Read Ireland Book News
Issue 102
Irish History
The Ancient Celts by Barry Cunliffe (paperback; 17.95 IEP / 25.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
In this erudite and engaging illustrated history, Professor Cunliffe explores the archaeological reality of the bold Celtic warriors and skilled craftsmen of barbarian Europe who inspired fear in the Greeks and Romans. He investigates the texts of the classical writers and contrasts their view of the Celts with current archaeological findings. Tracing the emergence of chiefdoms and the fifth- to third-century migrations as far as Bosnia and the Czech Republic and into Turkey, he assesses the disparity between the traditional and contemporary information on the Celts. Other aspects of Celtic identity, such as the cultural diversity of the tribes, their social and religious systems, their art, language and law, are also examined. From the picture that emerges, the author is able to distinguish between the original Celts and tribes which were 'Celtized', thus giving the reader a new insight into the true identity of this ancient people.
The Sinn Fein Rebellion as They Saw It edited and introduced by Keith Jeffrey (Hardback; 16.50 IEP / 22.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
Mary Louisa Hamilton Norway's account of the Easter Rising was first published in 1916 and consists of family letters containing 'a faithful record of the Sinn Fein Rebellion as I saw it.' Living in the Royal Hibernian Hotel in Dawson Street, she was especially well-placed to observe events. Mrs. Norway's husband, Arthur, was Secretary of the General Post Office in Ireland - it was his office, literally, which was occupied and used as the insurgents' headquarters - and here published for the first time his is own reminiscences of the period, Irish Experiences in War. Together these accounts provide a vivid and revealing picture of both the official response to events and their impact on the civilian population of Dublin. The narrative also includes Norway's schoolboy son Nevil, who served with the Red Cross during the Rising. Later he achieved worldwide fame as the novelist Nevil Shute.
Last Days of Dublin Castle: The Diaries of Mark Sturgis edited and introduced by Michael Hopkinson (Hardback; 27.50 IEP / 40.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
The five volumes of the Mark Sturgis' Diaries provide a rich and entertaining source for Anglo-Irish history during the final stages of the Irish revolution between July 1920 and February 1922. Sturgis was a leading British Civil Servant seconded to Dublin Castle in the summer of 1920 as a consequence of the radical administrative reforms implemented at the time. In effect, he served as the main assistant to Sir John Anderson, the Joint Under-Secretary and effective leader of the administration. Sturgis played a key role in decisions made in the final stages of the Anglo-irish War and was actively involved in the peace negotiations. The volumes contain vivid and interesting descriptions of life in Dublin Castle and of Sturgis' liaison work with London. There are portrayals of leading figures of the period on both the British and Irish sides. The Diaries are valuable not only as a historical source but also as social history with much revolving around Sturgis' affection for the world of horses and country houses. Most importantly, they give a unique insight into the relations between civil servants and politicians at a time when civil servants were to a large extent in control of British policy in Ireland.
The Irish in Victorian Britain: The Local Dimension edited by Roger Swift and Sheridan Gilley (Paperback; 17.50 IEP / 23.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
This volume of essays presents the fruits of recent research on the experiences of Irish men and women in Victorian Britain. In particular, it illustrates the diversity of the Irish experience by reference to studies of specific towns - including Birmingham, Camborne, Hull, London and Stafford - and regions - including South Wales and the North-East - which have hitherto received little attention from historians of the Irish in Britain during the Victorian period. It also addresses and examines a range of themes which are critical to our understanding of the Irish in Britain during the period but which have been relatively neglected by historians. As such, this collection of essays, penned by both established scholars and representatives of a new generation of historians, not only represents a major contribution to the burgeoning historiography of the subject but also illustrates the current 'state of the art' in Irish Studies in the 1990s.
Mausolea Hibernica by Maurice Craig and Michael Craig (Hardback; 15.95 IEP / 20.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
This collaboration between celebrated architectural historian Maurice Craig and his son Michael, a master draughtsman, will stand for most readers as both an introduction to his fascinating subject and the last word upon it. In 33 exquisitely rendered plates, Michael Craig illustrates the pyramids, chapels, classical and oriental temples, follies and pillar-boxes in which the grandees of Georgian and Victorian Ireland interred themselves. If the inhabitants of these extraordinary tombs have not in every instance achieved the immortal fame the mausolea were intended to bestow, the structures themselves - now increasingly suffering from vandalism - are immortalised in these plates in all their macabre splendour. Maurice Craig;s commentaries on the plates are much more that mere captions, and his introductory essay is a tour de force of scholarship lightly worn, examining the mausolea in all their architectural and socio-cultural mutations.
Germany and Ireland: 1945-1955 Two Nations' Friendship by Cathy Molohan (Paperback; 15.00 IEP / 20.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
German and Irish relations have been characterised by a wide variety of contacts throughout the centuries. These included ago-old religious, scholastic and, since the beginning of this century, military and economic links. This book sets out to explore a decade of these relations as yet undocumented. The time from 1945 to 1949 was a period of difficult decisions and complicated diplomatic activity following the end of World War Two, with Ireland having to decide on the fate of over 300 German citizens in the country - soldiers, spies and diplomats - who were wanted by the Allies. At the same time the Irish people, thankful for having been spared the horrors of this war, set about helping those affected by it. The period after 1949 is notable for the normalisation of relations with Germany on a political, diplomatic and economic level. These many moves towards stronger personal, economic and cultural links with Germany were among the first tentative steps towards Europe taken in the primarily isolationist Ireland of the 1950s.
A History of Meath County Council, 1899-1999: A Century of Democracy in Meath by Denis Boyle (Paperback; 12.50 IEP / 16.25 USD) [Add To Basket]
The centenary of the establishment of county councils in Ireland under the Local Government (Ireland) Act of 1898 is an occasion of celebration for all local authorities and those admirers of democratic structures in Ireland. It is especially so for Meath County Council which has often been referred to as the 'Premier Council' during the past 100 years. As part of its celebrations, it commissioned this history of its first hundred years. It records the men and women who were prominent in making Meath County Council what it is today. It also deals with the obstacles and problems which successive councils had to overcome to provide efficient and economical administration for the county. The book is a fascinating look at the local history of one of Ireland's counties.
Irish Rebel: John Devoy and America's Fight for Ireland's Freedom by Terry Golway (Paperback; 11.99 IEP / 17.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
In 1871, John Devoy, a young Irishman fighting for Irish independence, went to the United States in exile. Yet even while across this ocean, this Fenian greatly influenced Irish affairs. Terry Golway's suspenseful and assiduously researched biography of Devoy chronicles a lifetime of activism in which he garnered tremendous financial and moral support for the cause in Ireland. Devoy was instrumental in both the Easter Rising of 1916 and the creation of the Irish Free State. Intimate details of Devoy's life and his work are artfully interwoven as the author captures Devoy's valiant role in Ireland's struggle for freedom.
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