Moleskin Joe is one of the most memorable characters to appear in Patrick MacGill’s first two books, Children of the Dead End and The Rat-Pit. This sequel, first published in 1923, recalls the tramps and navvies MacGill encountered during his time on the road in Scotland and the north of England in the early years of the twentieth century. It centres around the adventures of Moleskin Joe, with his philosophy of ‘there’s a good time comin’, although we may never live to see it’, who in this book falls in love with a young Irish woman he meets on his travels. Filled with superb characterisation, humour, poignancy and eloquence, Moleskin Joe is a vivid portrayal of the hardships of the immigrant experience, which McGill not only experienced himself, but also successfully exposed to a huge audience through his writing.
