Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 181
Lost Lives by David McKittrick, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeney and Chris Thornton
Hardback; 40.00 IEP / 48.00 USD / 35.00 UK / 50.80 EURO; Mainstream, 1648 pages [Add To Basket]This book is a unique work filled with passion and violence, with humanity and inhumanity. It is the story of the Northern Ireland troubles told as never before; it is not concerned with the political bickering but with the lives of those who have suffered and the deaths which have resulted from more than three decades of conflict. The authors are award-winning journalists. Over a seven-year period, they examined every single death which was directly caused by the troubles. This book traces the origins of the conflict from the firing of the first shots, through the carnage of the 1970s and 1980s, to the republican and loyalist ceasefires and beyond. All the casualties are here: the RUC officers, the soldiers, the IRA volunteers, the loyalist paramilitary, the Catholic mothers, the Protestant workers, the new-born baby. Each account is impossible to ignore. As a reference book, it is indispensable; as a landscape of history painted in fine detail, it is unique. Originally published in 1999, this new edition has been revised and updated.
Rowdy Irish Tales for Children by Eddie Lenihan
Paperback; 5.99 IEP / 7.50 USD / 4.99 UK / 7.60 EURO; Marino; [Add To Basket]In this book, the well-loved author and storyteller brings to life stories originally narrated to his son. He preserves the freshness and immediacy of the spoken word and recreates it on the page. 'The Wake of Carraig Clancy' is a tale from an area called Corca Baiscinn, the bare west of Clare, and Boethius 'Carraig' Clancy, the self-proclaimed Emperor. When the great leader chokes to death on a fishbone, in a very undignified fashion, the wake that follows sees heroes and warriors, singer and scribes gathered together. Such a wake must surely be a gathering to remember. And another story tells the story of Irish warfare, Fionn and the Fianna and the mysterious discovery of the 'brainballs', When a vast net of brainballs is left at Tara as a warning to the Fianna, it is time to retaliate. Fionn and his men set out to find the maker of the brainball and bring him back to Tara to account for his deeds. These tales are for children of all ages, from 9 to 90.
The Children's Book of Irish Folktales by Kevin Danaher
Paperback; 5.99 IEP / 7.00 USD / 5.00 UK / 7.60 EURO; Mercier Press, 110 pages, with drawings throughout [Add To Basket]These tales are filled with the mystery and adventures of a land of lonely country roads and isolated farms, humble cottages and lordly castles, rolling fields and tractless bogs. They tell of giants and ghosts, of strange happenings and wonderous deeds, of fairies and witches and of fools and kings. Above all in these stories, there is a sense of the full wonder of a world where the marvelous and the unexpected can always happen, and nothing is every quite what it seems. It is a vision of a world forever young, rich with the promise of perpetual surprise - a world that a child knows full well, and adults forget all to soon. There is sparkling humour in these tales, mocking folly with a healing touch rather than a wounding sting. The special magic of the Irish imagination shines forth in these fourteen authentic folktales, drawn from the memory of Kevin Danaher, just as he heard them many years ago.
Oscar Wilde: A Certain Genius by Barbara Belford
Paperback; 12.60 IEP / 15.00 USD / 11.00 UK / 16.10 EURO; Bloomsbury, 383 pages [Add To Basket]After William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde is the most quoted of writers. His epigrams turned conventions upside down, his personality defined an era. One hundred years after his death, the enduring fascination with his life remains as constant as ever: his rise to prominence as an unparalleled playwright, his ego-driven fall from grace, and the trial, played out in the full glare of the public's gaze. This book is a biography for a new generation of readers, portraying Wilde as neither martyr, nor the self-destructive fop. The author brings a new and fresh understanding of his life in all its complexity, genius and humanity.
For the Cause of Liberty: A Thousand Years of Ireland's Heroes by Terry Golway
Paperback; 14.00 IEP / 17.00 USD / 12.00 UK / 18.80 EURO; Touchstone, 397 pages [Add To Basket]In this book, the author reconstructs the entire thousand-year history of Irish nationalism, covering each benchmark event in Ireland's political evolution and presenting a vivid, epic tale of both the famous and unsung patriots who changed the course of Ireland's history. In a chronicle of unprecedented breadth and authority, the book tells the stories of Ireland's heroes - including both men and women, Catholic and Protestant - who enable the Irish to free themselves from the yoke of colonial oppression. This engaging and admirable story of how the Irish saved themselves is a peerless work of scholarship, and it offers a fresh context for the ongoing discussion of Ireland's political future.
The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom: A Shaman's Sourcebook by Caitlin and John Matthews
Paperback; 17.99 IEP / 21.50 USD / 15.00 UK / 23.00 EURO; Rider, 456 pages [Add To Basket]The Celtic Tradition is a source of inspiration to many seeking to discover ancestral spiritual heritage. This superb sourcebook contains many new translations of seminal Celtic texts, including stories, poems and prose pieces, some dating from as far back as the seventeenth century. Key ingredients in this rich cauldron of ancient lore include: Shamanic Memory; Druidic Divination and Prophecy; Shapeshifting, Soul-Loss and Restoration; Magic and Healing. These ancient tales are accompanied by detailed commentaries, comprehensive background material and practical shamanic insights.
A.N. Other: 15 G.A.A. Short Stories by P.J. Cunningham
Paperback; 9.99 IEP / 11.50 USD / 8.50 UK / 12.70 EURO; Dub Press, 304 pages [Add To Basket]This book is a collection of short stories which chronicle the life of rural Ireland through its relationship to the Gaelic Athletic Association.
A History of Gaelic Football by Jack Mahon
Paperback; 14.99 IEP / 18.00 USD / 12.50 UK / 19.10 EURO; Gill & Macmillan, 300 pages, with 2 b/w photo inserts [Add To Basket]This book is a comprehensive survey of Gaelic football from its beginnings to the present day, written by one of Ireland's premier sports journalists as well as a former champion Gaelic footballer.
Graiguenamanagh: A Town and Its People by John Joyce
Paperback; 12.99 IEP / 15.00 USD / 11.00 UK / 16.50 EURO; Graigue, 230 pages [Add To Basket]This book is a new, revised edition of an historical and social account of Graiguenamanagh and Tinnahinch. Contains b/w photos and maps throughout.
Dublin Libraries: A Pictorial Record by Sean Lennon
Paperback; 9.99 IEP / 11.50 USD / 8.50 UK / 12.70 EURO; Dublin Corporation, 86 large format pages, with drawings throughout [Add To Basket]This book is a lavish introduction to Dublin's most beautiful and interesting libraries, both private and public, treated with a wealth of Sean Lennon's fine illustrations, combined with the artist's own insights into the role played by libraries in Dublin's cultural life.
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