Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 406 - 10 March 2008
Irish History
Blood on the Streets: 1916 & The Battle for Mount Street Bridge by Paul O’Brien
Paperback; 13 Euro / 19 USD / 9 UK; 130 pages
"Blood on the Streets" explores the people, the places and the context of the real events of the battle for Mount Street Bridge. Based around the bridge over the canal at Mount Street, three well-positioned groups of volunteers led by Lieutenant Michael Malone held out against a far greater number of British soldiers arriving from Kingstown. In scenes that were reminiscent of the terrible warfare of the Western Front in World War I, British soldiers advanced under heavy fire against rebel positions.This book contextualises the battle and the events surrounding the Rising itself and features the only account written by a British army officer of the executions at Kilmainham jail in the aftermath of the Rising. It also features a fascinating analysis of the tactics and strategy not just of the battle but of the whole Rising.
The Biggest Show in Town: Record of the International Exhibition, Dublin 1907 by Ken Finlay
Trade Paperback; 20 Euro / 30 USD / 15 UK; 156 pages [Add To Basket]
In 1903 W.F. Dennehy, editor of the "Irish Independent", called for an Exhibition on a new scale; one that would truly show Ireland's quality of produce and capability for trade. The Exhibition opened in 1907 and Dennehy edited an "Official Record", a valuable document now housed in some of the city's libraries. The Exhibition attracted the public, the press and even the King, but little is known of it today. The Herbert Park pond remains, but any other evidence rests in libraries and postcard albums.Now, a century later, Ken Finlay has revived this momentous event, combining the Report with a modern, objective introduction. Finlay gives an entertaining commentary on those elements conveniently glossed over in the Official Report; he reveals that the sideshows attracted such attention that the organisers deliberately limited them, lest the 'artisan' classes spend more time laughing than learning! The Biggest Show in Town, with official Exhibition pictures, and images from the author's collection, is a splendid record of an event that remains unmatched in Ireland's history.
The Bray and Enniskerry Railway by Liam Clare
Trade Paperback; 15 Euro / 20 USD / 10 UK; 126 pages, with black and white photos throughout
Between 1840 and 1910, more than a dozen proposals were put forward to link the village of Enniskerry to the town of Bray by rail or tramway. Some never developed beyond a gleam in the eye of an entrepreneur, while others got bogged down in the complicated legal and political procedures involved in seeking approval for any new rail or tramway scheme. Several schemes survived this process but failed to raise the finance necessary to commence the work.Construction began on just one undertaking and was 'proceeding very satisfactorily' until unforeseen financial problems, arising from a partnership with a shady finance company, brought the work to a sudden stop. The result was an unfinished railway, which was a target for vandalism, a focus for litigation and the cause of a scramble by creditors to recover their assets. The track, only recently laid, was ripped up again and sold off. The less-easily-liquidated features - the embankments and cuttings and the walls and bridges - soon began to decay. Today very few remnants remain to remind us of the vision and hopes of the Victorian entrepreneurs. By way of context, several other contemporary rail and tramway projects within the North Wicklow area are mentioned.
Irish Walled Towns by John Givens
Hardback; 30 Euro / 40 USD / 20 UK; 250 pages, with full colour photographs, maps and illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
Ireland's history can literally be found in its walled towns. The Vikings in 9th century Dublin, the Anglo-Normans in 13th century Fethard, and the English Planters in 17th century Derry all found themselves surrounded by intransigent belligerents and responded by building walls. These walls were instrumental in the history, development and layout of Ireland's key towns and cities and are essential to an overall understanding of Irish history. In "Irish Walled Towns", the story of each of 20 key settlement areas throughout Ireland is told. Illustrated with contemporary photographs as well as historical maps and drawings, "Irish Walled Towns" explores a fascinating aspect of Ireland's history and heritage. Towns and cities profiled in "Irish Walled Towns" include Athenry, Athlone, Carlingford, Carrickfergus, Cashel, Clonmel, Cork, Derry, Drogheda, Dublin, Feathard, Galway, Kilkenny, Kilmallock, Limerick, New Ross, Trim, Waterford, Wexford and Youghal.
Haunted Belfast by Joe Baker
Trade Paperback; 15 Euro / 20 USD / 10 UK; 100 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout
The paranormal history of Belfast is one that has often been forgotten, buried under the decades of regional upheaval. However, for centuries there have been stories, encounters and sightings of Belfast's resident apparitions, from the young girl who cannot leave the Ballymacarrett railway station where she was killed, to Galloper Thompson, the mysterious figure on horseback. "Haunted Belfast" shares these stories, among many others. We are told the well-known tales that have been circulating for years, along with many lesser-known but equally chilling accounts of supernatural encounters. From poltergeists to apparitions, ghostly smells to spooky sounds, this fascinating collection is certain to appeal to anyone with an interest in the supernatural history of the area.
Rising Out: Sean Connolly of Longford by Ernie O’Malley
Paperback; 20 Euro / 30 USD / 15 UK; 200 pages
This previously unpublished manuscript tells the story of Brigadier Sean Connolly, O/C of the Longford Brigade, who was fatally wounded in action on 11 March 1921 at Selton Hill, near Mohill (Co. Leitrim), by British forces during the War of Independence. Comdt-General Ernie O'Malley came across the story in interviews with Tan and Civil War survivors in the early 1950s. The account makes Connolly come alive as a person - his schooling, love of music, education, farming family background and devotion to the nationalist cause. O'Malley, who had actually organised the Irish Volunteers in parts of the area and had known many of the local leaders, gives the social setting for the IRA activities and explains the subtle roles of the IRA General HQ, of the Catholic Church and the Anglo-Irish gentry. Most memorably, it describes in detail what the fighting men actually did locally and what a local leader had to do in order to organise his men.
British-Irish Relations and Northern Ireland: From Violent Politics to Conflict Regulation by Brendan O’Duffy
Trade Paperback; 25 Euro / 38 USD / 19 UK; 256 pages [Add To Basket]
This book examines the evolution of British Irish relations since 1921 and applies theories from political and social sciences, including international relations to the Irish/Northern Irish case. The book includes the generation and analysis of primary data on violence and constitutional debate; the analysis of primary sources such as state papers and elite interviews with British and Irish officials, representatives of constitutional political parties in Northern Ireland and leaders and activists of republican and loyalist parties/organisations. Part 1 looks at how the attempt to regulate the Irish nationalist challenge to the British state (through dominion status for the Irish Free State and partition) impacted on governance in both jurisdictions. The re-opening of the (Northern) Irish Question in the late 1960s is then analysed to demonstrate the continued primacy of opposing claims to national self-determination and their impact on subsidiary levels of conflict. The final part, covering the year 1985 to the present, then demonstrates how the relative equalization of national status, reflected in the bi-national, inter-governmental relationship, has been successful in regulating conflict by integrating, vertically, the bi-nationality at state, governmental and societal levels. Finally, implications of the British-Irish approach are developed as contributions to the comparative theory and practice of ethno-national conflict regulation.
In Belfast by the Sea by Frank Frankfort Moore
Paperback; 24 Euro / 36 USD / 18 UK; 200 pages [Add To Basket]
"In Belfast by the Sea" originally appeared as a series of 61 articles in the "Belfast Telegraph", 1923-4. They comprise Moore's recollections of Victorian Belfast and Bangor between his childhood in the 1860s and his departure for London in 1892. Highpoints are a tour of the city centre in which he recollects the shops and public buildings as they were in his youth, his reminiscences of his education at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, and his description of the city's musical and theatrical life. His descriptions of the development of the city's water and transport networks include an account of the first public appearance of the Dunlop inflatable tyre and travelling conditions on the early railway services.
Carson’s Army: The Ulster Volunteer Force 1910-22 by Timothy Bowman
Hardback; 80 Euro / 110 USD / 55 UK; 248 pages [Add To Basket]
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) was established in January 1913, as a militant expression of Ulster Unionist opposition to the Third Home Rule Bill. It built on the foundations of pre-existing paramilitary activity and, at its height in early 1914, reached a strength of 100,000. During the Great War the UVF provided the basis of the 36th (Ulster) Division and in 1920 the force was partially reformed to counter the I.R.A. threat to the new Northern Ireland state.
Academic historians have tended to overlook Ulster Loyalism. This book provides the first comprehensive study of the UVF in this period considering in detail the composition of the officer corps, the marked regional recruiting differences, the ideologies involved, the arming and equipping of the UVF and the contingency plans made by UVF Headquarters in the event of Home Rule being imposed on Ulster. Using previously neglected sources, Timothy Bowman demonstrates that the UVF was better armed and worse trained, with the involvement of fewer British army officers than previous historians have allowed. He suggests that the UVF was quite capable of seizing control of Ulster and installing the Ulster Provisional Government in the event of Home Rule being implemented in 1914 but provided few benefits to the 36th (Ulster) Division and failed to reform in any meaningful way in 1920.
Devolution and Constitutional Change in Northern Ireland edited by Paul Carmichael et. al.
Hardback; 80 Euro / 110 USD / 55 UK; 300 pages [Add To Basket]
This edited book, written by a collection of scholars with an interest in Northern Ireland, tracks its uneasy experience with devolution following the optimistic political period associated with the 1998 Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. The volume brings together researchers from the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) 'Devolution and Constitutional Change' Programme and other experts to record four key perspectives on Northern Ireland. First, it considers the inextricable link between devolution and constitutional developments. Second, it examines how the main political parties responded to devolution and the major challenges faced by society in moving beyond conflict (such as political symbolism, the role of women, equality and human rights issues). Third, it attempts to assess some of the workings of devolved government in its short-lived form or those seeded in devolution and carried on by direct rule ministers. Finally, Northern Irelands devolved government and associated institutions are located within the wider relationships with Westminster, the Republic of Ireland and Europe. This edited volume will be of interest to students of Irish politics and public policy, but more generally, from a comparative perspective, those with an interest in devolution and constitutional change. It may even assist politicians in Northern Ireland to reflect on the real potential to restore its devolved institutions and draw back from the brink of permanently copper-fastening 'direct rule' from Westminster.
Immigration and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland edited by Bryan Fanning
Trade Paperback; 23 Euro / 30 USD / 15 UK; 262 pages [Add To Basket]
Immigration and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland addresses the impact of recent rapid social, economic, political and cultural change on Irish society. It includes chapters on citizenship and constitutional change, returned emigrants, the economic contribution of immigrants, the exploitation of migrant workers, asylum seekers and forced migrants, immigrant communities, politics, integration models and choices and social policy. It will be of immense interest to students and general readers interested in racism and social change resulting from immigration from the disciplines of sociology, social policy, human geography, politics, law and psychology.
The Great White Fair: The Herbert Park Exhibition of 1907 by Gerard Siggins
Trade Paperback; 17 Euro / 24 USD / 12 UK; 122 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
One hundred years ago almost 3,000,000 people visited a fair on an unimpressive piece of scrubland between the two prosperous South Dublin villages of Ballsbridge and Donnybrook. The Irish International Exhibition, however, wasn't just a funfair of swings and roundabouts, but an ambitious enterprise designed to show off the best of Irish industry and crafts, and to attract visitors from overseas to sample its myriad entertainments. Enormous buildings rose to the sky and a wonderful array of exhibits and attractions went on display. It was an extraordinary feat of organisation, and of entrepreneurship.
Maritime Ireland: An Archaeology of Coastal Communities by Aidan O’Sullivan and Colin Breen
Trade Paperback; 25 Euro / 38 USD / 19 UK; 256 pages, with black-and-white illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
Ireland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean yet, while archaeologists, historians and historical geographers have commonly accepted this island status, they have rarely explored the role of the sea in the development of the cultures and societies of this land. The country's leading two maritime archaeologists explore the material evidence for maritime life and traditions of Ireland from 7000 BC to the present day.
Please note: Prices were correct at time of original posting but are subject to subsequent change without notice.
Gregory Carr, Independent 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