Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 220
The Irish: A Photohistory by Sean Sexton and Christine Kinealy
Large Hardback; 35.00 Euro / 47.50 USD / 20.00 UK; Thames & Hudson, 224 pages, with 271 illustrations [Add To Basket]
The first Irish photographs date from 1840, a year after Louis Daguerre announced to the world his discovery of the photographic process. In the century that followed, Ireland was to know tragedy and triumph, bitter struggle and agonized compromise. In 1840 no one could possibly have forseen the catastrophe that was about to unfold in Ireland. The Great Famine was to kill over a million Irish poor people between 1846 and 1851, and force an even greater number to flee the horrors of their homeland. In the following decades, Irish political life was dominated by the struggle for land rights, for Home Rule, and ultimately for independence. As that story unfolds throughout this book, the reader encounters inspirational leaders and impatient rebels, and their campaigns of persuasion and violence. We glimpse too the injustices that inspired them, above all the mass eviction of destitute peasants from their homes and lands by the heavy hand of the law. Yet these images do much more than tell a gripping political and historical story. They give an insight into a people, a landscape, and a lost way of life. They evoke the grandeur of life in the Big House, home and symbol of the Anglo-Irish elite. They reveal the hard labour of rural survival: cutting peat for fuel, fishing, gathering seaweed and tilling the soil, against the magnificence of the often harsh Irish landscape. And they show the transforming impact of modernity, as industry, railways and urban expansion slowly brought Ireland into a new era. Covering the first century of Ireland in the era of photography, this enthralling visual history brings the past vividly to life.
Ireland's Painters: 1600 - 1940 by Anne Crookshank and the Knight of Glin
Large Hardback; 60.00 Euro / 75.00 USD / 45.00 UK; Yale UP, 345 pages, with colour illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
This richly illustrated survey of the history of Irish painting encompasses the entire span from the Middle Ages to the mid-twentieth century. The book includes both well-known and virtually unknown artists, Irish artists who worked abroad as well as in Ireland, and major foreign artists who came to Ireland and worked there for long periods. Among the more than 350 works reproduced in full colour are many paintings from notable private collections which have not been exhibited to the public.
Drawing on the unique combined experience of leading Irish art authorities Anne Crookshank and the Knight of Glin, the book presents an exciting roll call of important Irish painters, from the talented Garret Morphy of the Restoration period to William Scott and Louis LeBrocquy of our own time. Broad in its scope and perceptive in its scholarship, the book is the most complete and beautifully illustrated history of Irish painters available.
Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities edited by Patrick Wallace and Raghnall O Floinn
Large Hardback; 40.00 Euro / 50.00 USD / 22.50 UK; Gill & Macmillan, 315 pages, with full colour illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
This magnificent book, lavishly illustrated with nearly 250 full-colour illustrations, is a comprehensive introduction to the Irish Antiquities collections of the National Museum of Ireland. The Museum's collections include some of the most important Celtic and pre-Celtic artefacts in the world. The book selects the highlights: over 200 artefacts are illustrated, described and discussed, including such world-famous objects as the Broigher Boat, the Ardagh Chalice, the Tara Brooch and the Cross of Cong. Ranging in date from 4500BC to AD1500, the objects described here include the Museum's significant collections of Bronze Age fold, Early Christian jewellery and altar vessels, culminating in church treasures of the later Middle Ages. The illustrated objects are fully captioned and are accompanied by explanatory essays covering each major period, written by members of the Museum's staff. This is the most comprehensive and authoritative general work yet on the National Museum of Ireland's antiquities collection and should establish itself as the standard guide for many years to come.
Racism and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland by Bryan Fanning
Paperback; 25.00 Euro / 32.00 USD / 17.50 UK; Manchester UP, 208 pages [Add To Basket]
This book provides an original and challenging account of racism and Irish society. In the last decade Irish society has visibly changed. New immigrant communities of black and ethnic minorities have emerged. This book argues that Ireland was never immune from racist ideologies that governed relationships between the 'west and the rest' despite a history of colonial anti-Irish racism. Drawing upon a number of academic disciplines, it focuses on the relationship between ideological forms of racism and its consequences upon black and ethnic minorities, and sets out an invaluable critique of racism in Irish society. Chapters on nation-building, Ireland's response to the Holocaust, refugees and asylum seekers, the politics of Traveller exclusion and multiculturalism in Ireland examine the mechanics of exclusion resulting from institutional racism within political and administrative processes. The author locates Irish responses to asylum seekers, immigrant minority communities and Travelling people within a history of indigenous Irish racism.
Untold Stories: Protestants in the Republic of Ireland, 1922-2002 edited by Colin Murphy and Lynne Adair
Trade paperback; 21.50 Euro / 26.50 USD / 17.50 UK; Liffey Press, 222 pages [Add To Basket]
Protestants in the Republic of Ireland have remained a silent minority since Independence, their history and experiences largely ignored at the expense of both their Roman Catholic compatriots and their fellow Protestants in the North. This collection of 54 personal essays allows them finally to speak for themselves. The book demonstrates that there is a great diversity of voices to be found amongst the Protestant community. The stereotype of a privileged, aloof class, loyal to England, is shown to be largely a myth. Most of the contributors are fiercely proud of their Irish heritage, while remaining critical of many aspects of the country's development over the last eight years. Most contributors also regret the separateness that has formed their identity. There is a great sense of hurt at the still commonly held view that Protestants are 'not really Irish'. However, the book shows a remarkably positive outlook amongst the minority community. The contributors are drawn from all arenas of Irish life - the clergy, politics, business, the arts, journalism and education - and include such well known people as Archbishop John Neill, David Norris, Martin Manseragh, Edna Longley, Risteard O Glaisne, Bruce Arnold, Carol Coulter and Donald Caird among others. The book demonstrates that this small but significant minority has much to contribute to an increasingly diverse Irish society.
Ride On In Song and Story by Jimmy McCarthy
Hardback; 19.99 Euro / 25.00 USD / 15.00 UK; TownHouse, 219 pages, with an 8 page b/w photo insert [Add To Basket]
In 1984, Christy Moore recorded Jimmy McCarthy's song 'Ride On' and its compelling rhythm and lyrics catapulted the singer/songwriter into the national consciousness. Since then, his place in the forefront of Irish popular music has been assured by a string of singularly individual songs, among them 'No Frontiers', 'Missing You', 'The Bright Blue Rose', and 'As I Leave Behind Neidin'. Some of these songs have been recorded by McCarthy himself and some by such legendary Irish singers as Mary Black and Maura O'Connell. This book gathers together over fifty of McCarthy's most significant lyrics and gives the reader a unique insight into the life events that inspired the songs. In his own inimitable voice, this singer/songwriter traces his journey from squatting and busking in London to singing in the National Concert Hall, major record deals and programmes devoted to him on television. The book has a cast of fascinating characters from the world of horses (Jimmy's other passion) as well as from the world of music.
Niall Quinn: The Autobiography by Niall Quinn
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 32.00 USD / 17.50 UK; Headline, 300 pages, with 3 8-page colour inserts [Add To Basket]
Niall Quinn began his footballing life in a different time and a different place - an era of low wages, big strikers and terraced crowds. In nineteen years, he has seen the game grow and change almost beyond recognition. He was on his way to becoming a legend in his favorite sport of hurling when Arsenal came and took him away from Dublin to London. Against the odds, he made it and retained something of himself along the way. He has experienced both the ups, including two World Cups, and the downs - two career-threatening cruciate ligament injuries and near-fatal septicaemia. His happy-go-lucky approach to life disguises an iron resolve that kept his career alive through injury, criticism and setbacks. After a long learning curve which featured hard drinking and disastrous gambling, he settled into a club and into a life which suited him when he moved to Sunderland AFC. He has remained there during the most radical transformation in the club's fortunes, the changes in his own career mirroring those at the Stadium of Light. In his autobiography he looks at what went on behind the scenes during Ireland's tumultuous 2002 World Cup campaign and talks about his own efforts at kickstarting a reconciliation when Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy went to war. As the man in the middle his account offers an extraordinary perspective on events in Saipan and beyond. In this book, Quinn opens the doors to the inner life of a footballer - the failings, the temptations, the adventures and the good times.
In So Many Words: The Best of Con Houlihan
Paperback; 12.95 Euro / 16.00 USD / 8.99 UK; Mercier Press, 269 pages [Add To Basket]
Kerryman Con Houlihan, who in his time has been a fisherman, a turf cutter and a rugby player, is now best known as one of Ireland's finest sports journalists. This book gathers together some outstanding examples of his work over the years. Although, as would be expected, he writes knowledgeably on a range of sports, from Gaelic football and hurling to boxing and cricket. Con is also well known as a cultural commentator, and here he gives his impressions of famous authors and artists as well as his views on various feats in the sporting arena over the years. This collection is a treasure trove of insights into all aspects of human life. It is a book of wit and wisdom to dip into and enjoy.
For the Record: A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals by Tom Morrison
Paperback; 17.95 Euro / 22.50 USD / 14.50 UK; Collins Press, 413 pages, with black and white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
In 1926 Cork hurlers and Laois footballers won the first ever national league finals. Since then there have been some classic contests in the competition and all 32 counties plus New York have played in either a league semi-final or final. Many memorable finals featured outstanding performances and heart-stopping moments that gave enormous pleasure to a multitude of followers over the years. In this unique history of 76 years of national league finals, the author describes over 180 games. Thorough research, interviews with major stars of the past and present, match programmes and newspaper accounts have been used to compile accurate match reports plus fascinating detail on players and team line-outs. Accompanied, where possible, by team photographs, many rarely seen or published, the over result is a stirring story of the drama and tensions in these games involving over 4500 players and referees. The book is a worthy salute to all the teams, to the great players who graced these games and to their followers who travelled in their thousands.
Nealon's Guide to the 29th Dail and Seanad edited by Geraldine Kennedy
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; Gill & Macmillan, 216 pages [Add To Basket]
This is the latest edition of Ireland's outstanding political work of reference. For the last quarter of a century, Nealon's Guide has appeared after every general election. It has provided a comprehensive profile of each Dail and Seanad, laid out in a style that is at once visually attractive and easy to follow. Ted Nealon has now retired from public life, but his Guide goes on. This new edition draws on the unrivalled editorial resources of The Irish Times, which has taken over the compilation of the Guide from him. This edition of the Guide is the first to appear in full colour.
At the heart of the book are the election results. The complete count from every constituency is given, showing not only the first preferences but also the subsequent distribution of surplusses and the votes of eliminated candidates right down to the filling of the last seat. There are profiles of every TD and Senator, a full listing of all cabinet and ministerial appointments, and statistical and political analysis.
That They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 13.50 USD / 7.99 UK; Faber, 314 pages [Add To Basket]
'The morning was clear. There was no wind on the lake. There was also a great stillness. When the bells rang out for Mass, the strokes trembling on the water, they had the entire world to themselves.'
'The doors of the house were open. Jamesie entered without knocking and came in noiselessly until he stood in the doorway of a large room where the Ruttledges were sitting. He stood as if waiting under trees for returning wildfowl. He expected his discovery to be quick. There would a cry of surprise and reproach; he would counter by accusing them of not being watchful enough. There would be welcome and laughter. When the Ruttledges continued to converse calmly about a visit they were expecting that same afternoon, he could contain himself no longer. Such was his continual expectation of discovery that in his eavesdropping he was nearly always disappointed by the innocence he came upon.'
From the very opening pages, the reader sees many memorable Irish characters as they move about Joe and Kate Ruttledge, who have come to Ireland from London in search of a different life. There is John Quinn, who will stop at nothing to ensure a flow of women; Johnny, who left for England twenty years before in pursuit of love; and Jimmy Joe McKiernan, head of the IRA, both auctioneer and undertaker. The gentle Jamsie and his wife Mary embody the spirit of the place. They have never left the lake but know everything that ever stirred or moved there.
In passages of beauty and truth, the drama of a year in the lives of these and many other characters unfolds through the action, the rituals of work, religious observances and play. By the novel's close, the reader will feel that he/she has been introduced, with deceptive simplicity, to a complete representation of existence - an enclosed world has been transformed into an Everywhere.
This was our Fiction Book of the Month for December 2002.
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