In Chris Curran’s Paddy, the debut novel of The Liberties Trilogy, we meet a character who is not just central to the story—he is the story. Paddy is raw, wounded, defiant, tender, and tragically familiar. He isn’t heroic in the traditional sense, but in a world that constantly tries to break him, simply staying alive becomes an act of quiet rebellion.
Let’s take a closer look at this unforgettable character and why readers can’t stop thinking about him.
A Man of Contradictions
Paddy lives in contradictions. He’s fiercely loyal to his friends, yet pushes them away when they get too close. He’s deeply sensitive, yet armors himself with sarcasm and violence. He craves love, yet sabotages it the moment it appears. These contradictions don’t make him inconsistent—they make him real.
Curran never flinches from showing Paddy’s flaws. He drinks too much, runs from intimacy, and sometimes makes choices that hurt himself and others. But through it all, we understand him. His pain has roots. His silence has history.
Relationships That Define Him
Paddy’s world is shaped by the people in it—people who love him, leave him, enable him, and save him.
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Deco, his childhood friend and partner in chaos, represents the brotherhood forged in hardship. Their bond is magnetic but dangerous, laced with loyalty and destruction.
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Trisha, the girl who sees through his bravado, offers a glimpse of the man he could be—if only he believed it himself.
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Seanie, a reminder of innocence lost, and Sharon, who carries her own scars, show us how trauma connects—and isolates—those who live through it.
Every relationship in Paddy’s life adds another layer to his character. We see how love, in all its complicated forms, tries to reach him—even when he can’t always receive it.
The Weight He Carries
Set in 1980s Dublin, Paddy’s struggles are not just personal—they’re political, cultural, and generational. He grows up in a world where masculinity is rigid, vulnerability is weakness, and mental health is hidden under pints and pub fights.
Add to that the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, deep-rooted poverty, and generational silence around trauma, and you begin to understand why Paddy carries so much pain without knowing where to put it.
He is, in many ways, a man drowning in history. And yet, he fights to stay afloat.
Why We Care About Paddy
Readers connect with Paddy not because he’s perfect, but because he’s honest. He says the things we don’t say. He feels the things we’re often too afraid to admit. And even when he fails, he keeps going. That alone makes him remarkable.
Chris Curran’s writing refuses to sanitize or sensationalize Paddy’s journey. Instead, he presents a portrait of a survivor—flawed, complex, unforgettable.
Final Thoughts
Paddy isn’t trying to be a role model. He’s trying to make sense of a world that never made space for him. And in doing so, he speaks to anyone who’s ever felt broken, angry, lonely, or unseen.
Through Paddy, The Liberties Trilogy doesn’t just tell a story—it gives voice to the silent, forgotten parts of Irish history and identity. And that voice is both devastating and beautiful.
