Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 295
Everything Irish edited by Lelia Ruckenstein and James O’Malley
Hardback; 30.00 Euro / 36.00 USD / 24.00 UK; 400 pages
Here, in one complete volume, is the depth and breadth of the great island nation and its people represented in an easily browsed, friendly format. From the Abbey Theatre to the Dublin storyteller, Zozimus; from the origin of the Troubles to the origin of the limerick; from the stunning beauty of Connemara to the shattering tragedy of Bloody Sunday – every aspect of Irish culture, geography and history is collected and annotated in more than 900 entries.
Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
Trade Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 400 pages [Add To Basket]
From the no. 1 best-selling author of PS, I Love You comes an enchanting novel about two childhood friends whom fate and destiny can't help toying with...From naughty children to rebellious teenagers, Rosie and Alex have stuck by each other through thick and thin. But just as they're discovering the joys of teenage nights on the town and dating disasters, they're separated. Alex's family moves from Dublin to America - and Alex goes with them, for good. Rosie's lost without him. But on the eve of her departure to join Alex in Boston, Rosie gets news that will change her life forever - and keep her at home in Ireland. Their magical connection sees them through the ups and downs of each other's lives but neither of them knows whether their friendship can really survive the years and miles - as well as new relationships. And at the back of Rosie's mind is whether they were meant to be more than just good friends all along. Misunderstandings, circumstances and sheer bad luck have kept them out of each other's arms, but when presented with the ultimate opportunity, will they gamble everything - including their friendship - for true love? Destiny, Alex and Rosie discover, is a funny thing and fate isn't quite done with them yet...
Paul Muldoon: Critical Essays edited by Tim Kendall and Peter McDonald
Trade Paperback; 30.00 Euro / 36.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 192 pages
The authors of the essays in this work see Paul Muldoon from many different angles - biographical, formal, literary-historical, generic - but are also engaged in directing attention to complex moments of creativity in which an extraordinary amount of originality is concetrated, and on the clarity of which a lot depends. In their different ways, all the essays return to the question fo what a poem can "tell" us, whether about its author, about itself, or about the world in which it comes into to being.
New and Selected Poems by Dennis O’Driscoll
Trade Paperback; 20.00 Euro / 25.00 USD / 14.00 UK; 270 pages [Add To Basket]
O'Driscoll is among the finest and most popular poets of his generation. This anthology contains his best work and shows him to be a poet of great humanity and wit whose observant, imaginistic and rhythmically supple poetry is acutely attentive to the tragedies and comedies of contemporary life. Closing with a generous selection of previously unpublished work, New and Selected Poems makes for a compelling collection, wide in its appeal and yet imbued with a distinctive and often startling world-view.
DeValera, Fianna Fail and the Irish Press by Mark O’Brien
Hardback; 35.00 Euro / 42.00 USD / 25.00 UK; 260 pages
The relationship between the Fianna Fail party and the "Irish Press", both founded by Eamon de Valera in an era of political revolution, has been much misunderstood. Blamed for causing the bitter civil war and isolated in its aftermath by the political establishment, de Valera took what seemed the only course of action and founded his own political party and newspaper. The "Irish Press" gave voice to de Valera's vision for Ireland and Irishness, and defended it from its detractors, namely the Fine Gael party, providing him with a means to counter hostility in the media, orchestrated by the "Irish Independent" and "Irish Times". This text covers the war of words between the two papers, their fight for rural readership. It explores the possibility of the "Irish Press" being de Valera, rather than, party-dominated and analyses the disintegration of the relationship between the party and the paper as the de Valera family found itself alienated from the paper's readers, a modernizing Ireland and a changing Fianna Fail party.
Irish Megalithic Tombs by Elizabeth Shee Twohig
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 12.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 72 pages [Add To Basket]
This is a summary of the research that has been carried out on 'megalithic' tombs such as Newgrange and Knowth in County Meath. The four main tomb types are described. Plans and photographs illustrate their main features together with a brief history of the tombs and there is also a glossary of the terms used.
Music in Ireland by Dorothea Hast and Stanley Scott
Paperback with Audio CD; 20.00 Euro / 24.00 USD / 15.00 UK; 153 pages [Add To Basket]
Vividly evoking Irish sounds, instruments, and dance steps, this study describes traditional Irish music and dance in Ireland and America. It provides a springboard for the discussion of cultural and historical issues of identity, community, nationalism, emigration, transmission, and gender.
The Wisdom of the Irish: A Concise Anthology compiled by Suheil Buchru
Hardback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 200 pages [Add To Basket]
Filled with the wit and wisdom of the Irish through the ages, this delightful anthology covers everything from faith and spirituality to music and drama; from love and romance to bravery and courage. Esteemed W. B. Yeats scholar Suheil Bushrui goes beyond the stereotypical with these painstakingly selected quotations from important Irish poets, novelists, playwrights, politicians and revolutionaries over the centuries. A perfect book for those who want to rediscover their roots, or simply to learn more about the rich and vast landscape of Irish literature and thought.
Tracing Your Limerick Ancestors by Margaret Franklin
Paperback; 12.50 Euro / 15.00 USD / 9.00 UK; 121 pages [Add To Basket]
This title sets out the records available for tracing the history and genealogy of families in Co. Limerick, Ireland. The genealogical sources for Limerick are diverse because of the nature of the county, which contains both remote rural agricultural communities and an urban population in Limerick city. The most common family names include O'Brien, Ryan, Donovan, Sheehan, Hallinan, Hurley and Scanlan. Many Limerick people emigrated in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Almost 17 per cent of the population emigrated in the 1850's alone. This book will be of direct interest to the descendants of these emigrants. It details the types of records available, where they can be accessed and how they can best be used to trace ancestors in the county and city of Limerick. It is well illustrated with 3 maps of administrative divisions, and with 23 examples of the types of records to be found. There is also a comprehensive index.
Passing Through by Declan Hassett
Trade Paperback; 17.00 Euro / 21.50 USD / 12.00 UK; 175 pages, with photos throughout [Add To Basket]
The author reflects on life's twists of fate and the importance of a sense of place in his life. He focuses on the seemingly inconsequential 'accidents of design' which have proved so important in his life. He continues his memories from a varied career as a journalist in an emerging Ireland and recalls the people who influenced his life for the better.
Luisitania: An Irish Tragedy by Senan Molony
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 190 pages with photos throughout [Add To Basket]
An original and imaginative examination of the effect of the Lusitania sinking on Ireland, The book acknowledges for the first time: - the heroic rescue work undertaken by local fishermen and lifeboats, - those who tended to the dead and succoured the living, - those who served on a Coroner's jury, - those who worked as bodyhunters scouring the coast in response to posted rewards, and much more. It examines the ripples cast upon Irish shores by the vanishing of the vessel after it was hit by a German torpedo. In particular it tells the stories of numerous Irish passengers and crew who were aboard the doomed vessel. It also highlights the rich legacy of history that resides in the Lusitania graves in Ireland.
Buried Memories by David Marcus
Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.50 USD / 9.00 UK; 220 pages [Add To Basket]
Seeking an anthology of new ideas and new recollections – real or imagined – Marcus seizes upon the notion of using his moments of involuntary memory to create his second volume of autobiography. The bewitching result is this book, a unique and fascinating autobiography which moves seamlessly between the fictional life of Cork’s last Jew, Aaron Cohen, and memories from Marcus himself.
Ireland in World War II: Neutrality and Survival edited by Dermot Keogh and Mervyn O’Driscoll
Paperback; 17.00 Euro / 21.50 USD /12.00 UK; 352 pages [Add To Basket]
This book is a stunning effort to unveil much new work undertaken in Irish archives and elsewhere to illustrate Irish policies and experiences during the Second World War. Various contributors illustrate the diversity of approaches that can be taken to understand the origins, implementation and implications of Ireland’s neutrality.
Gregory Carr, Bookseller
Read Ireland
392 Clontarf Road
Dublin 3
Ireland
Tel + Fax: +353-1-853-2063
Customer Services Comments, Criticism and Questions
Subscribe to Read Ireland Book News - Our Free Weekly Email Newsletter