Eureka Street Background

Eureka Street is a novel written by Irish author Robert McLiam Wilson, and was published in 1996 by Secker & Warburg. The book was later republished in 1997 in the US, under Arcadia publishing house.

The story revolves around the lives of two different young Irish lads, Chuckie and Jack, as they attempt to escape their life of poverty and seek happiness. Chuckie attempts to earn quick money by setting up ludicrous business ventures, such as selling dildos, and ends up scamming people to earn a profit. Jack, a strict Catholic, was once a bad boy, but having reformed himself since, he tries to stay on the right path and not be tempted by the foolish business ventures proposed by Chuckie. The two also attempt to engage in a romantic relationship with a pair of American best friends visiting Ireland.

Peter Guttridge of The Observer praised the book for its humor, "Wilson has a pleasurably flexible, easy-going narrative style. Eureka Street is very funny but that isn't all.” A BBC Northern Ireland TV adaptation was aired in 1999, and starred Vincent Regan as Jake and Mark Benton as Chuckie.