Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 158
Past and Present: History, Identity and Politics in Ireland by Brian Walker (Paperback; 13.50 IEP / 15.50 USD / 12.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
This book takes a fresh look at how the siege of Derry, a significant event for unionists, has been celebrated over the last three centuries and assesses how the 1798 rebellion, an important episode for nationalists and republicans, has been remembered. The author examines changes in historical perceptions and sense of identity as revealed in the commemoration of St. Patrick's Day, the Twelfth of July, the Easter Rising and Armistice Day in the period 1920-1960. A final chapter explores how ideas of history have influenced the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Understanding Corruption in Irish Politics by Neil Collins and Mary O'Shea (Paperback; 7.50 IEP / 8.50 USD / 6.75 UK) [Add To Basket]
Irish politics has been in turmoil in recent years because of the scale and intricacy of political corruption being uncovered by parliamentary and quasi-judicial inquiries. There is genuine popular amazement and growing cynicism at the seemingly never-ending wave of scandal and attendant tribunals. To understand political corruption in Ireland, this book examines the concept within a political science analytical framework that allows both historical and international comparison. The authors challenge the current explanations of political corruption, particularly those that stress a turning point of the 1960s.
She Moves Through the Boom by Ann Maria Hourihane (Paperback; 8.99 IEP / 10.50 USD / 7.50 UK) [Add To Basket]
Behind the triumphalist headlines of the Celtic Tiger, there are changes going on in Ireland - in the way Irish people work, talk, eat, even the way they think - that cannot be quantified by statistics nor squared with hollow clichés. This book is about these intangible changes and it paints a picture the newspapers and tourism propagandists are missing. The author talks to ordinary people about living in Ireland now - worshippers at a holy well, Mullingar wine traders, the organizer of a rural water scheme, working mothers, a Nigerian preacher, call-centre workers, teenaged removal men, and many others. These people aren't talking about the boom; they're living it, sometimes without even noticing, and they speak its language. This book presents an offbeat kaleidoscopic view of contemporary Ireland.
Fork in the Road by Denis Hamill (Paperback; 10.50 IEP / 12.50 USD / 9.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
This novel is a story of ill-fated loved amid the dangerous romance of Dublin and New York. The passion that blooms between Colin Coyne, a young American film-maker seeking aesthetic inspiration in Ireland, and Gina Furey, the stunningly beautiful, iron-willed denizen of Dublin's gypsy criminal underworld, seems as unlikely as it is overpowering. Crossing barriers both social and physical, this novel is both a tragic love story and the riveting drama of one man's heartbreaking journey from exhilaration to desolation.
Celtic Saints by Courtney Davis (Paperback; 17.50 IEP / 21.50 USD / 15.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
This book is an intriguing representation of the lives and deeds of some of the venerable, sacred characters from the distant era of early Christianity. The author has the ability to stimulate, fascinate and inspire through his superb renditions of Celtic scenes and imagery. Full colour illustrations throughout.
The Celtic Image by David James and Courtney Davis (Paperback; 17.50 IEP / 21.50 USD / 15.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
From the Celtic lands of Cornwall, Ireland, Brittany, the Isle of man, Wales and Scotland, the world of the Celts has numerous facets and beautiful images. This book describes and show graphically the wealth of motifs and the fascination of Celtic images, from the early artefacts of Celtic civilisation to a modern renaissance, and from both their pagan and then Christian traditions. There are wonderful descriptions and superb visual depictions of crosses, standing stones, carvings, craftsmanship, legend and religion - the very essence of the Celtic image. Full colour illustrations throughout.
Bray in 1870 commentary by K.M. Davies (Map; 7.50 IEP / 8.50 USD / 6.75 UK) [Add To Basket]
This is a high quality reproduction of Heffernan's plan of Bray. A booming town in 1870, Bray was an expanding new resort offering seaside holidays and expeditions to the beauty spots of Wicklow. The journey from Dublin by train was still a novelty. The International Hotel in Bray was the largest hotel in Ireland and there were dances and concerts in the Turkish Baths assembly rooms. Heffernan's delightful views recaptures the spirit of Bray when it was truly the 'Brighton of Ireland'.
Faces by Pat Reid (Paperback; 7.99 IEP / 8.99 USD / 6.99 UK) [Add To Basket]
Set in Dublin's docklands, this is the story of the Portside community in the early days of the Celtic Tiger. It tells of Dommo Nevins and his well-intentioned attempts to free 'the faces' he sees trapped in the roof of the Tin Chapel. With the help of his godmother, Fran, a reluctant faith healer, and some longtime inhabitants of the Suicide Plot, Dommo also tries to save an ancient graveyard from Alan Roe, a property developer who seeks to destroy the Portside parish and all it stands for because of his fathers murder during the 1953 Hunger March in Dublin. In trying to do the right thing, Dommo and his uncle, Milo Gunnary, unwittingly release the fierce power of the faces on those foolish enough to borrow or buy one.
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