Biddy O'Ryan
The CBB -> Book Discussions

#1: Biddy O'Ryan Author: Rachael PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:18 am


Please discuss our favourite Irish scamp here - to be sure, to be sure Wink

 


#2:  Author: RóisínLocation: Galway, Eire PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:16 am


I don't know why nobody wanted to post on Biddy! She's one of my favourite characters, possibly because when I met her at the age of nine I thought "Hurrah! Someone from Ireland!" and after that it wasn't too hard to imagine the doors of the CS opening for me too.

When Biddy is a child one of the things that I love about her is the sharp contrast she provides to Robin. She's an excellent antidote to the sometimes sickly sweetness about Robin. She is sharp, clever, practical and witty but retains a very believable childlike innocence. Even at the age of ten (I think that's what she is when we meet her) she has her own code of morals which she sticks to at all costs - like when she doesn't give Margia away for keeping her in the games shed.

As an older woman and teacher, she is one of the best-loved mistresses and I was especially delighted by the fact that she taught history, which was always my own favourite subject. (Again, this convinced me as a teenager that I too could teach history at the CS!) She is an enigmatic adult, I think, who I'm glad retains a lot of her early upbringing. I love that she lapses into her own accent when angry and my especial favourite bit about her as an adult is when her hat blows off in Leader (not sure if that's the right title but hey) and her hair falls down to reveal that she has kept it waist-length and wildly curly.

I was very disappointed when she got married, especially to someone who's name I can't pronounce, even in my head, but was glad that she settled close to the school so we did get to keep up even a little in her life. Very Happy

 


#3:  Author: jenniferLocation: Taiwan PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:42 pm


Yeah, I like Biddy too - she's much more of a real little girl than the Robin. Although there's a major EBDism - when Biddy first appears on the scene, she and Robin are the same age (10), but by the time they move to England, there's a good three years or so between them. She manages to maintain a distinct personality, and transitions from a naughty middle to a responsible, but still interesting, senior nicely.

She's also the kind of teacher you wish all your teachers were like. She knows her subject material, is an interesting and engaging lecturer with a gift for bringing her subject to life, runs a challenging but fair classroom, and gets along with the students well without trying to be too buddy-buddy.

I did think their attempts after adopting Biddy to train her out of her accent were somewhat patronising, after all, she *is* Irish, and you would then expect her to speak with an Irish accent. Her accent would naturally mute over time, as she was around mainly English and European accents, but the automatic assumption that the English accent was superior and the Irish was low class was a bit much.

 


#4:  Author: BuntyLocation: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2005 3:24 pm


I've never quite sorted out when exactly Biddy changes from being a ward of the Guides to being a sort of scholarship girl - and doesn't she start off going to a local school, or am I misremembering?

 


#5:  Author: RóisínLocation: Galway, Eire PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2005 5:22 pm


I'm not sure when either, but she did certainly start out in the local school. Think I read another post that she was moved because she was too clever for the local school but not sure about that.

 


#6:  Author: SusanLocation: Carlisle PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:08 pm


How did I miss this one?

I love Biddy both as 'the wild Irish scamp' and as a mistress.

She is one of EBD's best characters in my opinion. We see her through all stages of her life and she changes so realistically.

She did start off at the village school as the ward of the guides but quite quickly becomes the ward of the school. Her becoming a school member I feel (in my own mind) is a reult of her cleverness and also the fact that if the girls couldn't set foot out of doors for storms in the winter and rain in the spring why should Biddy have to when she lived in a school?
I would think EBD first saw her as a minor character but then realised how good she could be as a more major one and so she became one. I love her telling of spooky stories to the girls and her horror of having to sleep in Bill's room is wonderful.

 


#7:  Author: Amanda MLocation: Wakefield PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 10:32 am


I also liked Biddy - especially as a school mistress. She always seemed to be well liked and respected by staff and pupils. I agree that she's a more realistic small child than Robin was.

Star Wars

 


#8:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent, England PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:17 pm


I liked Biddy O'Ryan as a girl but more as a mistress. She was a good teacher. I felt sorry for her when Miss Slater wasn't very nice to her. Miss Slater seemed to still see Biddy as a naughty Middle and not as a member of staff which doesn't seem very fair.

 


#9:  Author: RóisínLocation: Galway, Eire PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 10:25 pm


Just out of interest, and also because I'm too lazy to go look it up, but I don't remember any fizzle of romance with Dr. Courvoisier (sp?) before they married. Is there an account of courtship anywhere?

 


#10:  Author: KBLocation: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 10:30 pm


I don't think there was any more 'fizzle' than between Miss Burn and Dr Graves.

 


#11:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent, England PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:57 pm


I was wondering the other day why Biddy was discouraged from talking in her 'Irish brogue'. Does anyone know why this would have happened?

 


#12:  Author: KBLocation: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 10:18 pm


Presumably it was a class thing. Girls of the class that would have gone to the CS presumably had to speak 'proper' English.

 


#13:  Author: patmacLocation: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:48 am


At that time. regional accents were frowned upon among educated and upper class people.

An explanation is here :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/A657560

The subject is still a hot potato and was debated in parliament on 11/07/05 see here :

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2005-07-11.557.4

 


#14:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent, England PostPosted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 8:45 am


Thanks, KB and Patmac for all your help. I really appreciate it.

 


#15:  Author: RuthLocation: Physically: Lincolnshire, England. Inwardly: The Scottish Highlands PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:50 am


I love Biddy O'Ryan - especially as a girl. I do love the way she throws her accent out when she is excited, upset or even in trouble - I always like it when attempts to break an accent don't always work (when I went to school elecution - yurck!!! - lessons broke much of my slightly Northumbrian accent and the only way anyone can tell now is the fact that I flatten my vowels.
I liked the spooky stories in the dormitory and her being made to sleep in Bill's room!!!
Biddy is equally adorable as a mistress, especially as she teaches history (my favourite subject). I think Miss Slater is rather hard on her - does she not realise that Biddy is on the staff. I love the bit where her had blows off revealing all that hair - I wouldn't be able to cope with hair like that!

It was a pity that she married, but I am glad she got someone nice.

 


#16:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 4:42 pm


Does Biddy ever have any contact with her half-brother/sister, the baby whom her stepfather Luigi's sister takes to live with her? I'm fairly sure that Biddy never mentions the baby again, but I'm just wondering if there's a mention anywhere that's been cut out of the paperbacks.

 


#17:  Author: aitchemelleLocation: West Sussex PostPosted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 5:12 pm


I love Biddy cos (as previously said) she is one of EBD's more three dimensional characters with a real personality, and this personality is a much more realistic one than some of the others. I also like the way she is as a Mistress - EBD could have very easily watered her down, changed her from her schooldays to make her more respectable.

As for the accent, I also thought it was a class thing - speaking the queens english and all that. I know that theres a perception that a home counties type accent is "posh" and any other dialect, not. (not a perception that I uphold, I hasten to add!)

Hannah

 


#18:  Author: KBLocation: Melbourne, Australia PostPosted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 8:13 pm


Alison H wrote:
Does Biddy ever have any contact with her half-brother/sister, the baby whom her stepfather Luigi's sister takes to live with her? I'm fairly sure that Biddy never mentions the baby again, but I'm just wondering if there's a mention anywhere that's been cut out of the paperbacks.


No, I think and Jo is the only mention of them.

 


#19:  Author: Sarah_LLocation: Leeds PostPosted: Sun Aug 28, 2005 4:17 pm


How is Miss Slater hard on Biddy? I don't think I remember that?
I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but what happened to Biddy between the CS leaving Tyrol and reopening in Guernsey?

 




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