Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 319
An Irish History of Civilization: Volume One by Don Akenson
Hardback; 35.00 Euro / 42.00 USD / 25.00 UK; 826 pages
St Patrick catching sight of Ireland for the first time as he is taken there as a prisoner...Joyce and Yeats eating sticky buns in a Dublin cafe...There has never before been an Irish history book remotely like this one, composed as a vast mosaic of incidents, encounters and vignettes. It is not so much a 'history of Irish civilization' as an 'Irish history of civilization'. In telling a wide range of stories about the Irish everywhere this historical-fictional account of the Irish peoples around the globe from the time of Christ to 1969 opens up the really big issues - the relationship between the minute particulars and the larger patterns which gradually become apparent. The stories themselves are by turns funny, acerbic, ironic, score-settling - never quite what they seem at face value. They are also deeply informed by the author's vast knowledge of Ireland, its history and its diaspora. For once the hyperbole is true - after this book, Irish history will never be the same again.
The Squad and the Intelligence Operations of Michael Collins by T. Ryle Dwyer
Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 17.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 270 pages [Add To Basket]
In 1919, Michael Collins conceived of a scheme to knock out the eyes and ears of the British Administration at Dublin Castle by undermining and terrorising the police so that the British would react blindly and drive the Irish people into the arms of the Irish Republican Army. The Bureau of Military History interviewed those involved in this scheme in the early 1950s with the assurance that the material would not be published in their lifetimes. A few of the contributions were made available by the families of those involved, but the bulk of them have only recently been released. This the first book to make use of those interviews. It makes fascinating, almost unique reading, because they contain first-hand descriptions in which men speaking candidly of their involvement in killing selected people at close range. As a result it throws a considerable amount of new light on the activities of the Squad and the intelligence operations of Michael Collins.
Dictionary of Munster Women Writers, 1800-2000 edited by Tina O’Toole
Hardback; 30.00 Euro / 36.00 USD / 24.00 UK; 325 pages
The subjects range from well-known figures like Kate O'Brien or Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, to a host of forgotten or neglected writers, singers or storytellers, and some brought to public notice for the first time. The Dictionary interprets "writers" very broadly, and includes unpublished diaries, journals, and letters, together with plays, documentaries, film-scripts and journalism, cookery books and manuals, as well as fiction and poetry. Many of the Irish language entries relate to contributions to the folk and song traditions rather to more conventional forms of writing. The project has been devised, in part, as a feminist recovery of women's writing, especially over periods when the surrounding society and culture had a distinctly patriarchal character (and women, for example, often wrote under male pen-names or anonymously), but it also offers a rich source work for those interested in local or regional identities, and a wide range of literary issues and figures. In conjunction with (and profoundly influenced by) the Field-Day Anthology of Irish Writing: Irish Womens' Writing and Traditions, this Dictionary will stimulate further research and inquiry and be an indispensable source book for many decades to come.
Dublin: A Cultural and Literary History by Siobhan Kilfeather
Paperback; 19.00 Euro / 27.00 USD / 13.00 UK; 300 pages [Add To Basket]
This book is a history of Dublin, with a remarkable feel for the way the past is embodied in bridges and alleyways, sculpture and slums. But in classical Dublin manner it also ambles and diverges, pausing to illuminate the reader about a whole range of subjects from duels to theatres, maternity hospitals to prisons, the Book of Kells to Bono, Politics, industry, painting, architecture, feminism, poetry, famine, armed insurrection: these are a mere handful of the topics explored in this extraordinarily rich account. Like all the finest surveys, it combines a deep affection for its subject with an astutely critical eye. There are a good many guides to contemporary Dublin, and a shelf-load of histories of the place; but to combine the two, as Kilfeather has done in the spirit of this series, is a rare achievement.
Beautiful Dreamer by Liz Ryan
Large format Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 278 pages
The bestselling author of THE YEAR OF HER LIFE and ONE MORE CHANCE returns with a captivating story of a woman searching for her true identity. Ciara has never needed to stand on her own two feet. Since she married handsome pilot Jake Lunny nearly twenty years ago she's devoted her life to running their attractive home, cooking, socialising and playing golf to further Jake's career. She spends Jake's money on keeping herself as beautiful as the day he met her: endless gym classes, diets and beauty products. After all her most important role is to look the part. And if beauty is only skin deep, then Ciara is the perfect wife. But her secure world crumbles after she witnesses a secretive glance between her husband and twenty-one-year-old Roisin at a dinner party. Ciara is bewildered to discover her husband's interest in this plain, mousy girl. When Jake leaves home to 'find himself' Ciara embarks on plastic surgery to entice him home. It takes her neighbour, independent fashion-designer Lee Warner, to teach Ciara that Jake might be looking for more than mere beauty in his wife. And for the first time, Ciara is forced to ask the question, 'Who am I?'.
How Will I Know? By Sheila O’Flanagan
Large Format Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 425 pages
It was love at first sight for Claire and Bill Hudson. They met at Claire's fifth birthday party and they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives. When baby Georgia came along, it was the icing on the cake. So when a tragic accident snatched Bill away, Claire felt like she'd lost everything - except Georgia. In the three years since, Claire has devoted her life to Georgia; she knows no man could ever replace Bill, and the child needs all her attention. Now Georgia's a teenager, though, and there's one thing Claire can't advise her on: dating. And so, purely to help her lovely young daughter in her journey through the teenage years. Claire sets out on some serial dating. And destiny is watching, again...
The Set-Up by Liz Allen
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 440 pages [Add To Basket]
In the bestselling style of Martina Cole comes this nail-biting thriller pitting a ruthless villain against a tough but vulnerable woman. Number One disappears after a night out with her girlfriends. She was young, successful and beautiful. Number Two disappears after working late at the office. She was young, successful and beautiful. Number Three disappears after a business trip to New York. She was young, successful and beautiful. The Dublin police are baffled, and call in Kate Waters, crime profiler, to give them a lead. Kate welcomes the job, but she has a history with the lead detective on the case, Timmy Vaughan, and they both fight to keep things on a firmly professional footing. As the investigation progresses, Kate and Vaughan realise they are dealing with some of Dublin's most vicious criminals - and that they seem to have an informer within their own ranks.
Celtic Angels by Donald McKinney
Trade Paperback; 17.00 Euro / 23.00 USD / 11.00 UK; 286 pages [Add To Basket]
Top Celtic expert reveals how to forge a long-term, life-changing relationship with your own Celtic angel. Angels have long been a source of protection, comfort, wisdom and joy, providing guidance and helping us to discover the connection between our day-to-day existence and our spiritual needs. For the ancient Celts, angels were a part of everyday life and were often thought of as a confidant, companion and counseller all in one. These powers of companionship, guidance and inspiration are needed now more than ever in our demanding modern world. In this illuminating guide, Donald McKinney reveals the secrets of the spiritual world inhabited by the Celtic angels, their role in the lives of the ancient Celts, and how to seek out and work with your personal angelic guide. Everyone's angel is waiting to help - with anything from day-to-day problems, to accessing your ancestors, to exploring your personal spiritual path through life.
The Transformation of Ireland 1900-2000 by Diarmaid Ferriter
Paperback; 20.00 Euro / 26.00 USD / 13.00 UK; 884 pages [Add To Basket]
In 1900 Ireland was a restless, impoverished, neglected corner of the British Empire. By 2000 it had become the 'Celtic Tiger'. How did this happen? And what of those who lived through it? In the first comprehensive account of Ireland in the twentieth century, Diarmaid Ferriter draws together the complex threads that make up Ireland's story- from the high drama of its politics, to the 'hidden pasts' drawn from memoirs and previously unused sources; from the bitter struggles over the North to religion, literature, family and football.
An Atlas of Irish History by Ruth Dudley Edwards
Large Format Paperback; 23.00 Euro / 29.00 USD / 15.00 UK; 300 pages [Add To Basket]
The history of Ireland and its people is one of incredible richness and variety. Combining over 100 beautifully crafted maps, charts and graphs with a narrative packed with facts and information, An Atlas of Irish History provides coverage of the main political, military, economic, religious and social changes that have occurred in Ireland and among the Irish abroad over the past two millennia. Ruth Dudley Edwards uses the combination of thematic narrative and visual aids to examine and illustrate issues such as: the Viking invasions of Ireland the Irish in Britain pre- and post-famine agriculture population change twentieth-century political affiliations. This new third edition has been comprehensively revised and updated to include coverage of the many changes that have occurred in Ireland and among its people overseas. Taking into consideration the main issues that have developed since 1981, and adding a number of new maps and graphs, this new edition also includes an informative and detailed section on the troubles that have been a feature of Irish life since 1969.
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