Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 160
High Island: An Irish Monastery in the Atlantic by Jenny White Marshall and Grellan D. Rourke (Hardback; 25.00 IEP / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
On Ardoilean, or High Island as it is known, lying some three kilometres off Ireland's west coast and exposed to the wilds of the Atlantic, there exists the most extensive remains of early medieval monasticism in the west of Ireland. But High Island is the most elusive of Connemara's islands, and for centuries it has concealed its secrets well. Just what size was the monastic community that developed there? How advanced was it? How long had it been there? And most intriguingly, was the island inhabited only by a monastic community, or was this community preceded by a more extensive and developed society. In this fascinating and richly illustrated story, the authors rewrite a history that had gone unquestioned, and untouched, for centuries.
Blood-Dark Track: A Family History by Joseph O'Neill (Hardback; 20.00 IEP / 24.50 USA / 17.50 UK) [Add To Basket]
At the heart of this history of two families are the stories of two flawed and charismatic men. The author's grandfathers - one Irish and one Turkish - were both imprisoned during the Second World War. The Irish grandfather was an active member of the IRA and was interned with hundreds of his comrades by de Valera's government. The other grandfather was imprisoned by the British in Palestine where he was travelling to buy lemons, on suspicion of being an Axis spy. The author set out to investigate these imprisonments which were veiled by family silences, and found himself having to come to terms with memories of violence, with a legacy of fierce commitment and political blindness, with the enchanting power of nationalism and the fear and complicity of the bystander.
Champagne & Silver Buckle: The Viceregal Court at Dublin Castle 1700-1922 by Joseph Robins (Paperback; 14.99 IEP / 18.50 USD / 13.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
This book examines the social and ceremonial life of the Viceregal Court of Dublin Castle, and looks at the individual who performed at the Castle from the onset of English administration after the Williamite wars until the transfer of power to Michael Collins and the government of the Irish Free State in 1922. This fascinating narrative, largely derived from primary sources documents a lively, little-known aspect of Irish social history.
Singing My Him Song by Malachy McCourt (Paperback; 13.50 IEP / 15.50 USD / 12.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
Malachy McCourt grew up in Limerick amid death, squalor, poverty and abuse. When he went to New York as a young man, he took with him a gargantuan appetite for what life had to offer - and an equal drive to forget what it had delivered him so far. In an unexpected twist, the love of a good woman helped him face up to the wreckage of his past, and with difficulty he went from world class drunk to a sober and loving father and grandfather. But just when the fairytale happy ending was looming, he had to gather all he had learned, and the support of everyone he loved, to face the threat of throat cancer.
Well-Remembered Days by Eoin O'Ceallaigh (Paperback; 13.50 IEP / 15.50 USD / 12.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
The author is a writer, poet, nationalist, playwright, civil servant, commentator and above all a defender of the traditional values of a fast disappearing Ireland. Fiercely proud of his Catholic values, all through his long life he has waged a robust war against modern ideas such as anti-clericalism and sex, often in association with his close friend of the day, Gloinn McTire. In this book he recalls the key moments of the century in Ireland, such as the visit to Ireland of Pope John Paul II in 1979 and his founding of the League of the Mother of God Against Sin, which kept jazz and modern dancing out of the Irish life for most of the century. Born into a staunchly nationalist family, his boyhood hero was Michael Collins, for whom he once hid sausages under a bed. Today he continues the struggle against liberalism. The author is also the co-writer of the Father Ted television series.
Chasing Shadows by Chris Sheerin (Paperback; 7.99 IEP / 10.00 USD / 6.50 UK) [Add To Basket]
Set in the nationalist Creggan housing estate in Derry during the Troubles, his novel centres on the life of the youth Seamus Doherty, a 'simple bastard' who father was, he suspects, an informer for the British Army. But Seamus shows promise at school and gives indications that he might make more of himself than his difficult background suggests. As the Troubles unfold and Seamus moves from adolescence to manhood, however, he becomes increasingly involved in the violence of the time, in the shape of riots against British troops, while also starting a relationship with a young Protestant woman. When shadowy figures from his father's past appear on the scene, Seamus gets drawn more deeply into the power struggles being fought out in Northern Ireland.
Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth: A Visit to Ireland's Valley of the Kings by Werner Antpohler (Paperback; 6.99 IEP / 9.50 USD / 6.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
This book is a guide for those who search Ireland's past, who wish to go beyond measurements and simple analysis. It poses intriguing questions about the awe-inspiring monuments of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth, and answers them imaginatively, so that the past is brought to life. The book is a thought-provoking read, seeking to interpret the mysterious artwork and cryptic symbolism associated with the Valley of the Kings.
Paddy Bogside by Paddy Doherty (Paperback; 10.99 IEP / 14.50 USD / 9.50 UK) [Add To Basket]
Paddy Doherty was the final authority in Free Derry, the nationalist enclave of the city that seceded from the control of the British state and the Stormont government in 1969. That revolt, and the civil-rights marches that preceded it, constituted one of the greatest popular uprisings in twentieth-century Ireland and set in train a series of events which ended with the abolition of the corrupt and undemocratic Stormont regime. In this book, the author tells the dramatic story of conflict in the rebel city, and the control he needed to prevent the chaotic passions of the nationalist community from boiling over into murderous violence. He describes the part played by John Hume, Bernadette Devlin and others who shot to international prominence during the crisis years of the late 1960s. Recalling his own role in the arms crisis of 1970, Doherty ascribes the emergence of the Provisional IRA to the vacuum created by the Irish government's failure to intervene.
Special Places to Stay in Ireland 2001 by Alastair Sawday and Stephen Tate (Paperback; 13.50 IEP / 15.50 USD / 12.00 UK) [Add To Basket]
The new edition of the guide describes over 200 interesting and beautiful places to stay in Ireland, each chosen because it is, in some way, very special indeed! Color photographs throughout.
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