The 5th generation by Dale Jay Dennis

see page historyNotify me when this page changes.

Description edit see section history

Kathleen McNaughton of Northern Ireland and Eamonn Kelly of Dublin might as well be on opposite ends of the earth. Living on the same island, but raised amid terror and brutal conflict, they have been taught to fear one another. Brought together in a youth conference, they are compelled to see... read more

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

show spoilers

Show ridiculously simplified synopsis (warning: may contain spoilers)

Summary edit see section history

Kathleen McNaughton has just joined the Mormon (LDS) Church in her hometown of Lisburn, Northern Ireland, with the support of her friend, Susan Mackie, after her father relents to allow her to be baptized. Éamonn Kelly is trying to survive school in a somewhat antagonistic environment in Dublin, but gets a boost because of his talent with the Irish language. Kathleen and Susan discuss an all-Ireland youth conference being held by the church, but since it is being held in the Repubic of Ireland, Kathleen doubts she can attend, but manages to talk her father into allowing her to go. Éamonn is offered a summer's educational experience in the Gaeltacht (Irish speaking district) in Galway, and fears he will miss the Youth Conference, but manages to convince his school's headmaster to allow him to attend. The trip to Galway is challenging for Kathleen, with her first time crossing the border and the encounters she has with a British Army patrol as they search their bus at a checkpoint. Éamonn almost misses his bus, but manages to make it to Galway for the conference in spite of putting his foot in his mouth more than once. At the conference, he meets Kathleen for the first time at a dance, and is immediately smitten, but she scorns him because of his connection to the Republic of Ireland. Kathleen receives scorn herself from Susan because of her antagonistic attitude toward the youth from the south, but she gains a new perspective from a presentation by a BYU professor who is visiting for the conference, enigmatically titled "The Fifth Generation". Éamonn has convinced himself he has destroyed his hopes for the future until Kathleen asks to join him at the evening meal. Surprised but pleased, Éamonn tries to stifle his penchant for ruining everything by saying the wrong thing. He and Kathleen spend all the remaining time they can together, but he is crestfallen when she is whisked away with no warning due to a family emergency back in the north. He writes letters to Kathleen, but her father destroys them before she can read them. Frustrated, she pleads for help from a church official who assists her in getting back in touch with Éamonn. His impatience and her relief are both tested as they maintain a long distance relationship over the ensuing year. Éamonn must make some tough decisions for his future, and tells Kathleen he wants to marry her as soon as possible. Kathleen brings the engagement to her parents' attention, but is virtually disowned by her father, so she travels to Dublin right away. Éamonn is surprised to find Kathleen there, but elated at the reunion. Once married and with his college schooling completed, Éamonn begins a job with Irish television while Kathleen gets acquainted with the neighbors, some of whom don't want to be acquainted with her. His coverage of political opportunists and her assistance to a neighbor in need bring them both to places of increased security, but it isn't long before terror strikes close to home. A car bomb in Dublin, normally a peaceful city, has Éamonn on pins and needles and the staff at Irish Television about to burst, but he files a solid report on the incident. Kathleen receives a surprise visit from her father, but seeing Éamonn's report on the television shows her that he was responsible for the car bomb. The police arrive on a tip and arrest both of them for the crime. Her father admits his part, but also alledges that his daughter helped him. Éamonn returns home to find his wife gone and his children being taken into foster care, and cannot fathom the cause of it. The police give him no reason to hope for a happy resolution, and as Kathleen and her father go to trial, Éamonn is put on leave from his job. With their world falling apart around them, they both muster faith and conviction, but to different ends that can only be resolved by a risky visit to the prison and an impromptu statement to the court as it prepares to announce the verdict.

Characters/People edit see section history

Kathleen McNaughton: A recent convert to the LDS Church from a Protestant background in Northern Ireland, Kathleen grew up in Lisburn, a community seven miles from Belfast. Her best friend is also a "Mormon", Susan Mackee. She has auburn hair and brown eyes and is quite attractive. She struggles with the fears of violence she has grown up with and been taught by her parents.
Éamonn Kelly: Éamonn Kelly is a lifelong member of the LDS church and resides in north Dublin in the Finglass district. In school he has done well with the Irish language and receives an opportunity to use his talents professionally. He has dark hair, blue eyes, and pleasant features. He also has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth.
William Paul McNaughton: Kathleen's father, a devoted Protestant and member of the Free Presbyterian church, he is politically volatile and has a complete dislike, even hatred, of anything remotely connected to the Republic of Ireland. He is a staunch Unionist, meaning one who supports the continued union between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
Susan Mackee: Susan is Kathleen's best friend. The two have grown up together, and Susan's influence has been key to Kathleen's decision to join the LDS church. Susan is generally always positive, but not beyond having her buttons pushed a bit. She is fiercely loyal to Kathleen, and will go to great lengths to help her friend, whom she regards as a sister.

Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

“The waterfall amid the glenthat sprays the grass with mistcaptures the vision within the mindto see immortal beauty;For created even as we arein the image of the Greater Power,we find ourselves an echo, a likenessof the splendour born in Heaven.”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland (Éire)

Lisburn, Northern Ireland: A community of some size located in County Antrim about seven miles southwest from Belfast. Lisburn is a significant town in the area, but does not have a great deal of industry or major business. It is home for Thiepval Barracks, the major command center for the British Army in Northern Ireland. Probably three fourths of the residents are Protestant, but Lisburn has a significant population of Catholics as well.
Dublin, Ireland: Dublin is the largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and its capitol. It is divided by the River Liffy into north and south segments. Dublin is home of the national government, but also boasts much industry and shipping. Its residents are primarily Roman Catholic, and many of its schools are run by that church.
Galway, Ireland: Galway is a city on Ireland's west coast. County Galway, of which it is the county seat, contains one of several Gaeltacht areas (Irish speaking districts) and is also the site of the youth conference where Kathleen and Éamonn meet.

Organizations edit see section history

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: The LDS church is a faith founded in New York State (USA) in 1830, claiming a "restoration" of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the authority to organize and operate his church. It has grown to be a world-wide church, but is still looked upon with suspicion and disapproval by many other churches.
Roman Catholic Church: The largest Christian denomination in the world, the Roman Catholic church is very prominent in Ireland. While it is not the "official state religion" per se, it is mentioned in the Constitution of the Republic of Ireland as having a special palce in Irish history and heritage, and is venerated by many there. Approximately 95% of the population of the Republic of Ireland are Roman Catholic; about 33% of those in Northern Ireland are of that faith.
Free Presbyterian Church: A branch of Presbyterianism created in 1951 in Northern Ireland. One of its noted pastors is Dr. Ian Paisley, who is also politically active and a staunch defender of the Unionist cause.
Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Sinn Fein: Sinn Fein (Irish meaning "we ourselves" and pronounced "shin fayn")) is a minority political party in the Republic of Ireland, and is considered to be the political arm of the IRA. The IRA, in turn, is a paramilitary organization that has engaged in terrorism in Northern Ireland in an attempt to convince the British Government to relinquish their claim on Northern Ireland. The targets of their terrorism are always Protestant, but often there is collateral damage to Catholic areas as well.
Ulster Defense Association (UDA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF): UDA and UVF are a pair of protestant paramilitary organizations that carry out repraisals against Catholic businesses or areas following actions by the IRA. They may also act independently to engage in other activity that furthers, in their view, the Unionist cause. In 1974, they staged a General Strike in Northern Ireland to protest the Sunningdale agreements and effectively shut down the entire province.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Notes on The Fifth Generation
1. First Step
2. Confrontation
3. Troubling Territory
4. Decision
5. A Journey Begins
6. The Road to Galway
7l. Choose Your Generation
8. Testimony
9. Friendship in Ashes
10. "My Lagan Love"
11. A Welcome Wait
12. "I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go"
13. Disowned
14. Reunion
15. A Neighbor's Scorn
16. Commentary
17. Samaritan
18. In the News
19. Learning the Language
20. Unsettling Story
21. Surprise Visitors
22. The Question
23. Revelations
24. Guilty Until Proven Innocent
25. On the Defensive
26. Visitation
27. Statement
28. Verdict
29. The Juror
30. Tir na nOg, The Land of Eternal Youth

Glossary edit see section history

Tá grá agam duitse.: Irish for "I love you," it is idiomatic Irish that is translated "I have love in my heart for you." The literal translation is, "Love is at me to you" with an emphatic suffix. In irish the verb of the sentence generally comes first. "Grá" is the word for "love"; "agam" and "duitse" are prepositional pronouns, the first meaning "at me". The prepositional pronoun "duit" means "to you" but the emphatic form ads "se" at the end. The phrase is pronounced, "Taw graw egum day-shuh." The Irish language does not have a verb for "to have" and expresses the idea of posession as something being "at" someone.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

Dale Jay Dennis (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Horizon Publishers and Distributors, Inc.
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1995
ISBN: 0-88290-571-6
Page Count: 208

Classification edit see section history

Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
Dewey: 813.54

Subjects edit see section history

Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

Horizon Publishers and Distributors Bookstore: Publisher's description page for "The Fifth Generation"

We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book, books influenced by this book, books that cite this book and books cited by this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

Did you know you can edit this page?

The 5th generation (1995) (edit title/settings)

by Dale Jay Dennis (Author) (edit contributors)