Read Ireland Book News - Issue 72
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Brace Yourself Bridge It! By Martin Turner (Paperback; 6.50 IRP / 9.99 USD) [Add To Basket]
Subtitle: A Guide to Irish Political Relationships, 1996-1998. Throughout the two years of unprecedented political foreplay in Ireland - coy flirtations, dangerous liaisons, come-ons and cold shoulders - Martin Turner's cartoons have lampooned each breathless, passionate step. This book looks at Irish and British relationships north and south, east and west, up and down and here and there. Mercilessly depicting the antics of both ingenues and disingenuous as they try to get it together - the northern peace process, the Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrats coalition and the Irish presidential campaign - this new collection of Irish political cartoons features all the stars, from the newly Nobel-crowned Hume and Trimble, to Ahern and Adams and Mowlam, and with cameo performances from Blair, Clinton, Haughey and McAleese.
Drawing Conclusions: A Cartoon History of Anglo-Irish Relations 1798-1998 by Ray Douglas, Liam Harte and Jim O'Hara (Paperback; 17.10 IRP / 25.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This is the first major study of Anglo-Irish relations to use political cartoons as a basis for historical and cultural analysis, covering the two centuries from the 1798 United Irishmen Rising to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Political cartoons often expose a nastier underside to contentious issues than is apparent on the surface of polite society. This is especially true of cartoons dealing with the long-running Irish question, many of which feature harsh cultural stereotypes. Here the unique value of cartoons as historical evidence is revealed and analysed, particularly for what they divulge about the prejudices of cartoonists and their target audiences. Over 250 cartoons - graphic, witty, sometimes downright vicious - are reproduced from British, Irish, European and American sources. Each is accompanied by an informative explanation of the historical context and further depth is provided by lucid, concise accounts of each key period. Essential reading for any interested in the complexity and nuances - past and present - of the relationship between Ireland and Britain.
Death of a Chieftain by John Montague (Paperback; 6.99 IRP / 10.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
Long renowned as one of Ireland's greatest poets, John Montague, recently appointed Ireland Professor of Poetry, displays his second gift, as a writer of fine short stories, in this superb collection. These nine stories extend from Northern Ireland to Dublin, and even, in the daring title story, to Mexico. They focus on such compelling and diverse themes as the conspiracy of sadism between schoolmaster and schoolchildren; the fantasy world of a lonely farm boy; political scheming in a city office; the struggles of a gifted artist in bohemian Dublin. 'The Cry', an astonishingly prescient story, is one of the first to describe the beginnings of the Troubles, and 'An Occasion of Sin,' written in the voice of a young French woman confronting Irish attitudes towards sex, is a small masterpiece. But it is the title story which dazzles most of all. Anticipating magic realism, this tour de force describes the astonishing Bernard Corunna Coote and his Mexican campaign to establish that the Irish founded America! This collection is undoubtedly one of the most important collections of short stories to emerge from an Irish writer in this century. Originally published in 1964, it has been reprinted in a handsome edition to coincide with this most recent collection.
A Love Present and other Stories by John Montague (Paperback; 6.99 IRP / 10.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
In this exciting new collection of short stories, the author explores some of the many forms, mysteries and stages of life and love through the seven ages of man. Carefully and lovingly, he unwraps his gift to the readers, gradually revealing a world of innocence and prejudice, of chastity and incest, of tenderness and desire. An emotionally rich volume, these stories provide a captivating and provocative read.
The Victory of Sinn Fein by P.S. O'Hegarty (Paperback; 10.95 IRP / 16.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
This fascinating eyewitness account of the events in Ireland from the Easter Rising in 1916 until 1923 is now back in print for the first time since it was originally published in 1924. It is written from a now almost forgotten viewpoint - that of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. O'Hegarty's heroes were Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins and he took the Pro-Treaty side in 1921, strongly opposing those who assumed a continuing mandate for force after ratification of the treaty. The book contains vivid character sketches of Griffith, Collins and de Valera and is a classic of Irish history.
Some Ethical Questions of Peace and War by Walter McDonald (Paperback; 9.95 IRP / 15.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This book was first published in 1919 shortly after the December 1918 General Election when Irish voters handed an electoral mandate to the Sinn Fein party. The author was horrified that much of the Catholic Church, as Professor Tom Garvin writes in his introduction 'could be accused of following popular passion rather than trying to moderate and enlighten popular opinion, arguably the true function of a Catholic priest.' McDonald's view was that the British state had been regarded as legitimate by the Church and most of the people on the island for a long time. He was a loyal member of the Church but believed that its hostility to freedom of thought, free speech and intellectual enquiry would endanger its future. He also argues against those nationalists who had supported the prospect of a German victory in the First World War, which in his view would have brought about the ruin of Britain and Ireland. McDonald knew that his views were controversial but he was also aware when he wrote this book that he had a short time to live. This neglected but fascinating book provides an unusual insight into the thinking of the time.
Into the Light: An Illustrated Guide to the Photographic Collections in the National Library of Ireland by Sarah Rouse (Paperback; 9.95 IRP / 15.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This guide describes, indexes and illustrates the nearly 90 collections of almost 300,000 photographs in the holdings of the National Library of Ireland's Photographic Archive. It extends the information provided by previous National Library publications. Images described in this guide range from the mid-1840s to 1996. Most are topographical views, documentary images and portraits. Their value is informational, artifactual and aesthetic. Almost all depict Irish subjects or persons, and were taken by Irish photographers. As a group, the images provide a sweeping visual history of Ireland, and each collection tells its own story. Individually, the photographs give rich evidence of places, events, and people who have shaped the nation. For browsers, the guide will spark ideas; focuses researchers can find specific collections useful in their work.
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