in the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
, becoming well known for his guerrilla combat skills, and even famous in his escape from execution.
Months after the Rising of 1916, working (under an alias) in the shipyards of Dublin, Henry learns about how his amazing escape has made him a modern legend in the pubs of Dublin, by former Easter Rising member, Jack Dalton. Henry, on hearing this news, takes part in the Rebellion once again, and soon discovers how much of his (and his father's) past will back come to haunt him.
Key Plot Points:
- Henry's father was murdered by Alfie Gandon, even after Mr. Smart served him loyally for many years
- Henry & Victor live off the streets at an early age. Although Henry survives, Victor does not.
- Henry takes part in the Easter Rising, as well as the War of IndependenceIrish War of IndependenceThe Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
. - Henry's duties for the IRA have a heavy price: Smart's own head.
- Henry marries, and a daughter is born. However, life on the run forces him to leave his family behind.
- Henry is constantly on the search for any information about his parents, especially the eventual fate of his father.
- Aliases:
- Henry Smart
- Fergus Nash
- Michael Collins
- Brian O'Linn
Volume II: Oh, Play That Thing! (2004)
In the second novel, Henry is forced to flee Ireland due to the final events that take place in A Star Called Henry. He travels to LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the English town with a large Irish influence, and eventually makes his way to America. By March 16, 1924, Henry reaches Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
, and sets up a new life in America.
However, Henry remains haunted by his past. Over the course of the novel, Henry is forced to flee from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
all the way to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. There, he meets a young man playing the trumpet by the name of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
. Because segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
is all too alive in the city, Armstrong needs a man - a white man - to become his personal guard. Henry's fighting days may not be over . . .
Key Plot Points:
- Henry remains hunted by the IRA, even as he escapes into England, and even America.
- Once in New York, Henry takes up bootleggingRum-runningRum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
as well as sandwich boardSandwich boardA sandwich board is a type of advertisement composed of two boards and being either:*Carried by a person, with one board in front and one behind, creating a "sandwich" effect; or...
advertising. - In Chicago, Henry meets Louis Armstrong, as well as Henry's long lost family.
- Henry & Louis make their way back to New York, and eventually work with "Olaf's Half-Sister"
- Henry is finally caught by those who've always kept an eye out for him, the surviving IRA.
- Henry and family journey into the western Dustbowl, just at the Great DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
begins. - Henry loses his family (and his leg) after failing to catch a freight train, and searches for them throughout the Thirties and Forties, following the rumors and campfire tales left in their wake.
- Aliases:
- Henry Glick (homonymous with glic, Gaelic for cunning, clever, smart)
- Henry Dalton (a reference to the deceased Jack Dalton of the IRA)
- Henry S. (actually Henry S. Smart, his full name, but merely known as this in Chicago)
- Henry O'Glick (On the run in the West, during the Great Depression)
- One Leg O'Glick (On his own during his stay in the many Hoovervilles he lived in)
Volume III: The Dead Republic (2010)
In the final volume, an ageing Henry Smart attempts to cement his reputation. John FordJohn Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
plans a movie based on Henry's life, but Henry eventually realizes the film that Ford has planned will reduce his story to sentiment. Henry plans to kill Ford, but his callousness has faded, and he drifts into the Dublin suburbs, where he meets a respectable widow who may possibly be his long-disappeared wife. Henry ages in obscurity until the 1970s, when the Provisional IRA uses a distorted version of Henry's story as a public relations ploy.
Historical Appearances
Many characters in The Last Roundup are, in fact, historical. Here is a brief list of them:- James ConnollyJames ConnollyJames Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
- Countess Markievicz
- Michael CollinsMichael Collins (Irish leader)Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...
- Éamon de ValeraÉamon de ValeraÉamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
- Louis ArmstrongLouis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
- Dutch SchultzDutch SchultzDutch Schultz was a New York City-area Jewish American gangster of the 1920s and 1930s who made his fortune in organized crime-related activities such as bootlegging alcohol and the numbers racket...
- Owney MaddenOwney MaddenOwney "The Killer" Madden was a leading underworld figure in Manhattan, most notable for his involvement in organized crime during Prohibition. He also ran the famous Cotton Club and was a leading boxing promoter in the 1930s.-Early life:Owen Vincent Madden was born at 25 Somerset Street, in...
- Louis LepkeLouis BuchalterLouis "Lepke" Buchalter was a Jewish American mobster and head of the Mafia hit squad Murder, Inc. during the 1930s. After Dutch Schultz' request of the Mafia Commission for permission to kill his enemy, U.S. Attorney Thomas Dewey, the Commission decided to kill Schultz in order to prevent the hit...
- John FordJohn FordJohn Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
- Henry FondaHenry FondaHenry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
Also, many events that Henry walks through are historical as well. Another list:
- The Easter RisingEaster RisingThe Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
, April 24, 1916 - Irish War of IndependenceIrish War of IndependenceThe Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, 1919-1922 - Irish Republican ArmyIrish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, 1919-1922 - Ellis IslandEllis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
Immigration, 1892-1924 - ProhibitionProhibitionProhibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
, 1920-1933 - The Great DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, 1929-1939
----
Three books have now been published: A Star Called Henry
A Star Called Henry
A Star Called Henry is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. It is Vol. 1 of The Last Roundup series. The second installment of the series, Oh, Play That Thing, was published in 2004.-Plot summary:...
(1999); Oh, Play That Thing!
Oh, Play That Thing!
Oh, Play That Thing is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. It is Vol. 2 of The Last Roundup series, and follows on from Vol. 1, A Star Called Henry.-Plot summary:...
(2004); and The Dead Republic
The Dead Republic
The Dead Republic: A Novel is a 2010 novel by Irish author Roddy Doyle which concluded The Last Roundup trilogy. The first book in the trilogy was A Star Called Henry , and the second was Oh, Play That Thing! .-Plot:...
(2010).