Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 455
8&9 August 2009
The Wild & Garden Plants of Ireland by Charles Nelson with Paintings by Wendy F. Walsh
Hardback; 32 Euro / 40 USD / 25 UK; 280 pages
The jewel-like watercolours of renowned Irish botanical artist Wendy Walsh portray a personal selection of about 100 plants that grow wild in Ireland or are cultivated in Irish gardens. Presented in 33 thematic sections,Walshs subjects range from well-loved and distinctive native plants to exotic species introduced from the New World and Asia, unusual plants that grow in some of the most extreme environments in Ireland, and striking hybrids created by plant breeders. Lively and accessible horticultural descriptions by distinguished botanist E. Charles Nelson accompany the paintings, celebrating the story of each plant along with its natural beauty. The great gardens, famous plantsmen, fascinating journeys and natural phenomena that have shaped the flora of Ireland spring to life in Dr Nelsons engaging text. This elegant and unconventional guide will kindle the imagination of any plant lover or admirer of the Irish landscape.
Music and Madness by Ivor Browne
Large Paperback; 15 Euro / 18 USD / 11 UK; 360 pages [Add To Basket]
Ivor Browne is Professor Emeritus, University College, Dublin and retired as Chief Psychiatrist of the then Eastern Health Board in 1994. This book charts the growth of one man's journey in relation to psychiatry and human development. Ivor Browne has been a central and controversial figure in Irish life up until the mid-nineties when he retired. This book charts the career of a man who has always been respected for his compassion, quirky way of thinking and fearless opposition to orthodox psychiatry. More importantly, he tells of how he came to each one of his conclusions. Ivor Browne has had a positive input into Irish life on both sides of the border. As a young man he was given a fellowship to Harvard University where he studied Public and Community Mental Health. He returned to Ireland determined to put what he had learned into practice and it was his initiative which took the care of mental patients away from large institutions into the community. He conceived and was director of the Irish Foundation for Human Development. This set up the first Community Association in Ireland in Ballyfermot one of the early large housing estates in Dublin. Ballyfermot was merely a housing estate without any facilities, he went in with a professional team and helped the residents to turn it into a thriving working class community. This project was so successful that an offshoot was established in Derry, called the Inner City Trust which not only rebuilt, but transformed the city of Derry during the years it was being torn down by both sides in the conflict. The work of rebuilding was done by young people of Derry, who were trained by the Trust and inspired away from taking part in the destruction of their home town. Derry was made a model for The Prince of Wales' urban village development project and other urban renewal developments around the world.
Ringside Seats: An Insider’s View of the Crisis in Northern Ireland by Robert Ramsay
Large Paperback; 25 Euro / 32 USD / 19 UK; 332 pages, with an 8-page black-and-white photo insert
This title provides an insider's first-hand account of many of the most turbulent moments in Northern Ireland's recent history. The author rose to the rank of Deputy Secretary in the Northern Ireland Civil Service, having been Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and experienced and recorded such events as the Civil Rights campaign; the rise of the provisional IRA; the fall of O'Neill; the Faulkner institutional initiatives; internment; and, Bloody Sunday, the introduction of Direct Rule, the last days of the old Stormont and Edward Heath's decision to prorogue the Northern Ireland Parliament. An often personal account of events as they unfolded, the author also paints pen portraits of the principal personalities involved, their actions and motivations. The personalities described are not only those in the political limelight, but also senior officials, whose behind-the-scenes influence has frequently made a significant impact on government policies and decisions. The author also gives an informed commentary on the development of the overall situation, drawing on sources within the administrative machine and the security forces.
The second half of Ramsay's career took him to the top of the administrative tree in Brussels and his account of that period traces the tortuous path from Common Market towards integration, via the stages of the constitutional treaties. Uniquely, the author's role brings together the macro political world of the EU and the micro situation in Northern Ireland, in the preparation of the European Peace and Reconciliation Programmes of the 1990s.
Irish Nationalism and European Integration: The Official Redefinition of the Island of Ireland by Katy Hayward
Large Paperback; 20 Euro / 28 USD / 16 UK; 280 pages [Add To Basket]
How has it been possible for Irish political leaders to not just accept but actively promote two of the largest challenges to Irish nation-statehood - the concession of sovereignty to the European Union and the retraction of the constitutional claim over Northern Ireland? This book argues that, rather than indicating a pragmatic retreat, such decisions (and their justification on the public stage) reveal the unique power and enduring relevance of nationalism to Irish and European politics today. As the most detailed study to date of official discourse in twentieth century Ireland - indeed of any EU member-state - this book traces the ways in which nationalism can be simultaneously redefined and revitalised through European integration. The text moves from an overview of the origins and development of Irish official nationalism to analyse the connections between its response to profound internal and external challenges to Irish nation-statehood. The genius of the Irish approach to such challenges has been to employ innovative EU-inspired concepts in finding agreement with and within Northern Ireland, whilst simultaneously legitimising further European integration on the grounds that it fulfils traditional nationalist ideals. Thus, Irish political leaders have been successful in not only accommodating potent nationalist and pro-European discourses but in making them appear complementary. The book concludes with an assessment of likely changes in this symbiotic relationship in the post-EU enlargement, post-Celtic Tiger era. This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in twentieth-century history, modern nationalism, and contemporary political dynamics in Ireland and the European Union.
A Pint of Plain: Tradition, Change and the Fate of the Irish Pub by Bill Barich
Large Format Paperback; 12 Euro / 16 USD / 10 UK; 242 pages [Add To Basket]
A Pint of Plain is a quest to chronicle the state of the Irish pub today, and thereby to examine Irish culture at a time of great change. When the American writer Bill Barich moved to Dublin, he began searching for a traditional pub to serve as his local. Although he had no shortage of choices, he had trouble finding one that measured up to the archetypal ideal portrayed in Ireland's literature and such iconic movies as The Quiet Man. That suggested something deeper was at play - a shift in the country's values and identity. As Barich roamed from hectic urban pubs to their dwindling rural counterparts, he met an array of extraordinary characters whose lives are bound up in the trade. He blends the history of Guinness into his account, and also explores the impact of the firms that export 'authentic' Irish pubs around the world. A Pint of Plain will be irresistible to anyone who has been touched by Ireland and cares about its future.
Comments by Colum McCann: 'Long ago, I figured out that I would simply read whatever Bill Barich writes. Here, with a sweet eye for detail and in a tone of genial longing, Barich's miscellany of the Irish grogosphere voices a reluctant farewell to the old Ireland, as the new Ireland hastily enters the great global mall culture beyond the seas' Richard Ford 'Bill Barich gets to the heart of the Irish pub, but he also gets to the soul of contemporary Ireland. At times it's through the glass darkly - as well it should be - and this book is never without wit or style or charm. Barich has got to be one of the most writerly pub-goers around' Colum McCann
I Used to Be Irish: Leaving Ireland Becoming American by Angeline Kearns Blain
Large Paperback; 15 Euro / 20 USD / 11 UK; 270 pages [Add To Basket]
Like so many Irish girls, 18-year-old Angeline Kearns saw her handsome GI as a rescuer from the grey skies of Ireland to the Hollywood-tinted USA. She flew happily away to the States in 1957—a bit scared, but blessing her luck. But she quickly learned that America was not Ireland. The cheerful family life she had known in Dublin’s Irishtown was a world away from her husband's sober Maine Protestant upbringing. Adapting to Cold War America, appearing to be the perfect wife, the happy shopper, the all-giving mom, became an endurance test. Then a childhood trauma came back to haunt her. Working her way out of her depression she went back to school and then to university (an opportunity, as she bitterly notes, not offered in de Valera’s Ireland) and began exploring a whole new life, personal and political. She, who used to be Irish, had become American. Over two million Irish women have gone to the US in search of liberty and happiness. In this sharply observed memoir Angeline Kearns Blain movingly evokes the culture shock, trauma and re-invention experienced by every immigrant.
'With earthy candour, Angeline Kearns Blain fearlessly explores the challenges of a new land. Her journey in search of the mythical American dream is told with humour and honesty, as she discovers both America and herself.' Dr Lisa McClain, Associate Professor of History and Director of Gender Studies, Boise State University.
Angeline Kearns Blain was born in Dublin in 1938. She emigrated to the United States in the late 1950s, married and had three sons. After raising her family she enrolled in basic education classes, continuing to university where she earned an MA degree. She has been Adjunct Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies for twenty years at Boise State University, Boise Idaho.
Anail An Bheil Bheo: Orality and Modern Irish Culture edited by Nessa Cronin, Sean Crosson and John Eastlake
Hardback; 50 Euro / 75 USD / 40 UK; 270 pages [Add To Basket]
Anáil an Bhéil Bheo brings together a stimulating range of interdisciplinary essays considering the connections between orality and modern Irish culture. From literature to song, folklore to the visual arts, contributors examine not only the connections between oral and textual traditions in Ireland, but also the theoretical concept of orality itself and the corresponding significance of oral texts in Irish society. Featuring work by emerging scholars in the fields of history, literature, folklore, music, women s studies, film and theatre studies and disciplines contributing to Irish Studies, this multifaceted volume also includes contributions from scholars long engaged with issues of orality such as Gearóid Ó Crualaoich and Henry Glassie.
Tales and Legends of Irish Peasantry by Samuel Lover
Paperback; 5 Euro / 8 USD / 4 UK; 318 pages
Large Format Paperback with 8 page full colour photo insert; 12 Euro / 16 USD / 10 UK; 300 pages [Add To Basket]
"Legends & Stories of Ireland" is the first volume of the collected tales of Samuel Lover, renowned Irish writer, musician and artist. These tales, the 'literary bantlings' of the author, have come to life over time, through bar-room legends and fireside fables. It has been Lover's achievement to shape them into the fine point through which they have entered the literary canon. Lover's musical ear for dialogue has here combined with his skilled portraiture - this collection has been illustrated by the author - to produce a wonderful volume to treasure.
More Legends and Stories of Ireland by Samuel Lover
Paperback; 5 Euro / 8 USD / 4 UK; 255 pages [Add To Basket]
More Legends & Stories of Ireland is the second volume in the set.
Irish Folk and Fairy Tales edited by Gordon Jarvie
Paperback; 10 Euro / 13 USD / 8 UK; 225 pages [Add To Basket]
Emerging from a people with an absolute belief in 'the little folk', the fairy tales of Ireland are part of one of the richest folk literatures in the world. Many of Ireland's finest writers, inspired by the work of folklorists like the Brothers Grimm, have created masterly retellings of the traditional stories of their own homeland. In this wonderful collection of stories by writers like Carleton, Yeats and Lady Wilde, a legion of fairy folk - giants, leprechauns, witches and mermaids - help, hinder, charm and terrify their mortal neighbours. Much-loved tales include the story of the farmer who offends the fairies by building on their dancing ground, the king who loses his wife in a chess game and the smith who learns his skill at working brass and iron during his seven-year apprenticeship to the giant Mahon MacMahon. The heroes and saints of the Celtic sagas are here as well, in beautifully written versions of the old bardic stories of Finn, Deirdre, Cuchulain and Brigid. Still wielding the power to enthral and enchant modern readers, these ancient tales open the door to a strangely familiar world of mystery and magic.
Shiprocked: Life on the Waves with Radio Caroline by Steve Conway
Paperback; 13 Euro / 18 USD / 10 UK; 210 pages, with an 8-page full-colour photo insert [Add To Basket]
Dublin-born Steve Conway emigrated to the UK at the height of the mid 80s recession, like so many of his generation. Working as an IT engineer in London Steve's life seemed safe and predictable, until he found himself caught up in the world of illegal pirate broadcasting. Joining a weekend rock music pirate station in South London led to a visit to the famous Radio Caroline ship, Ross Revenge, and a dramatic sea chase. Now determined to join the crew of Caroline, a sudden job offer in the dead of night could not be refused, even though it meant leaving his secure IT job with not even a day s notice. Over the next years, dodging storms, disasters, police roadblocks and the odd flying saucepan Steve rose from the position of newsreader through presenter to eventually become Radio Caroline's Programme Controller. ShipRocked: Life On The Waves With Radio Caroline tells the tale of Steve's life on the (air)waves and the pirate radio ships constant battle for survival and its eventual dramatic shipwreck. In its heyday Radio Caroline had upwards of 23 million listeners and even in later years the audience still numbered over 5 million. The station still runs today, on satellite, and is funded completely by volunteer subscribers, who cover costs, wages, overheads, and even the upkeep of the ship Ross Revenge the last vessel used to broadcast 'Caroline. Radio Caroline has fanclubs and listeners (old and new) in Ireland and the UK plus France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and the USA. The owner and founder of Radio Caroline was Ronan O Rahilly, grandson of The O Rahilly of 1916 fame. Irish DJ's and writers who have worked on Caroline include: Gareth O'Callaghan, Paul McKenna, and Stuart Clarke. The station also launched the careers of Radio Nova and Sunshine Radio bosses Chris Carey and Robbie Dale.
This is Ireland: A Children’s Classic by M. Lasek
Hardback; 13 Euro / 18 USD / 11 UK; Full Colour Throughout [Add To Basket]
A colorful title first published in 1964 brings the Emerald Isle to life with its beautiful cities, enchanted lakes, green mountains, and Blarney Stone, and includes updated facts in the back of the book.
Ultimate Guide to Hurling by Gavin Mortimer
Paperback; 10 Euro / 13 USD / 8 UK; 48 pages, full colour photos throughout [Add To Basket]
Want to know how to score goals like Henry Shefflin? Or save them at the other end like Damien Fitzhenry? Top tips throughout the book show how everyone can improve their playing skills. Learn how to perfect catching skills and how to carry the sliothar on the hurley. Improve tackling skills including the block, the hook and the side pull. Learn how to get extra height and length on the sliothar. Learn what the referee, umpires and linesmen do and what their signals mean.
Please note: Prices were correct at time of original posting but are subject to subsequent change without notice.
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