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This site includes the postings from the Irish Aires email list. This includes a listing of Irish/Celtic events in the Houston area and other information that the Irish Aires radio program posts.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Read Ireland
Read Ireland Book Reviews – Issue 348
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The Moves: An Illustrated History of Dance and Physical Theatre
in Ireland by Deirdre Mulrooney
(Large Paperback; 25 Euro / 30 USD / 20 UK; 292 pages, with
black-and-white photos throughout)
"Irish Moves" is a historical book with a difference. From
Ninette de Valois to Jean Butler and Tom Hickey, it showcases -
and in some cases salvages - the stories of Ireland's unsung
movers: actors, dancers, choreographers, playwrights, directors,
and the few academics who dare to go where no words have gone
before. Focussing on people who value what's in between the
words as much as the words themselves, it features stories of
the creative journeys taken by artists who have devoted their
lives to physical expression, despite the fact that their medium
was ignored, or even erased from memory. An in-depth introductory
essay points up how the zeitgeist finds expression in this new
history of dance and theatre in Ireland through the eyes of
practitioners, historians, and sociologists, and the as yet
unpublished "lost chapter" of "Modern Dance in Ireland" in the
1940's. The Abbey School of Ballet is also salvaged from
obscurity with a memoir and unpublished images from the 1920's,
'30's and '40's. "Irish Moves" not only provides a map of dance
and physical theatre in Ireland, but is also a meditation on our
complicated attitude to the body as a nation. It offers
surprising and sometimes disconcerting revelations about Irish
society. But this is no dry history: this is a beautiful book,
full of pictures and highly visual, in keeping with the usually
word-less subject matter. "Irish Moves" will be of interest to
the ever-increasing audience for dance and physical theatre; the
world-wide Riverdance audience (there are interviews with
Riverdancers Colin Dunne, Jean Butler, Brendan de Gallai, and
Moya Doherty on their aesthetic journeys); the Abbey Theatre
audience (as well as salvaging the Abbey School of Ballet from
obscurity, the book features key Abbey Theatre movers from the
1980's and 1990's such as Tom MacIntyre, Tom Hickey, and Conall
Morrison); and all readers interested in Irish social and
cultural history.
----------------------------------
Ireland by Gustave de Beaumont
(Hardback; 34 Euro / 40 USD / 23 UK; 420 pages)
Paralleling his friend Alexis de Tocqueville's visit to America,
Gustave de Beaumont traveled through Ireland in the mid-1830s to
observe its people and society. In Ireland, he chronicles the
history of the Irish and offers up a national portrait on the
eve of the Great Famine. Published to acclaim in France, Ireland
remained in print there until 1914. The English edition,
translated by William Cooke Taylor and published in 1839, was
not reprinted.
In a devastating critique of British policy in Ireland, Beaumont
questioned why a government with such enlightened institutions
tolerated such oppression. He was scathing in his depiction of
the ruinous state of Ireland, noting the desperation of the
Catholics, the misery of repeated famines, the unfair landlord
system, and the faults of the aristocracy. It was not surprising
the Irish were seen as loafers, drunks, and brutes when they had
been reduced to living like beasts. Yet Beaumont held out hope
that British liberal reforms could heal Ireland's wounds.
This rediscovered masterpiece, in a single volume for the first
time, reproduces the nineteenth-century Taylor translation and
includes an introduction on Beaumont and his world. This volume
also presents Beaumont's impassioned preface to the 1863 French
edition in which he portrays the appalling effects of the Great
Famine.
A classic of nineteenth-century political and social commentary,
Beaumont's singular portrait offers the compelling immediacy of
an eyewitness to history.
-------------------------------------
Nature Guide to the Aran Islands by Con O’Rourke
(Trade Paperback; 15 Euro / 18 USD / 11 UK; 170 pages, with full
colour illustrations throughout)
This is a comprehensive account of the wildlife of the Aran
Islands in Galway Bay by an author intimately familiar with the
landscape. It summarizes the key facts from the writings on
Aran, illustrates them copiously with over a hundred colour
photographs, and condenses the whole into a single, handy source
for exploring the diverse and abundant wildlife of the islands.
The chapters are organized as follows: In the Beginning - The
Geology of Aran, Climate, Flora, Fauna, Seashore, and Farming in
Aran. "The Nature Guide to the Aran Islands" throws open a window
onto one of the environmental treasure troves of Europe's western
seaboard. The outcome of lifelong study and observation by an
expert in his field, it will become an invaluable and enduring
reference work for locals and tourists alike.
-----------------------------------
The Lighthouses of Ireland by Richard Taylor
(Trade Paperback; 15 Euro / 18 USD / 11 UK; 178 pages, with
black-and-white photos throughout)
Lighthouses can be romantic, mystical and tragic. Most people
know of the Fastnet and Loop Head, but may not have heard of
Rotten Island, Maidens or Straw Island or that there are 86
lighthouses on or off the coast of Ireland. The story behind
this remarkable system of lighting our coast is virtually
unknown. Richard Taylor was a lighthouse technician for 44
years, worked on all 86 lighthouses and is uniquely qualified to
write this personal history-cum-guide. Describing the lighthouses
and their history, he captures the unique way of life of the
lighthouse keepers and their families, largely ignored and, with
automation, no longer extant. Often waiting weeks at places like
Blacksod or Valentia for the weather to abate, Richard got to
know lighthouse keepers and their families intimately. The
result is a book embellished with anecdotes and hair-raising
tales of getting on to lighthouses, time spent there, often
weeks on end, and getting off. A notable inclusion is a strongly
worded letter dated 9 August, 1950 from the Principal Keeper, St
John's Lighthouse, Co. Down, to head office urging the dismissal
of one Brendan Behan from the position of painter.
------------------------------------
The Celts by Daithi O Hogain
(Large Paperback; 15 Euro / 18 USD / 11 UK; 296 pages, with an
8-page black-and-white photo insert)
Lighthouses can be romantic, mystical and tragic. Most people
know of the Fastnet and Loop Head, but may not have heard of
Rotten Island, Maidens or Straw Island or that there are 86
lighthouses on or off the coast of Ireland. The story behind
this remarkable system of lighting our coast is virtually
unknown. Richard Taylor was a lighthouse technician for 44
years, worked on all 86 lighthouses and is uniquely qualified to
write this personal history-cum-guide. Describing the lighthouses
and their history, he captures the unique way of life of the
lighthouse keepers and their families, largely ignored and, with
automation, no longer extant. Often waiting weeks at places like
Blacksod or Valentia for the weather to abate, Richard got to
know lighthouse keepers and their families intimately. The
result is a book embellished with anecdotes and hair-raising
tales of getting on to lighthouses, time spent there, often
weeks on end, and getting off. A notable inclusion is a strongly
worded letter dated 9 August, 1950 from the Principal Keeper, St
John's Lighthouse, Co. Down, to head office urging the dismissal
of one Brendan Behan from the position of painter.
-----------------------------------
Celtic Fortifications by Ian Ralston
(Trade Paperback; 30 Euro / 36 USD / 24 UK; 220 pages)
From northern Scotland to southern Iberia the enclosures around
hill- and promontory-forts are the most conspicuous component of
the Iron Age archaeological record. Ian Ralston looks at their
construction and reconstruction and at the architecture of
banks, walls, ramparts and ditches, gateways and ancillary
features. He examines the placing of these fortifications in the
landscape and their effectiveness as hill-fort defences in war.
He also considers these enclosures as signs and symbols. The
work is completed with a selective gazetteer.
----------------------------------
The Great Calamity: Irish Famine 1845-1852 by Christine Kinealy
(Large Paperback; 18 Euro / 23 USD / 14 UK; 460 pages)
The Great Famine of 1845-52 was the most decisive event in the
history of modern Ireland. In a country of eight million people,
the Famine caused the death of approximately one million, while a
similar number were forced to emigrate. The Irish population fell
to just over four million by the beginning of the twentieth
century. Christine Kinealy's survey is long established as the
most complete, scholarly survey of the Great Famine yet
produced. The unravelling of fact from opinion, the
interpretation of motives behind the London governments'
responses, and the confrontation of stereotypes are at the heart
of this extensive work. "This Great Calamity" is an exceptional
book, now available for the first time in pocket format. 'This
book is mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to be informed
about Irish history' - "Irish Post". 'This is not the last word
on the Famine, but it is the best so far' - "Irish Independent".
-----------------------------------
The Burren Wall by Gordon D’Arcy
(Paperback; 12 Euro / 15 USD / 9 UK; 64 pages, with full colour
photos and illustrations throughout)
The Burren and the Aran Islands have some of the most
distinctive stone walls to be found anywhere. Visitors are
invariably intrigued while locals, having lived with them for
generations, pass little comment. The walls, in their use of
local stone and economical design, nevertheless stand as linear
monuments to local skill and hard won endeavour. This book deals
with their social history, from the earliest prehistoric examples
to the most modern, indicating how different styles may be
attributed to specific periods of construction. Celebrating the
aesthetic qualities of the Burren wall in photographs,
illustrations and quotations, this book also informs about
natural history, presenting the wall as a habitat for myriad
flora and fauna.
-----------------------------------
Granuaile: Sea Queen of Ireland by Anne Chambers
(Paperback; 7 Euro / 10 USD / 5 UK; 114 pages)
Granuaile ruled on land and sea in the province of Connaught
over 400 years ago. A Pirate Queen and Irish Chieftain, she
became a legend. We first meet Granuaile or Grace O'Malley, a
young girl, on Ireland's west coast in a world of bards,
brehons, chieftains and gallowglasses, rebellion and intrigue,
very different to today's. Ireland is divided into 'kingdoms'
ruled by chieftains. Granuaile's father is chieftain of Umhall.
A strong chieftain, he protects and provides for his clan.
Living in a castle on the coast, Granuaile loves the sea and
wants to be like her father, to know all about sailing and
navigation, and to sail the clan's ships to Spain and Scotland
to trade. But she is a girl, her parents don't think it suitable
for her. Granuaile becomes a better sailor than any of her
father's crew and reluctantly they agree. And so the adventure
and legend of the Sea Queen begins. Following her adventures, we
sail on her galley to Spain where war with England affects
Granuaile and Ireland. We meet her husbands, Donal of the
Battles and Richard in Iron, and are on board her ship when her
youngest son is born and when North African pirates attack.
After many adventures and escapades we finally sail with
Granuaile to London for her famous meeting with Queen Elizabeth
1 and see how they got on. And we are with Granuaile in her
castle at Rockfleet where she dies in 1603. (for Teenagers)
---------------------------------
The Magic of Pagan Ireland by Rob Vance
(Gift Hardback; 8 Euro / 11 USD / 6 UK; 60 pages with full
colour photos and illustrations throughout)
What makes a place magical? Visiting ancient sites can be
unsettling to the modern ego, awakening something primitive - a
vestige of ancient, primal life, awaiting ignition through
contact. And then it is a call, perhaps something like a love
affair - a promise, a glimpse of something different, an
intimation of ecstasy...and it may last. Visit the magical site
of Ireland and prepare to be moved.
-------------------------------
Celtic Spirituality by Rob Vance
(Gift Hardback; 8 Euro / 11 USD / 6 UK; 60 pages with full
colour photos and illustrations throughout)
Celtic Spirituality is many things: a time frame, a mode of
spiritual understanding, and perhaps a personal encounter in a
place of ancient wisdom. This book is about places in Ireland
that facilitate that encounter.
--------------------------------
Uncertain Ireland: A Sociological Chronicle, 2003-4 edited by
Mary Corcoran and Michel Peillon
(Paperback; 30 Euro / 36 USD / 24 UK; 256 pages)
The Irish Sociological Chronicles present sociological accounts
of particular events and phenomena in the social world. The
contributors to this volume engage with a variety of happenings
and events that occurred during the years 2003 and 2004. A
number of the contributions are attuned to the anxieties that
have been recently generated about the provenance of the food we
eat, about the quality of daily life and about changing value
systems and their impact on the wider social fabric. Others
raise questions concerning the wholesale encouragement of
economic development that may threaten the integrity of an
ancient landscape and way of life, the folly of a new
consumerism that produces a waste mountain for which nobody
accepts responsibility and the love affair with motorways that
have singularly failed to regulate traffic flows. The demise of
Bewley's cafés, the citizenship referendum, the Club Anabel case
and the genesis of the Rossport Five campaign are just some of
the topical events chronicled in Uncertain Ireland. What unites
the accounts in this book is a curiosity about how to reconcile
Ireland's new found prosperity and economic self-confidence with
its accompanying and pervasive sense of uncertainty and
contingency. These qualities present challenges, in terms of
learning to manage and deal with risks, and opportunities as
Irish society adopts creative and innovative means of finding
its way in an Uncertain Ireland.
-------------------------------------
Highlights from the Previous Issue:
----------------------------------
Michael Flatley: Lord of the Dance by Michael Flatley
(Hardback; 24.00 Euro / 29.00 USD / 18.00 UK; 320 pages with two
16-page colour inserts)
From the international star of "Riverdance", "Lord of the Dance"
and, now, "Celtic Tiger", comes a no-holds-barred autobiography
that reveals the person, the passion and the drama behind
Michael Flatley's astonishing career. Michael describes growing
up as the son of Irish immigrants in a tough Chicago
neighbourhood and the many years he struggled to make real his
dream of becoming a professional Irish dancer. He was in his
mid-thirties when he was asked to create "Riverdance" for the
1994 Eurovision Song Contest, bursting onto our television
screens with a dazzling dance sequence. Just as his dreams were
being realised, Michael was shattered when he and "Riverdance"
parted company. Now Michael explains what really happened
backstage and describes how he went on to create the enormously
successful "Lord of the Dance". Michael also deals openly with
the controversies that have surrounded his success, such as the
2003 rape charge, his turbulent love life and the illness and
injuries that have threatened his career. Filled with commentary
from family, friends and colleagues and brimming with Michael's
Irish charm and good humour, this book is the very personal
story of a man who has lived life to the fullest according to
his own credo: nothing is impossible.
-------------------------------
In Full Flood: A Memoir by Finbarr Flood
(Paperback; 14.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 9.00 UK; 230 pages)
'In Full, Flood' is a warm, honest and reflective book which
chronicles the four main phases of Finbarr Flood.s life. His
initial infatuation and fledgling career in football, his rise
to the very top of Guinness in Ireland, his period chairing the
Labour Court and his role as chairman of Shelbourne Football
Club. From his roots in inner city Dublin through to his
contacts with many of the principle players in Irish public
life, Finbarr Flood has garnered and retained great respect in
his many fields of activity. His book recounts his many roles
and the pleasures and difficulties that he sometimes
encountered.
-----------------------------------
The Orange Order: A Tradition Betrayed by Brian Kennaway
(Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 280 pages)
As Orangemen marched in west Belfast in September of 2005,
Protestant paramilitaries fired on army and police in the worst
street riots seen in Belfast for 10 years and Northern Ireland's
Chief Constable squarely blamed the Orange Order. Now, with
publication timed to coincide with the start of the 2006
marching season, an extraordinary book opens the lid on this
secretive, powerful and beleaguered organisation whose future is
inextricably tied to that of the United Kingdom itself.
Established in Ireland in 1795, the Orange Order aimed to
promote Protestantism and celebrate the memory of William of
Orange. But religious and political allegiances became
inseparable. Today, the Order is reduced to around 30,000 active
members, increasingly publicly identified with an unyielding,
bigoted Unionism expressed in the thousands of marches it stages
each year, all too often the flashpoint for violence. For
Orangeism, like Unionism, is at a crossroads, and a long way
from the peaceful tolerance it preaches.
------------------------------------
The Wearing of the Green: A History of St. Patrick’s Day by Mike
Cronin and Daryl Adair
(Large Paperback; 17.00 Euro / 20.00 USD / 11.00 UK; 330 pages)
Every year, all over the world, millions of Irish people, both
native and by descent, together with their non-Irish friends,
celebrate the life of a man who died over 1500 years ago. St
Patrick's Day is a boisterous festival of parading and revelry,
dancing and drinking, emblazoned with shamrocks and harps, and
all in emerald green. The fascinating story of how the
celebration of 17 March was transformed from a stuffy dinner for
Ireland's elite to one of the world's most public festivals is
captured for the first time in The Wearing of the Green: A
History of St Patrick's Day. Long celebrated with more fanfare
in New York than in Dublin, the holiday has been criticized for
its loss of religious meaning, ever-increasing commercialism and
embarrassing displays of drunkenness. More recently, it has
become a flashpoint between political divides within the Irish
community. At the same time, however, it has served to unite
Irish emigrants worldwide, whether they be in America, Australia
or Canada.
-------------------------------------
The Lost Houses of Ireland: A Chronicle of Great Houses and the
Families Who Lived There by Randal MacDOnnell
(Hardback; 20.00 Euro / 25.00 USD / 15.00 UK; 230 pages with
black-and-white photos throughout)
There is a growing fascination with Irish houses. This important
pictorial record, made available for the first time by modern
photographic technology, shows 25 houses and castles at the time
when the original families were still in residence and their
interiors and contents were intact, just before they sank into
oblivion, burdened by debt and decay. The text tells the story
of the families who owned these wonderful houses, their
sometimes ruthless beginnings, their extravagant and often
eccentric ends.
-------------------------------------
Death on a Country Road by Desmond Fahy
(Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.00 USD / 9.00 UK; 188 pages)
On the way home that night through south Armagh Sean Farmer and
Colm McCartney were stopped at what later transpired to be a
bogus security forces checkpoint. Less than an hour later, their
bodies were found at the side of the road in the townland of
Altnamackin, a few miles outside Newtownhamilton. This book is
the first attempt to tell the men's story. It is a vividly
imagined re-creation of the time and circumstances of the
murders coupled with an examination of their factual background.
The murders were particularly significant because they
represented the first time that the GAA had found itself
targeted by terrorists in such a public and blatant way. Many
more attacks on its members would follow in the next two
decades. At its core this book reveals both the human stories of
loss behind the headlines that the murders generated and the
inadequate official investigation which followed. But above
everything else this is the story of the lives and deaths on a
country road in rural Armagh of Sean and Colm, two friends on
their way home from a football match.
------------------------------------
Monday at Gaj’s: The Story of the Irish Women’s Liberation
Movement by Anne Stopper
(Large Format Paperback; 17.00 Euro / 21.00 USD / 12.50 UK; 243
pages)
"Monday's at Gaj's" traces the lives of a fascinating group of
women who founded Ireland's first radical women's rights
organisation - the Irish Women's Liberation Movement. Gaj's was
the Baggot Street restaurant, now closed, where the IWLM, as
well as other activists, poets other people on the margins, met
every Monday night. When the group formed in 1970, the marriage
bar was in place, contraception was illegal and women's issues
were just beginning to be debated publicly. The women who formed
the IWLM - Mairin de Burca, Mary Maher, Nell McCafferty, Rosita
Sweetman and Mary Kenny, to name but a few - were some of the
most dynamic, controversial and exciting public figures of their
time. Many were well-known journalists and political activists
and they were able to grab the public's attention as no women
ever had because they were fearless, charismatic and trained in
skilful communication. The IWLM's main accomplishments included
the publication of a charter of demands, appearance on a special
"Late Late Show" devoted to women's issues and organising the
Contraceptive Train to Belfast, which was the first public
challenge to the ban on contraceptives. What sets "Monday's at
Gaj's" apart from other histories of the women's rights movement
is that it is based on a series of personal interviews with the
activists themselves, allowing the IWLM founders to tell their
own stories in their own words. Learning about their early lives
and the motivations behind their brave activism makes it easier
to understand the nature of the women's liberation movement at
that particular time. It also personalises the story, inviting
readers to become engaged with the struggle to bring about
change, and allows the women to reflect on how their
perspectives on women's rights have changed in the 35 years
since the group's disintegration. With numerous photographs and
additional interviews with well known observers, "Monday's at
Gaj's" paints a fascinating portrait of an exciting period in
Ireland's cultural history.
--------------------------------
Take the Kids: Ireland by Amy Corzine
(Trade Paperback; 19.00 Euro / 24.00 USD / 13.00 UK; 306 pages)
Visits Dublin with its museums, castle and zoo - goes picnicking
in the beautiful countryside of County Cork - cheers on a game of
hurling - expends some energy beachcombing, hill trekking,
horse-riding and dolphin watching - listens in wonder to
Ireland's myths and legends. Natural History Museum: This
wonderful unchanged Victorian museum is part of the National
Museum of Ireland network and is called Dublin's 'Dead Zoo'
because it is stuffed full of stuffed animals. Children of a
scientific bent will love its musty old atmosphere where its
ground floor (the Irish Room) contains Irish insects,
strange-looking earth and sea-creatures in jars, and mammals,
including skeletons of the extinct giant deer known as the Irish
Elk, and the skeleton of a basking shark.
-----------------------------------
Tales from Old Ireland by Malachy Doyle with illustrations by
Niamh Sharkey
(Large Format Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 100
pages, with colour illustrations throughout)
This enchanting collection of favourite 'Irish folk' tales,
deserves to be read aloud at every hearth. The larger-than-life
characters, dramatic landscapes and magical happenings are sure
to keep listeners and readers absorbed for many happy hours.
Brand new gift edition now comes packaged with two free audio
CDs.
------------------------------------
Introduction to Celtic Mythology by David Bellingham
(Large Format Paperback; 8.00 Euro / 10.00 USD / 6.00 UK; 130
pages with full-colour photos throughout)
Recounts the stories of CuChulain, Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed,
Tristan and Isolt, and other Irish and Welsh myths, and
discusses their role in ancient Celtic society and their
survival in literature, art, and folklore.
---------------------------------
Celtic Borders and Motifs by Lesley Davies
(Large Format Paperback; 7.00 Euro / 9.00 USD / 5.50 UK; )
Featuring decorative borders and motifs incorporating the
elements of Celtic design, this design book is of interest to
craftspeople, artists, needleworkers, and those interested in
creating various projects.
----------------------------------
Celtic Knots for Beaded Jewellery by Suzan Millodot
(Large Format Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 80
pages)
Learn how to make beautiful necklaces, bracelets, rings,
brooches and earrings using real, three-dimensional Celtic knots
combined with beads and pendants. Eighteen projects using
step-by-step photographs show how to create stylish designs.
-----------------------------------
Celtic Calligraphy: Getting Started by Fiona Graham-Flynn
(Spiral Hardback; 10.00 Euro / 14 USD / 7.00 UK; )
Using the Celtic lettering style, this book shows how to hold
and use a calligraphy pen, the basic shapes and strokes of the
letters, the elements of design, and layout of the page. It is
designed in full colour, with a box built into the spine
containing a calligraphy pen with thick and thin nibs.
-----------------------------------
The Penguin Ireland Guide to Championship 2006 by Damian Cullen
(Paperback; 10 Euro / 14.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 230 pages)
"The Penguin Ireland Guide to Championship 2006" is the second
annual edition of the only authoritative guide to the
All-Ireland hurling and Gaelic football championships.
------------------------------------------
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