Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 313
This is the Country by William Wall
Trade Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 272 pages
A startling light is cast into Ireland's darker corners in this novel by the author of 'THE MAP OF TENDERNESS'. In an Ireland far removed from the familiar images of travel brochures, a bright teenager is heading for trouble: son of a single mother who has given up, rarely at school, taking drugs, and hovering on the fringes of the city’s criminal underworld. When he falls for Pat The Baker’s sister his life changes irrevocably, not least because when she gets pregnant, Pat breaks his legs. But as he tries to make a new start and adjust to being a lover and father, he realises he cannot evade vengeance forever. This is the Country is a hard-hitting, tense and deeply moving novel that sets power and corruption against the fragile defences of love, friendship and family. As gritty as it is tender, as funny as it is dark, it tells a riveting tale of survival against the odds.
The Famine in Mayo: A Portrait from Contemporary Sources 1845-1850 compiled and edited by Ivor Hamrock
Hardback; 20.00 Euro / 26.00 USD / 14.00 UK; 150 pages, with black-and-white illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
The Great Famine in Ireland was one of the defining moments of Irish history. It marked a watershed in the history of the country causing a change so complete in the Irish social and economic fabric, that the people’s sensibilities would never be the same again. No longer could Irish people trust the land to provide constant sustenance. No longer could they rely on whatever security of tenure was allowed by the landlords, and more importantly they learned that their English political masters cared little for their plight. This book is a portrait of the lives and deaths of the people as recorded by witnesses in books, newspapers and official records of that horrific period.
The Brendan Voyage by Tim Severin
Trade Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 267 pages
It has been described as the greatest epic voyage in modern Irish history. Tim Severin and his companions built a boat using only techniques and materials available in the sixth-century A.D., when St Brendan was supposed to have sailed to America. The vessel comprised forty-nine ox hides stitched together in a patchwork and stretched over a wooden frame. This leather skin was only a quarter of an inch thick. Yet Severin and his crew sailed Brendan from Brandon Creek in Dingle to Newfoundland, surviving storms and a puncture from pack ice. The Brendan Voyage is Tim Severin's dramatic account of their journey. This new edition of a book already translated into twenty-seven languages introduces a new generation of readers to an enduring classic. Tim Severin didn't prove St Brendan reached America, only that he could have - that it was possible. Brilliantly written, The Brendan Voyage conveys unforgettably the sensation of being in a small, open boat in the vastness of the North Atlantic, visited by inquisitive whales, reaching mist-shrouded landfalls, and receiving a welcome from seafaring folk wherever the crew touched land.
Follow Your Dream by Daniel O’Donnell
Trade Paperback, 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 142 pages, with colour and black-and-white photographs [Add To Basket]
Daniel O'Donnell has achieved superstardom on the international music scene. His concert tours sell out six months in advance. He has achieved well over a million album sales to date, as well as over a quarter of a million videos. He is the only performer ever to have had 6 records in the British charts at the same time. Without doubt the star with the highest media profile in Ireland, Daniel O'Donnell appears regularly on the covers of magazines like the RTE Guide, as well as featuring on radio and TV. Daniel O'Donnell fans are the most loyal anywhere and have an insatiable appetite for information on their star. Although much has been written about him, FOLLOW YOUR DREAM is his story, the Untold Story, written by Daniel with his fans in mind. It unlocks the door to his private world, taking the reader back to Daniel's childhood years, through the difficult early days on the road and his life as a superstar. The book reveals the man you never knew before, as he talks about success, love and the driving ambition that almost wrecked his life.
Yes, Taoiseach by Frank Dunlop
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 355 pages
Frank Dunlop became Fianna Fáil's first Press Officer in 1974 and Ireland's first Government Press Secretary in 1978. For nearly two decades he had a bird's eye view of the good that politicians do, and the bad. Sitting at the shoulder of the legendary Jack Lynch during his fall from power; working with the most intriguing, charismatic - and beleaguered -politician of his generation, Charles Haughey; observing how Haughey's worthy opponent Garret FitzGerald, turned the screw on his embattled boss; dealing with men like Des O'Malley, Ray MacSharry, Albert Reynolds, Charlie McCreevy and an up and coming young fellow called Bertie Ahern - Dunlop saw it all. And Yes, Taoiseach is a sparkling, intimate and unsparing chronicle of his experiences.
Love and the Monroes by Suzanne Power
Paperback; 11.00 Euro / 14.50 USD / 8.00 UK; 465 pages
DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT AND AGAINST ALL ODDS? Marilyn Monroe is a thirty-something mathematical genius who applies a percentage calculation to yield the perfect man. But so far she hasn't even found the wrong one. Elizabeth, her mother, has replaced men with an addiction to all things New Age. Having her heart broken once proved enough. CHANCES ARE YOU'RE NOT A MONROE Brigid, head of 'the family shrub', has devoted her life to schooling her descendents against the kind of foolish marriage she made. But she's done her job to well. But all is about to change...When the tealeaves predict that the men are coming to No 51 Verbena Avenue, Brigid, having made a discovery of her own, sets out to ensure that the prophesy is fulfilled before it's too late. Love and the Monroes is an enchanting story of three women whose lives are upended when they open their door to chance, cupid and consequence. Not even the tea leaves can predict what's in store...
The Magnificent Irish Wolfhound by Mary McBryde
Large Hardback; 70.00 Euro / 90.00 USD / 50.00 UK; 335 pages, with colour and black-and-white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
The Irish Wolfhound, the biggest of all dog breeds, has an ancient history, dating back some 3,000 years. These giant-sized hounds were used for hunting wolf, deer and wild boar, and they were even used in battle to pull men off horseback. However, by the 19th Century numbers had dwindled, and following the Irish Famine of 1845, the breed almost died out. Fortunately, a revival took place, and today the Irish Wolfhound has a strong, enthusiastic following worldwide. This is the most comprehensive book to date on the Irish Wolfhound - indeed, it is one of the most impressive books ever published on a single breed. The Irish Wolfhound is traced through its chequered history to its emergence as an impressive show dog and a lovable, gentle companion. Extensive coverage is given to choosing and rearing a Wolfhound puppy, with particular emphasis on diet and exercise during the vital growing period. The Breed Standard is analysed in detail, and there is expert guidance on training the Wolfhound for the show ring. Using her extensive experience, the author gives invaluable advice on breeding Wolfhounds, and there is a complete section on health care and breed associated conditions. Illustrated with more than 200 top-quality colour photographs showing the breed in all aspects, this is essential reading for all Wolfhound enthusiasts.
Brabyns Handbook of Irish Wolfhounds by D.E.S. Hudson
Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 75 pages, with black-and-white photos [Add To Basket]
Written by the late Suzanne Hudson specifically for those new to the breed , this book distills the seventy or so years' experience the author had with wolfhounds, from her childhood with her father's dogs in the twenties till her recent death in Ireland. A recommended starting point for the new enthusiast.
Nell by Nell McCafferty
Paperbakc; 10.00 Euro / 13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 450 pages [Add To Basket]
Journalist Nell McCafferty has been an iconic figure in Ireland for over thirty years. Nell is the revealing story of the woman behind the image. Whether describing her challenging and tender relationship with her mother, Lily; her fears about being gay; war on the streets of her native Derry; the blossoming of feminism in Ireland; or the joy of finding a domestic haven with the love of her life, Nuala O'Faolain and the pain of losing it, McCafferty doesn't spare anyone, least of all herself, in telling the truth of her life. The result is Nell: a journey that is moving, funny, inspiring and often jaw-droppingly frank.
The Catalpa Tree by Denyse Devlin
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 450 pages [Add To Basket]
When Jude is orphaned at fourteen, her father's best friend comes to the rescue. Oliver wants to remain her friend as well as her guardian, but spirited Jude isn't a girl you can shelter from the world - not after she's already suffered so much heartache. And with each passing year, both Jude and Oliver struggle in their own ways against the ties that bind them. What place has love inside and outside of their relationship? Who is really protecting whom - especially when Jude grows into a desirable young woman? And what future can a relationship with so many complications ever really have?
An End to Flight by Vincent Banville
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 235 pages [Add To Basket]
Michael Painter, an Irishman teaching in a Catholic Mission School in Nigeria, is, by temperament and choosing, an observer. Boredom and the fear of emotional involvement seem always to prevent him from taking a decisive leap. And so, as the relief planes lift the European doctors, teachers and priests out of a country convulsed by a violent Civil War they cannot comprehend, Painter remains behind. Still in search of something to give meaning to his life, Painter is submerged in the conflict as rival armies shuttle back and forth across the enormous battlefield, wreaking identical cruelties, slaughtering and being slaughtered. For Painter, as for the starving Biafrans, there is no real end to flight. In a spare, muted style, Vincent Banville communicates the horror of Africa at war in a work of extraordinary power and depth. This is a timely reissue of a celebrated and award-winning novel that paints a picture of the beginnings of a struggle that endures to this day.
Gregory Carr, Bookseller
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