Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 116
The Flowing Tide: More Irish Set Dancing by Pat Murphy (Paperback; 9.99 IEP / 13.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This book provides a selection of set dances, including some danced in the United States and Canada. It includes dances that have been revived since the publication of Toss the Feathers, among them old traditional sets and some sets more associated with competition set dancing, such as the 'Ballyroan Half Set,' the 'Drumgarriff Half Set', and the 'Kildownet Half Set'. There are also two waltz sets and two sets from Canada, one from Cape Breton and the other from Prince Edward Island. The sets are laid out in conventional set terminology and can be easily followed by teachers, pupils and anyone who has an acquaintance with the art of set dancing.
Contemporary Irish Monologues: 60 Audition Speeches for Men and Women edited by Jim Culleton and Clodagh O'Donoghue (Paperback; 7.99 IEP / 10.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
A collection of 60 diverse audition speeches for men and women selected from the finest Irish plays of the last thirty years. Contemporary classics such as Brian Friel's 'Faith Healer', Tom Murphy's 'Bailegangaire', Sebastian Barry's 'The Steward of Christendom', John B. Keane's 'Big Maggie', Frank McGuinness' 'Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme', and Jennifer Johnston's 'Desert Lullaby' are complemented by more recent, ground-breaking plays such as Conor McPherson's 'The Weir', Marina Carr's 'Portia Coughlan', Martin McDonagh's 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane', and Marie Jones' 'A Night in November'. These sixty speeches explore a broad diversity of themes, moods and characters - from the serious to the comical, the real to the surreal. A short introductory note also firmly sets into place contexts and backgrounds to each piece. Introduced by famed Irish theatre director Joe Dowling, this book is an indispensible resource for actors, students, directors and teachers.
Death of a Soldier by Rita Restorick (Paperback; 12.90 IEP / 17.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
Twenty-three year-old Stephen Restorick was killed by a sniper's bullet on 12 February 1997 as he manned a checkpoint in south Armagh. This book, published to mark the third anniversary of his death, is the moving testimony of his remarkable mother, Rita. Written in a direct, spare style with no hint of self-pity, the book nevertheless captures and conveys with almost unbearable poignancy the intense grief which became for Rita a powerful impetus to work for peace in Northern Ireland. Her compassion and feeling for the people of the north as they inch their way towards peace, and her personal understanding of how immensely difficult the oft-demanded 'compromises' can be - the prospect of an early release under the Good Friday Agreement for the man convicted of her son's murder is torturing her - make this extraordinary book as compelling as it is courageous.
Jail Journal by John Mitchel (Hardback; 57.50 IEP / 75.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
In 1847, John Mitchel broke with his moderate colleagues on The Nation to found The United Irishman. His articles for this were so outspoken that he was tried on charges of sedition in 1848 and sentenced to transportation. He was taken first to the prison hulks of Bermuda, then to the Cape of Good Hope, finally to Tasmania. From there he escaped, arriving in New York at the end of 1853. This account of his experiences first appeared in the New York newspaper, The Citizen, and exerted a powerful influence on later nationalists. This facsimile edition makes available an important book.
Celtic Sacred Landscapes by Nigel Pennick (Paperback; 12.99 IEP / 17.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
In this engrossing study, the author shows the reader the holy sites of Ireland, Britain and mainland Europe through Celtic eyes, reinvesting each feature of the landscape with its spiritual, symbolic and mythological importance. From the original Celtic site of the castle at Tintagel, passing through the sacred forest of Broceiliade in Brittany and on to themonastery of Scelig Mhiuchil off the coast of Ireland, the author takes the reader on an exhilerating spiritual and historical tour of the Celtic holy places of Europe. He delves into the mystery and lore behind the power of sacred trees and stones; healing springs and wells; holy mountains and islands; sacred caves; sanctified earthworks and cities; paths; abodes of demons and supernatural beings; hidden temples; and the holy places of the Celtic Saints. Through these themes, supported by a wide-ranging gazetteer of sites, the author reveals the continuing importance of the relationship between Celtic traditions and the landscape. is book brings together photographs of fifty Irish lighthouses, together with the author's comments about each one. It also includes description, where they are located and how to find them. It is not meant to be a definitive guide to every Irish lighthouse, but a taster to whet the appetite of those who might not have seen the beauty of these structures before. This book will also be appreciated by anyone with an interest in lighthouses.
Castles in Ireland: Feudal Power in the Gaelic World by Tom McNeill (Paperback; 16.75 IEP / 21.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
The castles of Ireland are an essential part of the study of medieval Europe. This book tells the story of the nature and development of lordship and power in medieval Ireland. Ireland formed the setting to the interplay of the differing roles of competing lordships: English and Irish; feudal and European and Gaelic; royal and baronial. The author argues that the design of the castles contests the traditional view of Ireland as a land torn by war and divided culturally between the English and the Irish.
Something for the Weekend by Pauline McGlynn (Paperback; 9.99 IEP / 13.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
Leo Street is fed up. It's her thirtieth birthday and it's raining again. Her home town of Dublin is no 'New Barcelona'; her job as a private investigator brings nothing but heartache and unpaid bills; and Barry, her permanently resting actor boyfriend, treats her house like a free hotel - without giving her the benefits of room service. So she's rather relieved when a loathsome client sends her away to County Kildare to spy on his supposedly cheating wife. The one catch is she has to masquerade as a member of a cookery course and the only piece of culinary equipment Leo can handle is a tin opener. As she strips away layers of marital infidelity - not to mention several other scandalous secrets - Leo battles with bread-making and brulee. But where will it all end - in triumph or tragedy? This novel introduces the reader to an irresistible heroine and marks the debut of a talented comic writer.
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