Displaying a keen eye and sharp wit, Tara Flynn’s second book is more than a whimsical look at what gets Irish people’s collective back up. It is, of course, jammed with the clever jokes and observations one would expect from a comedian,
but it’s as a work of satirical commentary that Giving Out Yards stands strongest. For every mention of traditional Irish grievances like the weather, U2 and The Late Late Show, Flynn also tackles the church, women’s rights and homosexuality; each taken on with a wry eccentricity that only accentuates the incredulity with which she views the issues at hand.
Given that she recently spoke out about her experience with abortion, it’s unsurprising the matter plays a major part, bookending the list and arising a number of times throughout. With an iron fist clad in a rib-tickling velvet glove, it – like many other topics – is picked apart expertly, in a book that will make readers think as well as laugh.