Read Ireland Book News - Issue 58
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Mary McGreevy by Walter Keady (Hardback; 20.00 IRP / 30/00 USD) [Add To Basket]
After her father's death, Sister Mary Thomas leaves her convent to reclaim the family farm in the Irish village of Kildawree. In 1950, her status as an ex-nun scandalises the women of the village, but her beauty, strength, wilfulness and wit attract every eligible man - and a few who shouldn't be so available. Mary has no interest in marrying, but she's decided to have a child. As the town tries to identify the father, we see what attracts them to this passionate Irish woman, particularly as she appears to the parish priest. He knows her attractions, does his best by her, and then suffers the consequences of his light hand and unjudging clerical spirit. Written with characteristic charm and graceful humour, this is a moving, funny and forceful novel of the heart.
Hard Time: Armagh Gaol 1971-1986 by Raymond Murray (Paperback; 7.99 IRP / 12.95 USD) [Add To Basket]
Raymond Murray was Catholic chaplain of Armagh Women's Gaol from 1971 to 1986. The number of women political prisoners increased from two in 1971 to more than one hundred in the 1972-76 period. Thirty-two of these women were imprisoned without trial. Most of the political prisoners in the gaol were girls in their teenage years and one internee was in her sixties. In the 1972-76 period the prisoners had 'special category' or 'political' status. According to Murray, the implementation of internment and the removal of 'special category' status were major mistakes. The majority of male and female prisoners were convicted on allegedly voluntary confessions obtained in circumstances which are held to be gravely suspicious in the reports of organisations like Amnesty International. The author'' own reports became more hard-hitting as injustices increased and oppression grew. Some prisoners in Armagh Gaol alleged beatings by male officers, strip-searches, denial of access to toilets, denial of laundry, denial of visits from concerned persons, the use of 23-hour lock-up and other degrading practices. His reports reveal that relationships between prisoners and staff varied according to the official policies pursued and the enlightenment, or lack of it, of successive authorities. This book tells the whole story.
The Four Seasons of Mary Lavin by Leah Levenson (Hardback; 20.00 IRP / 30.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
Mary Lavin, who died in 1996, is one of the major figures in Irish literature. Primarily acclaimed as a short story writer, she is also the author of two highly-regarded novel. This book stands as the first full portrayal of her life: the story of a women who was able single-handedly to support and rear three daughters and at the same time carve a niche for herself in the literary life of Dublin. The life of Mary Lavin, herself a fervent lover of nature, is portrayed in this biography as following the pattern of the seasons. Her spring encompassed her academic studies and the beginning of her career as a writer. In her summer she married solicitor William Walsh, had three daughters, and - before her husband's untimely death - published two novels and four volumes of short stories. For the next fifteen years she continued to enhance her status as a writer and won many accolades, among them an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin. The autumn of her life saw her marriage to Michael MacDonald Scott, the regular appearance of collections of her short stories, and many requests for her readings in universities in the United States as well as in Ireland. Collections of her work continued to appear regularly in her later years - her winter - and she was granted the highest literary honour in Ireland by being elected Saoi of Aosdana, the state-supported body of writers and artists.
The Journeyman by Eamon Kelly (Hardback; 16.99 IRP / 26.95 USD) [Add To Basket]
In this book, actor and seanchai Eamon Kelly takes up the story of his life where his first volume of autobiography, The Apprentice, ended. He trained as a woodwork teacher and was assigned to various outposts in Kerry during World War II, finally making his way to the Mecca of creativity, Listowel. Here he make the acquaintance of that charismatic figure, the late Bryan MacMahon, and here too he met the young amateur actress, Maureen O'Sullivan. With her as Pegeen, Eamon made his dramatic debut as Christy in the Playboy of the Western World. Soon he and Maureen were man and wife, employed by the Radio Eireann Repertory Players and living in a flat in Dublin's Rialto. Later he joined the Abbey Theatre Company and performed with the finest actors of his day under all the leading Irish producers. This book is the story of Kelly's long apprenticeship to the stage and also his travels: to New York for Philadelphia, Here I Come!, to London for The Well of the Saints, with the Abbey Players to Moscow and with his one-man theatre shows to venues all over Ireland. This book is a memorable evocation of a life, an era and a great dramatic tradition.
Ireland Diskovered & The Ireland Game (CD-ROM; 20.00 IRP / 30.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
Ireland Diskovered is a computer CD-ROM with over 2000 pictures of Ireland, hundreds of text files and other surprises. It will allow you to view the castles, the abbeys, the towns and the monuments in addition to dozens of other surprises and features. The Ireland Game shows you a picture and asks you to identify it from a list of five choices. How well do you know Ireland? (System Requirements: Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher; SVGA Card; Optional Sound Card).
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