Why Erin’s Diary Is the Perfect Companion to Derry Girls
When I was reading the heavier sections of Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, I’d glance longingly at the top of my TBR stack where Erin’s Diary: An Official Derry Girls Book sat waiting. Having watched Derry Girls, I knew its humor would provide the comic relief I needed. Watch the Derry Girls trailer.
Creator, executive producer, and sole writer of Derry Girls, Lisa McGee wrote Erin’s Diary. The series, which first aired on Channel 4 in 2018 before becoming a Netflix sensation, follows a group of teens coming of age in 1990s Derry during the final years of The Troubles. McGee’s writing is sharp, heartfelt, and comical, often all in the same scene. McGee decided to end the story after its third season, which aired in 2022. Erin’s Diary is a delightful companion to the show. I recommend reading it between binges of the seasons.
A Glossary That’s Wile Useful for Irish Slang
Right from the start, Erin’s Diary offers a glossary of terms for anyone who’s ever wondered what “mucker” means (friend) or why someone might describe their hunger as “wile” (very or terrible). McGee’s example: “I’m wile hungry”/”She’s having a wile time of it.”
I’ve watched all three seasons twice, and I still learned new words here — though I did already know about the Tayto crisp sandwich, having made one while living in Kinsale. Yes, I wrote about it.
My third watch-through is planned for our flight home from Dublin this fall, and I hope to catch even more nuances, thanks to the book.
Sister Michael Steals the Show
One of my favorite characters, Sister Michael, is as blunt in the book as she is onscreen. When Erin tries to complain to her, she responds:
“I’m finding it very difficult to make myself care.”
There’s also a school letter to Erin’s parents about cheating on an exam, where Sister Michael admits she wishes she didn’t have to write it because “…well it’s boring,” and closes with:
“I pity you both.”
Direct, dry, and devastating. I adore her.
The Best Buns in Derry – A Delicious Travel To-Do
McGee (err… Erin) offers a ranked list of “The Best Buns in Derry.” According to her, the bap reigns supreme, but I suspect Chris will gravitate toward the second- and third-place winners: the Gravy Ring (“a doughnut rolled in a bag of sugar”) and the Turnover (“a diamond-shaped pastry clattered with icing”). Glossary in hand, I now know that “clattered” means covered.
We might need to go on a mission to sample all three while we’re in Derry. Maybe we’ll treat it as an edible scavenger hunt – a partial itinerary straight from the pages of a book.
And it’s not just bakeries that caught my attention. When Erin (McGee) imagines where a band might stay, she writes:
“I’m sure they’d enjoy a night in the Europa. That place has such an interesting history – it’s the most bombed hotel in the world.”
That little aside made me smile because the Europa Hotel Belfast is on our itinerary too. Soon we’ll be walking through its storied lobby, thinking about how a line in a fictional diary (and the hotel’s intense history) connects to a real place we’ll experience for ourselves. Book your stay at Europa Hotel Belfast.
Laughing in Serious Times
Much of the book’s humor comes from Erin’s hilarious hubris. Before we even arrive at the class (brilliant) glossary, she has an Intellectual Quote that she prefaces with:
“I think I should open with a quote from Seamus Heaney, as he’s my second favourite poet. I could quote my first favorite poet but – well, is it a bit weird to quote myself in my own book? No I’m not doing that. I’m just too modest.”
She proceeds to quote a bit from one of my favorite poems, Seamus Heaney’s Digging.
The rest comes from storylines that took me back to the show and why I fell for all of the characters in the first place. They found so many ridiculous ways to stumble into trouble – the sort of trouble that’s embarrassing and dead funny but not deadly. Okay, one nun dies, but it’s from natural causes.
If you’re a Derry Girls fan, Erin’s Diary will feel like getting to hang out with the gang one more time. You can also use the book as an amusing crash course in local slang, food, and personality before traveling to Derry. And if you’ve never seen the show? Well, what are you waiting for?
Erin’s Diary: An Official Derry Girls Book
By Lisa McGee | 224 pp. Purchase Erin’s Diary and Support Independent Booksellers
Want to Read More Books with Irish Connections?
📚 Travel Book Review: The Irish Diaspora by Turtle Bunbury
✨ 14 Quotes That Made Me Love This Is Happiness
💚 Rom-Com Meets Ireland: My Favorite Mistake Book Review
📝 Claire Keegan’s So Late in the Day: Stories & Settings
Planning Your Own Trip to Northern Ireland?
We’re booked on this Bogside walking tour and this Black Cab tour—both come highly recommended.
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