Read Ireland Book News - Issue 52
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The Celtic Tiger: Ireland's Economic Miracle Explained by Paul Sweeney (Paperback; 12.95 IRP / 19.99 USD) [Add To Basket]
The recent success of the Irish economy has been nothing short of remarkable. In stark contrast to almost eighty years of relative decline, Ireland today has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This growth has been sustained over a long period, is well balanced and, according to most economists, is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. How did this remarkable turnaround come about? What were the factors and policies that led to this success story? Why has the economic growth not done more to lower unemployment and alleviate poverty? Will the economic boom continue into the 21st century? These and other issues are addressed in this popular account of how Ireland became the 'Celtic Tiger' economy of Europe. Written by an economist with Ireland's largest trade union, the book addresses the key factors that led to the economic turnaround and takes a critical look at what might yet go wrong. Though highly critical of the unsolved serious problems of long-term unemployment and continuing widespread poverty, the author argues that on balance the Irish miracle has been phenomenal and that there are important lessons for policy-makers and others who need to understand how an economy can be transformed in a relative short period of time.
Ireland at Work: Economic Growth and the Labour Market, 1987-97 by Paul Tansey (Paperback; 12.95 IRP / 19.99 USD) [Add To Basket]
This book charts the course of Ireland's remarkable renaissance at the end of the 20th century. In clear, accessible and non-technical language, it shows how an economy teetering on the edge of bankruptcy in the early 1980s was transformed into a star performer by the late 1990s. The author devotes particular attention to the labour market, where gains in employment have been so great that emigration has ceased and the population has reached its highest level since the foundation of the state. He then focuses on issues concerning pay, prices and taxes to discover who has gained most from the economic boom. He argues persuasively that if the economy is to keep expanding and jobs are to keep growing, income taxes on low to average earners will have to be reduced. This book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the forces that led to the transformation of the Irish economy.
Irish Writers' Guide 1998-99 edited by Jeremy Addis and Shirley Kelly (Paperback; 7.99 IRP / 12.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
The authoritative guide to the Irish Literary Marketplace, expanded and thoroughly updated by the Books Ireland editorial team. Contents include: Publishers by Marian Keyes, Theatre by Bernard Farrell, Film and TV by Phillip Davison, Periodicals by David Rice, Radio by Joe O'Donnell. It also contains chapters on: Writing and the law, libel and copyright, publishing agreements, bursaries and awards, and do-it-yourself publishing. Directories of periodicals and papers, radio and television companies, book publishers, theatre companies, festivals and summer schools.
The Irish Wolfhound by Linda Gover (Hardback; 22.99 IRP / 36.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
The origins of the Irish Wolfhound stretch so far back that it is almost a creature of legend. Folklore is full of tales of the faithfulness of these great hounds during their long association with man. In this book the author gives us their history in depth, telling us of the very early times and how the breed was revived in the last century, having all but disappeared. She also brings us up to date with modern show history and gives us hints about such topics as general care, breeding, showing, obedience and lure coursing. The author has owned Irish Wolfhounds for 20 years under her Owenmore affix and, although breeding only occasionally, she has make up several Irish champions. She is licensed to judge Irish Wolfhounds and various other hound breeds at championship level. Her love of the breed and her expertise are evident throughout the book, which is a 'must' for anyone with in an interest in Irish Wolfhounds.
The Leenane Trilogy by Martin McDonagh
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
Set in the mountains of Connemara, this play tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early 40s, and Mag, her manipulative ageing mother, whose interference in Maureen's first and possible final chance of a loving relationship set in motion a train of events that leads inexorably towards the play's terrifying denouement.
The Cripple of Inishmaan
Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland in 1934, this play is a strange comic tale. As word arrives on Inishmaan that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighbouring island of Inishmore to film Man of Aran, the one person who wants to be in the film more than anybody is young Cripple Billy, if only to break away from the bitter tedium of his daily life.
A Skull in Connemara
For one week each autumn, Mick Dowd is hired to disinter the bones in certain sections of his local cemetery, to make way for the new arrivals. As the time approaches for him to dig up those of his own late wife, strange rumours regarding his involvement in her sudden death seven years ago gradually begin to surface.
(All Paperback; 8.00 IRP / 12.00 USD)
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