Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 347
Michael Flatley: Lord of the Dance by Michael Flatley
Hardback; 24.00 Euro / 29.00 USD / 18.00 UK; 320 pages with two 16-page colour inserts
From the international star of "Riverdance", "Lord of the Dance" and, now, "Celtic Tiger", comes a no-holds-barred autobiography that reveals the person, the passion and the drama behind Michael Flatley's astonishing career. Michael describes growing up as the son of Irish immigrants in a tough Chicago neighbourhood and the many years he struggled to make real his dream of becoming a professional Irish dancer. He was in his mid-thirties when he was asked to create "Riverdance" for the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, bursting onto our television screens with a dazzling dance sequence. Just as his dreams were being realised, Michael was shattered when he and "Riverdance" parted company. Now Michael explains what really happened backstage and describes how he went on to create the enormously successful "Lord of the Dance". Michael also deals openly with the controversies that have surrounded his success, such as the 2003 rape charge, his turbulent love life and the illness and injuries that have threatened his career. Filled with commentary from family, friends and colleagues and brimming with Michael's Irish charm and good humour, this book is the very personal story of a man who has lived life to the fullest according to his own credo: nothing is impossible.
In Full Flood: A Memoir by Finbarr Flood
Paperback; 14.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 9.00 UK; 230 pages [Add To Basket]
'In Full, Flood' is a warm, honest and reflective book which chronicles the four main phases of Finbarr Flood.s life. His initial infatuation and fledgling career in football, his rise to the very top of Guinness in Ireland, his period chairing the Labour Court and his role as chairman of Shelbourne Football Club. From his roots in inner city Dublin through to his contacts with many of the principle players in Irish public life, Finbarr Flood has garnered and retained great respect in his many fields of activity. His book recounts his many roles and the pleasures and difficulties that he sometimes encountered.
The Orange Order: A Tradition Betrayed by Brian Kennaway
Hardback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 280 pages
As Orangemen marched in west Belfast in September of 2005, Protestant paramilitaries fired on army and police in the worst street riots seen in Belfast for 10 years and Northern Ireland's Chief Constable squarely blamed the Orange Order. Now, with publication timed to coincide with the start of the 2006 marching season, an extraordinary book opens the lid on this secretive, powerful and beleaguered organisation whose future is inextricably tied to that of the United Kingdom itself. Established in Ireland in 1795, the Orange Order aimed to promote Protestantism and celebrate the memory of William of Orange. But religious and political allegiances became inseparable. Today, the Order is reduced to around 30,000 active members, increasingly publicly identified with an unyielding, bigoted Unionism expressed in the thousands of marches it stages each year, all too often the flashpoint for violence. For Orangeism, like Unionism, is at a crossroads, and a long way from the peaceful tolerance it preaches.
The Wearing of the Green: A History of St. Patrick’s Day by Mike Cronin and Daryl Adair
Large Paperback; 17.00 Euro / 20.00 USD / 11.00 UK; 330 pages [Add To Basket]
Every year, all over the world, millions of Irish people, both native and by descent, together with their non-Irish friends, celebrate the life of a man who died over 1500 years ago. St Patrick's Day is a boisterous festival of parading and revelry, dancing and drinking, emblazoned with shamrocks and harps, and all in emerald green. The fascinating story of how the celebration of 17 March was transformed from a stuffy dinner for Ireland's elite to one of the world's most public festivals is captured for the first time in The Wearing of the Green: A History of St Patrick's Day. Long celebrated with more fanfare in New York than in Dublin, the holiday has been criticized for its loss of religious meaning, ever-increasing commercialism and embarrassing displays of drunkenness. More recently, it has become a flashpoint between political divides within the Irish community. At the same time, however, it has served to unite Irish emigrants worldwide, whether they be in America, Australia or Canada.
The Lost Houses of Ireland: A Chronicle of Great Houses and the Families Who Lived There by Randal MacDOnnell
Hardback; 20.00 Euro / 25.00 USD / 15.00 UK; 230 pages with black-and-white photos throughout
There is a growing fascination with Irish houses. This important pictorial record, made available for the first time by modern photographic technology, shows 25 houses and castles at the time when the original families were still in residence and their interiors and contents were intact, just before they sank into oblivion, burdened by debt and decay. The text tells the story of the families who owned these wonderful houses, their sometimes ruthless beginnings, their extravagant and often eccentric ends.
Death on a Country Road by Desmond Fahy
Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.00 USD / 9.00 UK; 188 pages
On the way home that night through south Armagh Sean Farmer and Colm McCartney were stopped at what later transpired to be a bogus security forces checkpoint. Less than an hour later, their bodies were found at the side of the road in the townland of Altnamackin, a few miles outside Newtownhamilton. This book is the first attempt to tell the men's story. It is a vividly imagined re-creation of the time and circumstances of the murders coupled with an examination of their factual background. The murders were particularly significant because they represented the first time that the GAA had found itself targeted by terrorists in such a public and blatant way. Many more attacks on its members would follow in the next two decades. At its core this book reveals both the human stories of loss behind the headlines that the murders generated and the inadequate official investigation which followed. But above everything else this is the story of the lives and deaths on a country road in rural Armagh of Sean and Colm, two friends on their way home from a football match.
Monday at Gaj’s: The Story of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement by Anne Stopper
Large Format Paperback; 17.00 Euro / 21.00 USD / 12.50 UK; 243 pages [Add To Basket]
"Monday's at Gaj's" traces the lives of a fascinating group of women who founded Ireland's first radical women's rights organisation - the Irish Women's Liberation Movement. Gaj's was the Baggot Street restaurant, now closed, where the IWLM, as well as other activists, poets other people on the margins, met every Monday night. When the group formed in 1970, the marriage bar was in place, contraception was illegal and women's issues were just beginning to be debated publicly. The women who formed the IWLM - Mairin de Burca, Mary Maher, Nell McCafferty, Rosita Sweetman and Mary Kenny, to name but a few - were some of the most dynamic, controversial and exciting public figures of their time. Many were well-known journalists and political activists and they were able to grab the public's attention as no women ever had because they were fearless, charismatic and trained in skilful communication. The IWLM's main accomplishments included the publication of a charter of demands, appearance on a special "Late Late Show" devoted to women's issues and organising the Contraceptive Train to Belfast, which was the first public challenge to the ban on contraceptives. What sets "Monday's at Gaj's" apart from other histories of the women's rights movement is that it is based on a series of personal interviews with the activists themselves, allowing the IWLM founders to tell their own stories in their own words. Learning about their early lives and the motivations behind their brave activism makes it easier to understand the nature of the women's liberation movement at that particular time. It also personalises the story, inviting readers to become engaged with the struggle to bring about change, and allows the women to reflect on how their perspectives on women's rights have changed in the 35 years since the group's disintegration. With numerous photographs and additional interviews with well known observers, "Monday's at Gaj's" paints a fascinating portrait of an exciting period in Ireland's cultural history.
Take the Kids: Ireland by Amy Corzine
Trade Paperback; 19.00 Euro / 24.00 USD / 13.00 UK; 306 pages [Add To Basket]
Visits Dublin with its museums, castle and zoo - goes picnicking in the beautiful countryside of County Cork - cheers on a game of hurling - expends some energy beachcombing, hill trekking, horse-riding and dolphin watching - listens in wonder to Ireland's myths and legends. Natural History Museum: This wonderful unchanged Victorian museum is part of the National Museum of Ireland network and is called Dublin's 'Dead Zoo' because it is stuffed full of stuffed animals. Children of a scientific bent will love its musty old atmosphere where its ground floor (the Irish Room) contains Irish insects, strange-looking earth and sea-creatures in jars, and mammals, including skeletons of the extinct giant deer known as the Irish Elk, and the skeleton of a basking shark.
Tales from Old Ireland by Malachy Doyle with illustrations by Niamh Sharkey
Large Format Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 100 pages, with colour illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
This enchanting collection of favourite 'Irish folk' tales, deserves to be read aloud at every hearth. The larger-than-life characters, dramatic landscapes and magical happenings are sure to keep listeners and readers absorbed for many happy hours. Brand new gift edition now comes packaged with two free audio CDs.
Introduction to Celtic Mythology by David Bellingham
Large Format Paperback; 8.00 Euro / 10.00 USD / 6.00 UK; 130 pages with full-colour photos throughout [Add To Basket]
Recounts the stories of CuChulain, Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, Tristan and Isolt, and other Irish and Welsh myths, and discusses their role in ancient Celtic society and their survival in literature, art, and folklore.
Celtic Borders and Motifs by Lesley Davies
Large Format Paperback; 7.00 Euro / 9.00 USD / 5.50 UK; [Add To Basket]
Featuring decorative borders and motifs incorporating the elements of Celtic design, this design book is of interest to craftspeople, artists, needleworkers, and those interested in creating various projects.
Celtic Knots for Beaded Jewellery by Suzan Millodot
Large Format Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 80 pages [Add To Basket]
Learn how to make beautiful necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and earrings using real, three-dimensional Celtic knots combined with beads and pendants. Eighteen projects using step-by-step photographs show how to create stylish designs.
Celtic Calligraphy: Getting Started by Fiona Graham-Flynn
Spiral Hardback; 10.00 Euro / 14 USD / 7.00 UK; [Add To Basket]
Using the Celtic lettering style, this book shows how to hold and use a calligraphy pen, the basic shapes and strokes of the letters, the elements of design, and layout of the page. It is designed in full colour, with a box built into the spine containing a calligraphy pen with thick and thin nibs.
The Penguin Ireland Guide to Championship 2006 by Damian Cullen
Paperback; 10 Euro / 14.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 230 pages [Add To Basket]
"The Penguin Ireland Guide to Championship 2006" is the second annual edition of the only authoritative guide to the All-Ireland hurling and Gaelic football championships.
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