Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 364 - 27 January 2007
Engineering Ireland edited by Ronald Cox
Large Hardback; 50 Euro / 65 USD / 38 UK; 370 pages with full colour photos throughout
Engineering Ireland is a project of the Irish Academy of Engineering, a learned society of the engineering profession founded in 1998 with the aim of advancing the science and practice of engineering in Ireland as an essential element in the development and advancement of living standards. One of the objectives of the Academy is to stimulate interest in the preservation and presentation of Ireland's engineering heritage, and to identify and highlight outstanding Irish engineering achievements. It was decided to chronicle the story of engineering on the island of Ireland and Dr Ron Cox, Director of the Centre for Civil Engineering Heritage, was appointed as Editor-in-chief and director of the project. The book aims to reflect the nature of engineering in all its facets, from military, civil, mechanical, electrical and other branches of the profession, to the successful completion of projects throughout Ireland. The first chapter provides an overview of the history of engineering in Ireland, how the profession evolved, education and training, and the establishment and growth of institutions such as the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. In succeeding chapters, the historical development of the different areas of engineering application is presented in more detail. This will provide an insight into the activities of the engineering profession and enable members of the public to appreciate the significant and invaluable contributions made by Irish engineers over many decades to the quality and advancement of Irish life.
A Guide to Dublin Bay: Mirror to the City by John Givens
Large Format Paperback; 20 Euro / 26 USD / 14 UK; 270 pages, with black and white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
Dublin Bay has always been at the centre of the history and development of Dublin City, but only in relatively recent times has it been appreciated as a valuable public amenity in its own right. Long viewed primarily in terms of shipping and transport - and as a convenient place to dump Dublin's waste - today it is enjoyed by thousands of sailors, windsurfers, cliff walkers, painters and others who are grateful to have this remarkable natural resource on their doorstep. "A Guide to Dublin Bay" looks at all aspects of what has been called Dublin's greatest asset: Dublin Bay in History, from the Battle of Clontarf to the sinking of the HMS Leinster by a German U-boat; Business on the Bay, with profiles of Irish Ferries, Stena Line, Dublin Port Co, the fishing industry and others; Watersports on the Bay, from sailing to scuba diving to swimming at the Forty Foot Baths in Sandycove; Safeguarding the Bay, with descriptions of the Martello towers, Poolbeg, Bailey and other lighthouses and the Irish Lifeboat Service; and the Natural Environment, looking at birdwatching, the Bull Island nature reserve, environmental issues, coastal marshes, water quality and exotic sea life. It also looks at: Day Trips on and by the Bay, including SeaSafari and other tours, cliff walks, and the Dart tour from Howth to Bray; Literary Links with the Bay, featuring James Joyce's Ulysses and Finnegans Wake; The Battle for the Bay, describing the controversies over repeated attempts at infills and other commercial development of the Bay, and the vigorous objections to them; and, the Future of the Bay, looking at the current proposals for sensible development of the Bay so that it can be enjoyed by all. With dozens of photographs, maps and illustrations, "A Guide to Dublin Bay" will be of great interest to both locals and tourists, and indeed to anyone with an appreciation of this unique and exceptional natural resource.
A Dublin Documentary by Thomas Kinsella
Hardback; 20 Euro / 26 USD / 14 UK; 112 pages
A beautiful collection of poems, reminiscences and stunning photography brings Thomas Kinsella's Dublin to life. Here, Kinsella's poems are shaped around personal recollections of the places and people closest to his heart. We are offered an insight as to what inspired him to write these poems and the result is a deeply personal part - memoir, part - poetry collection that will be treasured by readers of Kinsella for years to come.
Seventeenth Century Ireland by Raymond Gillespie
Trade Paperback; 20 Euro / 26 USD / 14 UK; 350 pages [Add To Basket]
Most surveys of seventeenth-century Ireland approach the period using war, conquest, plantation and colonisation as their organising themes. This book tries to understand the century in a different way. It does not see Ireland as a passive receptor of colonial ideas imposed from above. Raymond Gillespie argues that the seventeenth century was a uniquely creative moment in Ireland's history, as the various social and political groups within the country tried to forge new compromises. He also shows how and why they failed to do so. Well-established ideas of monarchy, social hierarchy and honour were under pressure in a fast-changing world. Political, religious, social and economic circumstances were all in flux. The common ambition of every faction was the creation of a usable focus of governance. Thus plantations, the constitutional experiments of Wentworth in the 1630s, the Confederation of the 1640s, the republican 1650s and the royalist reaction of the latter part of the century can be seen not simply as episodes in colonial domination but as part of an on-going attempt to find a modus vivendi within Ireland, often compromised by external influences. This book is not simply a narrative history of politics in seventeenth-century Ireland. It is a social history of governance that, while dealing with the main political, religious and economic developments, has at its interpretative core the process of making a new society out of competing factions.
The Philosopher and the Druids: A Journey Among the Ancient Celts by Philip Freeman
Hardback; 28 Euro / 35 USD / 19 UK; 222 pages
This is the first book to fully explore one of the great journeys of the ancient world. Celtic studies are an increasingly popular topic at academic level and Philip Freeman is acknowledged as one of the foremost scholars in this field. It is accessibly written to appeal to every level of reader. It provides widespread review coverage. Serialisation is under negotiation. In the first century B.C., the Celts were famed throughout the ancient world for their savagery, reputed to be cannibals and headhunters. A young Greek philosopher called Posidonius decided to discover the truth about the Celts for himself and embarked on one of the great adventures of his age. Journeying deep into Gaul, decades before Caesar conquered Gaul, Posidonius discovered the Celts to be a sophisticated people who studied astronomy, composed poetry and gave their women a greater degree of freedom than any other society at the time. Posidonius was to record Celtic civilisation in its final decades, when druids held the central role in its society, before its destruction by Rome.
Cottage Industry: Portraits of Irish Artisans by Betsy Klein with photographs by Jersey Walz
Hardback; 30 Euro / 40 USD / 24 UK; 192 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout
In a world where you can find the same cup coffee on every corner and goods may be mass produced thousands of miles away from where they are sold, it is both thrilling and reassuring to discover a thriving group of people working quietly with local Irish materials to create high quality products that are uniquely their own. In "Cottage Industry", Betsy Kline, introduces the still flourishing community of artisans in Ireland, including weavers, cheesemakers, shoemakers and oatmeal millers. Beautifully illustrated with insightful photographs, and fleshed out with personal accounts of how and why this group of people continue to eschew contemporary mass-production industry in favour of high-quality and deeply personal private business, it is shown how their work acts as a natural extension of their values and world, whose heartbeat continues to beat loudly beneath the roar of the Celtic Tiger.
The Blaskets: People and Literature by Muiris Mac Conghail
Trade Paperback; 19 Euro / 25 USD / 13 UK; 166 pages with black-and-white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
Off the south-west coast of Ireland, in the Atlantic Ocean, lies a group of islands known as the Blaskets. You can approach the Blasket Islands off the coast of Kerry by sea, travelling in over the treacherous Blasket Sound - An Bealach. That is one way to make the acquaintance of this remote, now uninhabited, and wildly beautiful archipelago. Or you can visit the Blaskets in spirit, delving into the remarkable small library of books that has made these islands famous in world literature. In this book, Muiris MacConghail, journalist, film-maker and Blasket enthusiast, opens up the Blasket Islands by both routes. Why did such a small, peasant community produce such a flowering of literary talent? How did these stories - stories of a simple people eking out a living on the very edge of Europe, written in a dying language - reach the bookshelves of the world? Who were the scholars and literary mentors that encouraged these talents into print? This lavishly illustrated volume tells the story in words and pictures and contains many fine photographs, most of which have never been published before.
Building the King’s Inn: A Favourite Study by Patricia McCarthy
Hardback; 30 Euro / 39 USD / 24 UK; 120 pages, with black-and-white photos, maps and illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
Examines the architecture and history of the King's Inns buildings on Constitution Hill, designed by James Gandon in 1800. Containing over fifty photographs and illustrations, this is a comprehensive guide to the society's architectural heritage.
The Last of the Portadown News by Newton Emerson
Large Format Paperback; 15 Euro / 18 USD / 11 UK; 140 pages [Add To Basket]
This book celebrates the final act of decommissioning in Northern Ireland, the putting beyond use of the Portadown News website. Newton Emerson's taste in humour is scurrilous, offensive and an affront to all right-thinking people. It is, therefore, exactly what Northern Ireland needed. The place won't be the same without him. This book is his goodbye.
Jenny Bristow Cooks for the Seasons: Autumn and Winter
Paperback; 15 Euro / 19 USD / 10 UK; 106 pages, full colour photos throughout [Add To Basket]
This is an unmissable book for Jenny's thousands of fans, or anyone interested in good food and the sheer joy of cooking. It is now in full-colour paperback format. The distinctive Bristow style of maximum results for minimum fuss is applied to dishes like spiced lentil soup, broomstick pumpkin kebabs, roasted autumn pork with nutty apple stuffing, hazelnut meringue with elderberry syllabub and poached plums and many more. There are sections on Christmas cooking, heart-warming drinks and luxurious sweet treats for giving - or for self-indulgence.
From Borroloola to Mangerton Mountain by Micheal O Muircheartaigh
Hardback; 25 Euro / 30 USD / 20 UK; 288 pages [Add To Basket]
Micheal O Muircheartaigh is best known as the voice of the GAA. But his interests and enthusiasms sporting and non-sporting go far beyond the fields of Gaelic games. In his new book, the follow-up to his bestselling memoir "From Dun Sion to Croke Park", Micheal brings us along on his travels around the world, and to the villages, townlands and sporting fields of the four provinces of Ireland. He recalls great days at the races dogs and horses and on the golf course, and in sporting stadiums great and small. Above all, he tells the stories of these places stories told as only Micheal can tell them.
Who Stole Our Game: The Fall of Irish Soccer by Daire Whelan
Paperback; 15 Euro / 19 USD / 10 UK; 255 pages [Add To Basket]
In the 1950s, League of Ireland grounds were packed to capacity every week. Yet, fifty years on, with more media attention and more money than ever being pumped into football, the Irish people have turned their backs on the game in this country. How has the League of Ireland failed so spectacularly over five decades? While the international team is strongly supported, and the English Premiership is a national obsession, who is responsible for the fall and fall of the League of Ireland? "Who Stole Our Game?" tries to find the answer. From mismanagement, pettiness and lack of foresight, to English soccer on TV and the rising dominance of the GAA, "Who Stole Our Game?" is a damning indictment of the officials and management of the FAI and the League of Ireland. Based on interviews with players, managers, fans, club owners and officials, Daire Whelan's book finds out why it was allowed to happen and what could have stopped the rot. What happened needn't have happened. More importantly, what does the future hold for Ireland's own beautiful game? Or is it doomed to disappear altogether?
Passion & Power: An Irish Missionary’s Fight Against Child Sex Slavery by Shay CullenPaperback; 13 Euro / 17 USD / 10 UK; 500 pages [Add To Basket]
The autobiography of three times Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Fr. Shay Cullen. With an introduction by former Irish President Mary Robinson. “Fr Shay is a very powerful inspiration,” according to American actor Martin Sheen who spent time with Fr. Shay in the Philippines. The book deals with how Fr. Shay has, during the past 37 years, fought against pedophilia and sex abuse against young children and women. This shocking book also deals with his campaign to get rid of the US Army bases in the Philippines. Killynon House Books are donating all our profits from sales of this book to Fr Shay’s world renowned charity, PREDA
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