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Saturday, September 03, 2005
Read Ireland
Read Ireland Book Reviews – Issue 318
-------------------------------------
The IRA in Kerry 1916-1921 by Sinead Joy (Paperback; 14.00
Euro / 17.50 USD / 10.00 UK; 180 pages)
The traditional view of the IRA in Ireland from 1916-1921 –
of heroes living only for the republic – has come in for
close scrutiny in recent years. This study dispels some of
the myths and gives an alternative profile of the rebels
active in Kerry. It questions their reasons for joining and
their commitment to the notion of a republic. The result is
sometimes critical as it considers the effects of the war
on Kerry's civilian population and the varying level of
support for the IRA. Overall this book presents an account
of the perceptions of the community as a whole, Irish or
British, Catholic or Protestant, fighter or civilian.
---------------------------------------
The Flight of the Earls by John McCavitt (Paperback; 15.00
Euro / 19.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 278 pages)
In 1607, Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and other Gaelic
chieftains, fled to the continent and settled in Rome.
Their lands were declared forfeit to the Crown and cleared
for the Plantation of Ulster that followed. Why did they
flee? John McCavitt's widely praised study provides the
answer to this, one of the enduring mysteries of Irish
history. Following the failure of his rebellion in 1603,
Hugh O'Neill made a successful peace with the royal
government in London. He was left in possession of his
lands, and his surrender was acknowledged. However,
grasping crown officials in Dublin maintained a relentless
campaign of harassment against him. It was this that
prompted his flight, and that of the other Ulster Gaelic
leaders. They saw it as a temporary expedient and intended
to return, although they never did. Instead, their long,
winding journey to Rome was an end, not a beginning.
----------------------------------
The Irish Examiner: 100 Years of News edited by Des
O''Driscoll (Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK;
200 pages, with full colour photos throughout)
The Irish Examiner - 100 Years of News is a unique
presentation of events in Ireland and elsewhere during a
remarkable and crowded century. Published to celebrate the
designation of Cork as Europea n Capital of Culture in
2005, it provides a special perspective on life in Ireland
during the previous one hundred years. Taken directly from
the archives of the Irish Examiner are news stories and
features exactly as they appeared, together with
contemporary photographs, many in colour. Reproductions of
pages from the paper provide wonderfully evocative
reminders of events, both great and small, and of
lifestyles from the past. History lives again on these
pages: Michael Collins, John F Kennedy, Osama Bin Laden,
the Civil Ware, two World Wars. There is also sport and
entertainment: Christy Ring, Stephen Roche, Shergar, Roy
Keane, Gay Byrne, JR Ewing. Coverage of major disasters is
graphic and moving: the last pictures and reports form the
Titanic as she steamed from Queenstown in 1912; the award
winning coverage of the Air India tragedy in 1986. And of
course there are politics - national and local -
literature, arts, fashion, indeed the whole range of life
in Ireland and abroad as seen through the eyes of
generations of the writers and photographers of Ireland's
oldest newspaper and the only national daily published
outside Dublin.
-------------------------------------
Out of the Shadows: A Journey Back from Grief by Susan
Phoenix (Paperback; 14.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 11.00 UK; 224
pages)
Susan lost her husband and both parents within the space of
three months. This is the story of her recovery from
shattering grief and her amazing discovery that our loved
ones are still there for us, in the spirit world. When
Susan's beloved husband Ian was killed in a helicopter
accident in June 1994, she faced overwhelming despair. Her
pain was compounded when her parents died just months
later. But Susan had two children, a determined outlook and
was on a mission to testify to the important work Ian had
done in the struggle to bring peace and stability to
Northern Ireland. She wrote a hugely successful book about
Ian, but once she'd finished, she realised she herself was
still in terrible pain. Gradually, though, she came to
understand through the power of her angel guides and with
help from clairvoyants that Ian was indeed, as she had
suspected, still very much a real part of her life. This is
a unique memoir of a one woman's struggle back from despair
and of the inspirational help available to all of us from
the spirit world. Susan never believed that she'd be beaten
by what life had thrown at her and this is a story of
warmth, humour, candour and faith to inspire us all.
--------------------------------------
Irish Round Towers by Hector McDonnell (Small Paperback;
8.00 Euro / 12.00 USD / 5.00 UK; 56 pages)
In this book the author presents an exciting theory on the
numerous, enigmatic and unexplained ancient round towers of
Ireland.
-----------------------------------
Dry Stone Walls by Lawrence Garner (Small Paperback; 9.00
Euro / 12.00 USD / 5.00 UK)
The dry stone walls of Ireland and Britain happen to be in
areas which attract many tourists and so it is not
surprising that the walls that are an integral part of the
landscape should provoke so many questions. 'When were they
built?', 'Who built them?', 'How do they stand up without
cement?'. This book answers these and many other questions.
The reasons for building dry stone walls, the story of
their development, technical details of their construction,
regional styles and the state of the craft today. Some old
myths and legends are dispelled, in particular the mistaken
idea that walling is a dying craft.
-----------------------------------
Company of Three by Jennifer MacCann (Paperback; 10.00 Euro
/ 13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 380 pages)
Dublin is in full, trendy swing, with parties and
atmosphere galore, but it seems to be passing Anna by.
There's her editorial job at fusty publishers O'Sullivan
and Hackett, continually under the thumb of her boss, the
overindulged Linda. Then there's her home life, with a
demented mother and her hippy boyfriend and a brother who
does nothing much apart from take illegal substances. All
that, and she's struggling to write a novel that isn't a
copy of Jane Eyre. Then the gorgeous Angela comes into her
life. Owner of a new-Age bookshop frequented by Dublin's
lost and lonely, Angela is beautiful, witty and popular.
And her flatmate Marcus is even more beautiful, witty and
popular. Things are definitely looking up, or they would
be, if only Anna would admit that Marcus is the man for
her. Clearly, drastic action is needed...
---------------- Available Again: ----------------
Northern Protestants: An Unsettled People by Susan McKay
(Paperback; 20.00 Euro / 26.00 USD / 14.00 UK; 390 pages)
Presenting and analysing over 60 in-depth interviews with
northern Protestants, this work aims to impart an
understanding of the range and complexity of Protestant
attitudes in Northern Ireland. Within the overall
Protestant community there is much dissent - there are
those who utterly condemn the loyalist paramilitaries, for
example, and there are those paramilitaries who despise
unionists who, they argue, rely on them to defend Ulster
while washing their hands of responsibility. While some
Protestants feel relatively comfortable about developments
and would welcome an end to the notion of of a Protestant
state for a Protestant people, the majority feel a sense of
losing ground, of being under threat, of being betrayed.
First published in 2000; new updated edition.
-------------------------------------
Inchicore Kilmainham and District by Seasamh O Broin (Large
Paperback with Endflaps; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK;
310 pages, with black-and-white illustrations throughout)
This is a local Irish history which is more than a local
Irish history. It concerns an area where, over the
centuries, many of the varied threads of Ireland's story
have come together. Inchicore and Kilmainham have
contributed significantly to the political, religious,
military and industrial history of the City of Dublin as
well as of Ireland.
--------------------------------
Ancient Ireland: From Prehistory to the Middle Ages by
Jacqueline O'Brien and Peter Harbison (Large Hardback;
30.00 Euro / 36.00 USD / 22.00 UK; 250 pages, full colour
illustrations throughout)
This work concentrates on the rich architectural heritage
of both early and late medieval Ireland, preceded by an
introduction on the groundwork laid by the Celts. The
legacy of this period - manuscripts and metalwork, churches
and great stone crosses, family tower houses and feudal
castles have all been photographed by O'Brien and
documented by Harbison for this book. Maps, charts and
timelines afford the reader greater understanding of the
complex world of medieval Ireland.
-----------------------------------
Dublin: A Grand Tour by Jacqueline O'Brien w/ Desmond
Guinness (Large Hardback; 30.00 Euro / 36.00 USD / 22.00
UK; 250 pages, full colour illustrations throughout)
In the same expansive format as the highly successful Great
Irish Houses and Castles, this book traces the development
of Dublin's architectural and decorative styles up to the
beginning of the 20th century. The city is renowned for its
atmospheric Georgian terraces but until now very little has
been seen of the beautiful interiors behind these orderly
fa(;ades. Many of the great public buildings too, like the
Custom House, have recently been cleaned or restored and
are captured here in all their sparkling glory. With a text
containing the latest research as well as entertaining
anecdotes, this is a "grand tour".
----------------------------------
Islanders by Peadar O'Donnell (Paperback; 10.00 Euro /
13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 130 pages)
Islanders is a story of epic simplicity, of people who
confront in their daily lives hunger, poverty and death, on
a small island community in Donegal, written by one of
Ireland's greatest literary and historical figures.
----------------- New in Paperback: -----------------
Children of Eve by Deirdre Purcell (10.00 Euro / 13.00 USD
/ 7.00 UK; 496 pages)
Why would a mother abandon her children? Eve Moraghan broke
one of the great taboos when she abandoned her children as
toddlers. Now adults, Arabella, Willow and Rowan have heard
nothing of their mother since the day she walked out the
door, headed no one knows where. Why she went, they just
don't know. But now, it seems, they're about to find out.
Their mother's been in an accident, and she's sent word
that she wants to see her children. The first reaction is
to tell her to forget it. She gave up on them - why should
they jump when she says so? And yet somehow they each find
themselves on that plane, making the journey that will tell
them what their past was all about - and open new doors
into the future.
----------------------------------- Highlights from the
Previous Issue: -----------------------------------
Noisy Island: A Short History of Irish Popular Music by
Gerry Smyth (Hardback; 20.00 Euro / 26.00 USD / 14.00 UK;
178 pages)
Irish contemporary popular music has had remarkable
international success, but relatively little scholarly
attention. Analysis of cultural identity has been dominated
by the literary canon, yet music has been crucial in
constructions and definitions of Irishness since the late
eighteenth century. This trail-blazing book is the first
cultural history of Irish rock music from the 1960s to the
present. Using theoretical perspectives drawn from cultural
criticism and music studies, Gerry Smyth shows how Irish
rock music has engaged with issues of national identity at
every level, from music to performance to distribution and
publicity. The big names, such as Rory Gallagher, Van
Morrison, U2, Thin Lizzy, emerge in a new light, as they,
together with less well-known artists, like Northern
Ireland bands, Ash and the Undertones, are examined in
terms of the economic, sociological and political factors
which conditioned their music. The book also looks at the
roots of Irish rock in the Show-band era, the influence of
folk and traditional music, and the legacy of punk. It
looks at the opportunities and challenges facing Irish Rock
at a time of increasing commercialisation and
globalisation. It includes a substantial discography.
---------------------------------
A Memoir by Terry De Valera (Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 19.00
USD / 10.00 UK; 361 pages)
My mother told me that when I was but a few weeks old she
said to my father "I think that there is going to be a wave
in Terry's hair" and when he showed no interest, she
rebuked him. She again tried to attract his attention and
as she did he replied "How can I mind about the wave in
Terry's hair when they are fighting in the Four Courts?"
Into a very volatile Ireland, Terry de Valera was born in
June 1922. In this memoir he recounts events in his life
and that of his family against the ongoing changing
political landscape of the Civil War, the threat of World
War II, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1916 Rising,
the ultimate demise of his very famous parents, Eamon and
Sinead de Valera, and the growth of his own family,
including of course his daughter Sile, who is also a TD and
minister. Terry draws too on his mother's memories, which
he asked her to commit to paper, to provide a fascinating
pen picture of Ireland in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries. In addition to matters political,
there is also much which will appeal to those interested in
music and the arts. A recognised expert on Chopin and John
Field, Terry de Valera's enthusiasm in describing these men
and their work is infectious. So too, his reminiscences on
various Irish artists. This is at once a very personal
memoir, but is guaranteed to be of interest to anyone keen
to learn more about one of Ireland's foremost political
families, from the inside.
-----------------------------------
Welcome to Hell: One Man's Fight for Life Inside the
Bangkok Hilton by Colin Martin (Paperback; 15.00 Euro /
19.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 230 pages)
Written from his cell and smuggled out page by page, Colin
Martin's autobiography chronicles an innocent man's
struggle to survive inside one of the world's most
dangerous prisons. This book is not for the faint hearted;
Welcome to Hell takes you behind the bars of the Bandkok
Hilton. After being swindled out of a fortune, Colin was
let down by the hopelessly corrupt Thai police. Forced to
rely upon his own resources, he tracked down the man who
conned him and, drawn into a fight, accidentally stabbed
and killed that man's bodyguard. Colin was arrested, denied
a fair trial, convicted of murder and thrown into prison –
where he remained for 8 years. Honest and often disturbing
– but told with a surprising humour – Welcome to Hell is
the remarkable story of how Colin was denied justice again
and again. In his extraordinary account he describes the
swindle, his arrest and vicious torture by police, the
unfair trial, and the 8 years of brutality and squalor he
was forced to endure.
----------------------------------
My Oedipus Complex and Other Stories by Frank O'Connor
(Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 17.50 USD / 9.00 UK; 361 pages)
This collection of Frank O'Connor's short stories displays
to the fullest his versatility, humour and insight in tales
about childhood and marriage, sex and religion, way and old
age. Here, O'Connor depicts young boys convinced of their
own genius or locked in hilarious rivalry with their
fathers, and IRA soldiers who must make heartbreaking
decisions in the midst of a baffling war. In other takes
an old woman threatens to haunt her son if he fails to bury
her at her old home, while a scandal threatens to ignite
when a floral wreath is sent anonymously to a priest's
funeral. In these beautiful evocations of ordinary life –
both comic and tragic – O'Connor portrays small moments
that take the reader to the psychological truth at the
heart of his characters.
----------------------------------
An Only Child and My Father's Son by Frank O'Connor
(Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 17.50 USD / 9.00 UK; 347 pages)
Frank O'Connor's two volumes of autobiography take him from
his impoverished Cork boyhood to his early life as a
writer. At the heart of An Only Child is an extraordinary
portrait of his mother – strong, loving and resilient. As
well, there are splendid descriptions of his melancholy
father, their Dickensian neighbours, his inspiring teacher
and the ordinary people caught up in the Irish Civil War.
My Father's Son describes O'Connor's journey from the
internment camp in which he was imprisoned as a Republican
soldier to the literary circles of Dublin. His friendship
with W.B. Yeats, interrupted yet strengthened by their
skirmishes about the new Abbey Theatre, forms the centre of
this book. Told with deep compassion and a sharp eye for
revealing detail, those works form an engaging and lively
record of a young Irishman's artistic and emotional
development.
----------------------------------------------
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