Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 138
Locating Irish Folklore: Tradition, Modernity, Identity by Diarmuid O Giollain (Paperback; 14.95 IEP / 18.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
Folklore is variously subject matter and critical discourse, amateur enthusiasm and academic discipline, residential agrarian culture and popular urban culture of the present, as well as a resource for local historians and for committed nation-builders. As an introduction to folklore from an Irish perspective, his book plots the development of the notion of folklore and locates it historically, politically and socially. It examines the pivotal role folklore has played in identity formation but it also questions the usefulness of the concept today in an era of unprecedented cultural circulation.
A Dictionary of Anglo-Irish by Diarmuid O Muirithe (Paperback; 15.00 IEP / 20.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This important work is the result of a number of years of painstaking research into the 'hidden life' of English as spoken by the Irish. It fills a long-felt void in the study of both Irish and English, by providing the first extensive compilation of Hiberno-English words, their meanings and etymologies. The legendary eloquence of the Irish is here shown to be the product of not one, but two languages. This applies equally to the spoken word as to the great landmarks of Anglo-Irish literary achievement. Dr. O Muirithe has collected, from written and oral sources, the most comprehensive evidence to date of the influence of Gaelic on modern spoken English in Ireland.
Christ Church Cathedral Dublin edited by Kenneth Milne (Hardback; 35.00 IEP / 50.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This important book is the first to trace the history of Ireland's most significant cathedral church from its foundation in the eleventh century to the present day. Exploiting one of the most complete, though hitherto neglected, archives of any Irish institution from the middle ages onwards, this book provides a unique view of the development of the social and religious worlds of Dublin and Ireland generally. The role of Christ Church, or Holy Trinity, as the cathedral of the diocese of Dublin and the church of the Dublin Castle administration before 1922 makes it a centrally important institution for understanding the evolution of modern Irish society. It reveals the lives of those who were part of one community in the heart of the medieval and modern city and how they worked out their own salvation within the world in which they lived.
Surplus People: The Fitzwilliam Clearances 1847-1856 by Jim Rees (Paperback; 9.99 IEP / 13.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
The Irish Famine was a catastrophe of immense proportions. The population of County Wicklow declined by over 27,000 people. Landlords were eager to dispose of 'surplus' tenantry and engaged in 'assisted passages' whereby tenants were given incentives to emigrate. The most important was Lord Fitzwilliam, whose 80,000 acre estate, Cooattin, was the largest in Wicklow. From 1847 to 1856, he removed 6,000 men, women and children and arranged passage to Canada. Most were destitute on arrival in Quebec and New Brunswick. This book examines the clearances and shows how some families fared in Canada. It also focuses on the infamous Grosse Ile near Quebec, and related in detail the fate of some families in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.
Tragedies of Kerry 1923-24 by Dorothy Macardle (Paperback; 2.50 IEP / 3.50 USD) [Add To Basket]
Originally published in 1924, this tale of sorrow and glory is tense, restrained and true. It tells how men and women, boys and girls, fought for the freedom and honour of Ireland, and of how, despite almost incredible torture and brutality, they refused to admit defeat.
Kerry in Pictures by Michael Diggin (Hardback; 20.00 IEP / 25.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
This book celebrates the singular beauty of Kerry and reflects the author's ongoing love affair with his native county. Kerry differs from the rest of Ireland because of its unique combination of landscape, weather, scenery and people. It is a place of dramatic mountains, bogs, rivers, romantic lakes, graceful trees and rugged coastline. The widespread occurrence of water - rivers, lakes, sea and rain - provides a moisture-laden landscape with often dramatic lighting effects. This book takes the reader on a tour of the county in a series of mesmerizing and atmospheric images. In addition to the scenery, flora and fauna, buildings and town, the warmth and relaxed lifestyle of Kerry comes alive in this collection. Over 100 stunning full colour photographs.
A Nostalgic Look at Belfast Trolleybuses 1938-1968 by Mike Maybin (Hardback; 19.95 IEP / 25.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
Belfast Corporation operated the largest trolleybus system in the United Kingdom outside London. Although the system lasted for 30 years, perhaps the 'golden age' was the 1950s. In 1953 over 200 trolleybuses carried 112 million passengers almost 8.5 million miles - more than the trams and buses combined. This book captures the flavour of that period with over 200 photographs, of which very few have been published before. The city is covered route by route, starting with the city centre and working clockwise from Belmont in the east to Whitehouse in the north, with additional sections on the depots, tickets and preserved trolleybuses.
A Rebel Hand: Nicholas Delaney of 1798, From Ireland to Australia By Patricia and Frances Owen (Paperback; 10.00 IEP / 13.00 USD) [Add To Basket]
Condemned to death for his part in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, Nicholas Delaney of County Wicklow was eventually transported to Australia, where his work as a New Sout Wales road-builder can be seen to this day. From rebellion and despair in Ireland to respectability, marriage and a lasting place in Australian history: this book is the tale of one young man caught up in the turbulence of attempted revolution. His life story, written by his direct descendants, echoes many Irish exiles' experience, but is remarkable in its own right.
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