Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 125
To Ireland, I by Paul Muldoon (Hardback; 25.60 IEP / 33.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
This book contains Muldoon's Clarendon Lectures in English 1998. It is a display of scholarship, wit and intrigue, in an idiosyncratic wander through the alphabet of Irish literature. From a mischievous beginning in Amerigan - 'the first poet of Ireland' - Muldoon forges link after link between the disparate and the unlikely, until modernists and medievalists appear as congenial neighbours on the half-lit, literary streets of Ireland. From Beckett and Bowen, through MacNeice, Swift and Yeats - and ever-guided Joyce - this book tiptoes through the long grass of Irish writing, pirouetting at borders, diverting streams, into a landscape of pure Muldoon: of brilliant connections and irreverent asides, of improbably byways and unconventional leaps - but always a landscape of luminous engagement and genuine revelation. Muldoon's Ireland, shrouded in the feth fiada or 'magical mist' of Gaelic literature, emerges as a strange estate, half-in, half-out of what he calls 'the fairy realm.' A provocative A to Z, with a particular emphasis on the continuity of the tradition, this book is an extremely enjoyable jaunt through Irish literature from one of the most important poets of his generation.
Silver Lining: Travels Around Northern Ireland by Martin Fletcher (Hardback; 20.95 IEP/ 26.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
In this enchanting and highly original book, the author presents a portrait of Northern Ireland utterly at odds with its dire international image. He paints a compelling picture of a place caught in a time warp since the 1960s, of a land of mountains, lakes and rivers where customs, traditions and old-world charm survive, of an incredibly resourceful province that has given the world not just bombs and bullets but the Titanic, the tyre and the tractor, a dozen American presidents, two prime ministers of New Zealand and a Hindu god. He meets an intelligent, fun-loving, God-fearing people who may do terrible things to each other but could not be more welcoming to outsiders. He describes a land of awful beauty, a battleground of good and evil, a province populated by saints and sinners that has yet to be rendered bland by the forces of modernity. The author travels from Belfast to the furthermost corners of Northern Ireland, from grim housing estates to romantic castles, from mountaintops to abandoned islands. He encounters poachers, pilgrims, and poteen-makers. He goes cock-fighting in the 'bandit country' of South Armagh, eel fishing on Lough Neagh and road-bowling on country lanes. He finds dispensers of 'cures' in Fermanagh and guinea-hunters in Country Antrim. Inevitably, too, he meets terrorists and their victims.
1000 Years of Poetry: A Millennial Anthology edited by Sean McMahon (Paperback; 9.99 IEP / 12.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
This collection brings together Ireland's poetic and imaginative heritage from the last thousand years. Arranged thematically, and ranging from the 13th century to the present day, it includes poems in English, Latin and Irish. Whether well-loved or obscure, all of the poems included here are 'solid gold, tempered by the centuries.' This diverse collection reminds the read of once-loved words now half-forgotten and suggests new entries for our own 'personal anthology.'
Celebrated Letters of John B. Keane (Paperback; 12.99 IEP / 17.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
In this collection of some of the finest letters of one of Ireland's most popular writers, novelist, playwright and literary man extraordinaire turns the letter as means of communication into a comic, sometimes surreal artform. This book includes the complete previously-published volumes: Letters of a Successful TD, Letters of an Irish Parish Priest, Letters of a Love-Hungry Farmer, Letters of a Matchmaker and Letters of an Irish Minister of State which were originally published in the late 60s and 70s. The letters are hilariously Irish, shrewdly accurate and richly creative: a gem!
Words Alone: The Teaching and Usage of English in Contemporary Ireland edited by Denis Bates et.al (Paperback; 9.95 IEP / 12.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
This book provides an honest and informed commentary on how English is taught and used in our schools, on why we follow the curricula that we do, and on which are the most likely directions for change and reform. Two key chapters are provided on recent reform in the teaching of English in England and Wales. Declan Kiberd provides an overview of the situation in Ireland. Contributions come from English teachers in all three levels of education in Ireland, from those involved in relevant research, from those concerned with literacy, and from those providing education support within the school system. The Department of Education and Science and the Inspectorate are also represented. The range and quality of its contributions will make this volume an enduring source of guidance for anyone concerned with the teaching and usage of English in Ireland.
Lough Derg: St. Patrick's Purgatory by Joseph McGuinness (Paperback; 4.99 IEP / 6.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
St. Patrick's Purgatory, Lough Derg, is a unique pilgrimmage site in a small lake in county Donegal - once considered to be at the end of the earth and therefore on the threshold of the other world. Tradition has it that the first abbot of the monastery of Lough Derg was St. Davog, a disciple of St. Patrick. The tradition of pilgrimage certainly dates back to the early days of Christianity - and possibly even further. Some aspects of the pilgrimage - fasting, vigil, bare feet - make the fact that it is still popular in the twenty-first century all the more surprising. In this book the author outlines the history of Lough Derg. He looks in some detail at The Vigil, The Journey to the Island, The Station Prayers and The Spirit of the Pilgrimage. A final chapter reflects on the relevance of the pilgrimage for the new millennium.
Prelude to Restoration in Ireland: The End of the Commonwealth, 1659-1660 by Aidan Clarke (Hardback; 45.00 IEP / 60.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This study fills a major gap in the mainstream narrative of Irish history by reconstructing political developments in the year before the restoration of Charles II. It is the first treatment of the complex Irish dimension of the king's return. The issue of the monarchy did not stand alone in Ireland. Entangled with it was the question of how the restoration of the old regime would affect a Protestant colonial community which had changed in character and fortune as a result of the Cromwellian conquest, the immigration that had accompanied it, and the massive transfer of land that followed. As the return of Charles became increasingly probably, Cromwellian and pre-Cromwellian settlers were united in their determination to ensure that the restoration of Charles did not deprive them of their gains. This account discloses how the leaders of the Protestant establishment protected its interests by managing the transition back to monarchy.
The Irish Bed & Breakfast Book 4th edition by Frank and Fran Sullivan (Paperback; 8.99 IEP / 11.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
Any of the more than 100 featured bed and breakfast establishments in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland would make the perfect home base for your excursions, regardless of whether you want to seek out castle ruins, good hill-walking country, or historic sites. In addition to listing Ireland's inn and guesthouses, the authors provide useful information on booking reservations, understanding the different types of accommodation, and making the most of your holiday. Tips on sites to see in each area, and histories of each home are also included. Whether it's spectacular views or spectacular breakfasts that you seek, all the information necessary is included so that your can make your choice.
Bord Failte Ireland Guide 2000 (Paperback; 14.99 IEP / 18.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
The new edition of the essential tourist guide to Ireland. It is accurate, accessible and authoritative. It covers all Ireland, North and South. It includes full-colour photos, maps and sketches. Places to visit and sites to see are specially highlighted. It even gives 'rainy day' options. This book is the perfect companion for an Irish holiday!
Read Ireland Bookstore
392 Clontarf Road
Clontarf, Dublin 3
Ireland
Tel + Fax: +353-18-302-997
Customer Services Comments, Criticism and Questions
Subscribe to Read Ireland Book News - Our Free Weekly Email Newsletter