Read Ireland Book News - Issue 43
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Brandon Book of Irish Short Stories edited by Steve MacDonagh (paperback; 6.99 IRP/ 10.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
The reputation of Irish short story writing, associated with the great names of James Joyce, Sean O'Faolain and William Trevor is long established. What this collection demonstrates is the vibrancy of Irish writing today, featuring many of the outstanding writers who have emerged during the last 20 years. Variety and diversity are hallmarks of the present generation, reflecting in some instances a casual internationalism, in others, a sharp-edged representation of a society in rapid transition.
The writers included in this handsomely-produced collection are: Sara Berkeley, Jennifer Cornell, Roddy Doyle, Brian Leyden, Bernard MacLaverty, Dermot Bolger, Philip Davison, Ciaran Folan, Molly McCloskey, Patrick McCabe, Mary O'Donnell, Patrick Quigley, Marina Carr, ursula De Brun, Desmond Hogan, Mike McCormack, Philip MacCann, Glenn Patterson and Lucille Redmond.
Going to the Well by Alice Taylor (paperback; 6.99 IRP / 10.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
Alice Taylor is the author of the best-selling memoir, To School Through the Fields. This new collection of poetry, her first for ten years, will delight her many readers. In her poetry she reflects the same concerns as in her memoirs and fiction, but in this new book there is also a strong religious element, focusses in particular on a series of reflections on a visit to the Holy Land. There is humour, too, and she observes with a wry affection the varieties of human experience encountered in country life today. For her the themes are small and intimate, drawn from patterns of everyday life.
Celtic Names for Children by Loreto Todd (paperback; 4.99 IRP / 7.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
The definitive guide to Celtic names - more than 2000 names from Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, wales and the Isle of Man. All over the world parents are choosing Celtic names for their children. Some are drawn from ancient legends, others commemorate places or saints, and all provide a glimpse of the richness of Celtic tradition.
This book contains over 2000 alphabetically listed names for boys and girls; associated myths and legends; helpful pronunciation guides; cross-references and comprehensive index; most common variant spellings; commentary on the origin and meaning of most entries.
A Glassful of Letters by Evelyn Conlon (paperback; 7.99 IRP / 12.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
Friendship, love and isolation - both self-imposed and involuntary - and the quiet bravery of one woman are at the heart of this novel from one of Ireland's most distinctive and energetic voices.
The time is the recent past, a period of unprecedented re-examination in Ireland. Diverse but tightly knit, the men and women of this novel are related to each other by family ties or by the simple fact of living in the same Dublin street and their skilfully interlinked stories reflect the pressures - and pleasures - generated by rapidly changing social values.
Flexibly whifting from straight narrative to a chain of lively, intimate correspondence, this novel is outstandingly warm and intelligent.
A Pocket Book of the Banshee by Patricia Lysaght (paperback; 4.99 IRP / 7.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
The banshee or messanger of death has existed in Irish folk belief for centuries. A female spirit, her unearthly wailing is heard by family and friends of a dying person. Traditions about the banshee are widespread among the Irish at home and abroad. This book traces the origin of those traditions, their development and current expression in myth and folklore. It explores death and mourning as expressed through belief in the banshee.
The Blasket Islands: Next Parish America by Joan and Ray Stagles (paperback; 9.99 IRP / 15.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
The beautiful Blasket Islands off the southwest coast of Ireland, though now deserted, once sustained a thriving community. It was a hard life, struggling to make a living from poor land and the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. But the islanders also had a unique tradition. Dependent on each other for survival and entertainment, they developed a rich culture of storytelling that produced the literary talents of Thomas O Criomhthain, Peig Sayers and Maurice O'Sullivan, and attracted Celtic scholars from all over the world.
The authors of this book were fascinated by the Blaskets from their first visit in 1966, and spent many years compiling a history of the island. They spoke to ex-islanders, traced family genealogies, researched the housing and intricate field systems. This book is the result of that research and includes a moving account of the trauma of the Famine in the 1840s and the slow erosion of the islands' unique culture to that bleak day in 1953 when the Blaskets were finally abandoned. It is illustrated with maps and evocative photographs.
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