In the summer of 1964, twenty-one-year-old Gillies MacBain arrives in Dublin off the ferry from England with only his bicycle, a suitcase and a tent to his name. Young, handsome and charismatic, he begins work as a footman in one of the houses of the `dying aristocracy'. Thus begins his foray into the upper echelons of Irish society. The Adventures of an Irish Footman is an irresistible narrative which describes a fading part of Irish society that MacBain subverts with wry humour. MacBain finds himself in a precarious niche: the borderland in between `upstairs' and `downstairs'. Here, he rubs shoulders with a cast of characters from the bohemian socialites to the chancer `Sketchly' and the hippes with their dewy-eyed `morals'. MacBain's memoirs run the gamut of Irish social classes, from his friendship with County Monaghan small farmers and tenants, to working with a dubious cast of actors and producers on a film set at Castle Leslie, to eventually marrying into the circle of the `idle rich'. An irresistible story told by a charming storyteller, this memoir sheds light on an era of Irish domestic industry, and Irish social history, that has all but been forgotten.

About the Author
Gillies MacBain arrived in Ireland in 1963 with the sole aim of escaping the bustle of London. After a peaceful time at Mount Melleray in County Waterford, he made the permanent move to Ireland in 1964. From then, he worked in various capacities as a footman, a butler, an actor and a farmer. He currently lives in Portlaoise and foregoes the trappings of modern life.

Reviews
The Last Footman, is a very funny, often bizarre account of life above and below stairs in some of Ireland's great houses in the 1960s and 1970s. -- Orna Mulcahy * The Irish Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9781843517658
Author Gillies Macbain
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint The Lilliput Press Ltd
Publisher The Lilliput Press Ltd