Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 321
Dublin Cinemas: A Pictorial Selection by Jim Keenan
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 130 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout
This book features many of Dublin’s oldest and best-loved cinemas. The images evoke memories of an earlier pre-television era when each suburb had its own local cinema, and seven cinemas graced O’Connell Street. Most of these old cinemas have long since vanished, but this pictorial compilation records a selection of them for posterity. It includes not only the luxurious downtown venues, but also may of the city’s notorious ‘flea-pits’. While most of the photographs are of cinema facades, some show the ornately-designed interiors. The magnificent, original auditoria of two Super Cinemas, the Theatre Royal and the Savoy, are particularly well illustrated. The book is also illustrated with maps, advertisements and photographs of cinema staff. Augmented with short commentaries, the book provides a valuable record of local history of some of Dublin’s most memorable cinemas.
Padraic Fallon: A Poet’s Journal & Other Writings 1934-1974 edited by Brian Fallon
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 336 pages [Add To Basket]
Poet and playwright Padraic Fallon (1905-74) was an active and prolific reviewer-critic in the leading Irish periodicals of his day. He wrote principally for Dublin Magazine, The Bell and The Irish Times where he was befriended by its famous editor R.M. Smyllie. He came to know the leading Irish literary figures of his time - Yeats, George Russell (AE) and most especially Austin Clarke, with whom he shared a serious engagement with the Gaelic literary tradition. The essay-reviews here include his influential 'Poets' Journal' from The Bell, with connective pieces on Synge, Yeats, AE, O'Casey, F.R. Higgins, James Stephens, Graves, Pound, MacNeice, Kinsella, Hughes and Larkin, salted by others on the Elizabethan playwright Cyril Tourneur and Ibsen. In this interpretive work he proves himself a lucid, eloquent modernist of the first order. This volume, marks the centenary of Fallon's birth in Athenry, Co. Galway. It is introduced and edited by his son, The Irish Times critic and writer Brian Fallon, who has also edited his father's Poems and Versions (1983), Collected Poems (1990) and Collected Plays (2005).
The Disappearing Irish Cottage by Clive Simmons and Seamus Harkin
Large Format Paperback; 18.00 Euro / 24.00 USD / 12.00 UK; 100 pages, with full colour illustrations throughout
The subject matter of this study -- the fate of vernacular Irish cottages -- although essentially regional in emphasis (north Donegal) -- is, in the authors' opinion, a matter of national concern, if not scandal. Large numbers of these former 'jewels' of the Irish countryside are disappearing yearly; so that now few exist even as ruins. Sadly, in some cases misguided planning policies of local authorities and past lack of any conservation provisions has hastened their demise, particularly with the controversial advent of 'bungalow' bliss' and one-off building in the Irish countryside, which is in effect, the other side of the coin. In an ideal world, this profusely illustrated study should have been done at least twenty years ago to record what in such a short time has now been lost for ever. For it is unlikely that the time-consuming structural methods of the past -- and the mining and preparation of local materials such as flags and slates -- will ever come about again; so that, for example, a slate roof deliberately removed or collapsed from neglect is a roof most likely gone for ever. The Irish countryside is undoubtedly the worse for this process;and in time, if not already, it will in the authors' view impinge adversely on the tourist industry -- the 'Irish cottage' featuring in the famous John Hinde photographs now being very hard to find in the rural parts of Ireland. It is, therefore, the aim of this small study to tell, with photographic evidence, a tale which could be replicated in any part of the Atlantic fringe of Ireland, recording before it is finally lost what little remains of this important part of Irish tradition. Hopefully in so doing it may prick the consciences of officialdom and others to act to save this vital part of Irish heritage.
Navan Fort, County Armagh: Archaeology and Myth by Chris Lynn
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 130 pages [Add To Basket]
Navan Fort, Co. Armagh, is owned by the Department of the Environment and is managed by the Environment and Heritage Service. At intervals over a period of some 40 years the staff of the Department have carried out, collaborated in and sponsored archaeological survey, excavation and research into this famous site and the monuments in the surrounding landscape. This book is an attempt to provide a straightforward summary of that work and includes an account of one of the most interesting and intriguing archaeological excavations carried out in Ireland. The site of the legendary and 'far-famed' Emain Macha (now known as Navan Fort) has been known from before the beginning of Irish history. There is a possibility that some of the legends associated with it have come down to us from a time when such myths were a part of everyday life and religion. In the myths and legends of the Ulaidh (the 'Ulstermen') Emain is portrayed as a royal headquarters, the capital of a warlike aristocracy and a place of assembly for the people occupying the northern quarter of Ireland. Early Irish myth and legend are of great interest because they preserve elements of a prehistoric tradition that have not survived elsewhere. This book attempts to tell the story of the excavations at Navan Fort and more recent discoveries in the area. It is a personal account, coloured by first-hand experience, and is told in a matter-of-fact way, in the hope that the significance of the rapid series of discoveries leading to unexpected conclusions will keep interest alive. Navan Fort is often said to be Northern Ireland's most significant prehistoric site, and the excavation and fieldwork that have taken place over the last 40 years have made a significant contribution to our understanding of the date and purpose of this magnificent monument.
Irish Country House Cooking: The Blue Book Recipe Collection by Georgina Campbell
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 175 pages, with colour illustrations throughout
The fourth edition of this popular book gives a new range of best-loved recipes from over forty historic Irish country houses, country hotels and restaurants throughout the country: Establishments featured are members of the premier association of country houses, The Irish Country Houses and Restaurants Association ('The Blue Book'), which is committed to the highest standards of accommodation, food and hospitality. The Blue Book is a member of the European Federation of Historic Houses This completely new edition reflects changing times in the hospitality industry: three of Dublin's top restaurants are now Blue Book members, thus elegant dishes from L'Ecrivain, Chapter One and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud are included: Classic Country / City Chic! Recipes celebrate the natural riches of Irish land and sea that influence the cooking at these premier establishments: local seafood, freshwater fish, game, fruit, vegetables, herbs and farmhouse cheeses are all featured, often from their own gardens, farms and rivers
Made in Belfast by Vivienne Pollock and Trevor Parkhill
Trade Paperback; 20.00 Euro / 25.00 USD / 13.00 UK; 130 pages, with black and white illustrations throughout
In 1900 Belfast had the world’s biggest linen factories and its largest ropeworks. Its shipbuilding industry produced more tonnage than any other city’s - Titanic and Olympic were both built here. But it was also home to clockmakers, printers, musical instrument manufacturers, engineers, tobacco manufacturers, glassworks, lemonade makers, builders, biscuit makers and car manufacturers. They all feature in Made in Belfast.
Drawing on the unique collections of the Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland, this is a photographic record of the city at work.
The Irish Writer and the World by Declan Kiberd
Large Paperback; 23.00 Euro / 28.00 USD / 16.00 UK; 330 pages [Add To Basket]
"The Irish Writer and the World" is a major new book by one of Ireland's most prominent scholars and cultural commentators. Declan Kiberd, author of the award-winning "Irish Classics" and "Inventing Ireland", here synthesises the themes that have occupied him throughout his career as a leading critic of Irish literature and culture. Kiberd argues that political conflict between Ireland and England ultimately resulted in cultural confluence and that writing in the Irish language was hugely influenced by the English literary tradition. He continues his exploration of the role of Irish politics and culture in a decolonising world, and covers Anglo-Irish literature, the fate of the Irish language and the Celtic Tiger. This fascinating collection of Kiberd's work demonstrates the extraordinary range, astuteness and wit that have made him a defining voice in Irish studies and beyond, and will bring his work to new audiences across the world.
Famine by Liam O’Flaherty
Paperback; 12.00 Euro / 15.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 430 pages [Add To Basket]
Dublin the Great Famine of the 1840s over three million Irish people lost their lives or were forced to flee the country. This classic novel tells the story of three generations of the Kilmartin family as they fight to survive. It is a story full of human tragedy, courage and passion.
December Bride by Sam Hanna Bell
Paperback; 12.00 Euro / 15.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 262 pages [Add To Basket]
A classic of Ulster life by one of the twentieth-century’s greatest writers. Sarah Gomartin, the servant girl on Andrew Echlin's farm, bears a child to one of Andrew's sons. But which one? Her steadfast refusal over many years to ‘bend and contrive things' by choosing one of the brothers reverberates through the puritan Ulster community, alienating clergy and neighbours, hastening her mother's death and casting a cold shadow on the life of her children.
Shipbuilding in Waterford, 1820-1882 by Bill Irish
Large Format Paperback; 40.00 Euro / 50.00 USD / 30.00 UK; 270 pages, with black-and-white illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
Bill Irish’s story of the Waterford shipyards highlights the role of Quakers as entrepreneurs, and particularly as risk-takers, who were willing to fund new enterprises, providing rare economic relief to underdeveloped areas without the guarantee of a good return on their investment—a rarity in Ireland, and a glimpse or reminder of what might have been. Their shipbuilding ventures in Waterford were as technologically advanced as any similar development of the day, and they certainly primed and brought to fruition the industrial revolution on the banks of the Suir. Shipbuilding in Waterford is illustrated with a large range of line etchings, lithographs, oil paintings, photographs, movie stills and video images, which on their own would constitute an invaluable historical record; coupled with the meticulously researched text, they make the book an important addition to our understanding of Ireland’s industrial and cultural history.
Irish Highwaymen by Stephen Dunford
Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 15.50 USD / 10.50 UK; 242 pages [Add To Basket]
1690: The Battle of the Boyne by Padraig Lenihan True stories of the brigands,rapparees and Highwaymen of history. The life and times of fifteen of Ireland`s most notorious adventurers are told here; audacious ambushes,sword and gun battles with land lords and military,daring escapes,hideouts and disguised identities,plots,betrayals and raids - and sometimes brutal ends by hanging,beheading and gunfire.
Large Format Paperback; 20.00 Euro / 25.00 USD / 14.00 UK; 240 pages [Add To Basket]
Bill Irish’s story of the Waterford shipyards highlights the role of Quakers as entrepreneurs, and particularly as risk-takers, who were willing to fund new enterprises, providing rare economic relief to underdeveloped areas without the guarantee of a good return on their investment—a rarity in Ireland, and a glimpse or reminder of what might have been. Their shipbuilding ventures in Waterford were as technologically advanced as any similar development of the day, and they certainly primed and brought to fruition the industrial revolution on the banks of the Suir. Shipbuilding in Waterford is illustrated with a large range of line etchings, lithographs, oil paintings, photographs, movie stills and video images, which on their own would constitute an invaluable historical record; coupled with the meticulously researched text, they make the book an important addition to our understanding of Ireland’s industrial and cultural history.
Gregory Carr, Bookseller
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