Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 203
Explaining Irish Democracy by Bill Kissane
Paperback; 22.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 15.50 UK; UCD Press, 288 pages [Add To Basket]
This book is a systematic account of why Ireland remained a democracy after revolution and independence. The author breaks new ground in analysing the Irish case from a comparative international perspective and by discussing it in terms of the classic works of democratic theory. Each chapter tests the explanatory power of a particular approach, and the result is a compelling mixture of political history, sociology and political science.
Taking issue with many conventional assumptions, the author questions whether Irish democracy after 1921 was really a surprise, by relating the outcome to the level of socio-economic development, the process of land reform, and the emergence of a strong civil society under the Union. On the other hand, things did not go according to plan in 1922, and two chapters are devoted to the origins and nature of the civil war. The remaining chapters are concerned with analysing how democracy was rebuilt after the civil war; the author questions whether that achievement was entirely the work of the pro-treatyites. Indeed, by focusing on the continued divisiveness of the Treaty issue, the nature of constitutional republicanism, and the significance of the 1937 constitution, Kissane argues that Irish democracy was not really consolidated until the late 1930s, and that that achievement was largely the work of Eamon de Valera.
Based on extensive archival research, this book is a powerfully argued work of comparative political science and Irish history.
Wilde's Lough Corrib by Sir William Wilde
Hardback; 30.00 Euro / 25.00 USD / 20.00 UK; Duffy press, 306 pages [Add To Basket]
Sir William Wilde wrote this book on his beloved Lough Corrib at his home in Moytura, Cong, in 1867, when it was originally published. A writer and archaeologist of note, he published various books and documentaries at the time and catalogued the collection of the Royal Irish Academy Museum. This 'documentary' of the archaeology, antiquities and folklore of Lough Corrib is the accepted 'Jewel in the Crown' of the region. Beautifully illustrated with seventy-four woodcut engravings depicting the many old Castles, Abbeys, Forts, Cairns, etc - so prolific in the area - and it with doubt a gem. Posterity owes a lot the Wilde. Now, after one hundred and thirty-five years, the book is reprinted in Wilde's original text.
The Lost Soul's Reunion by Suzanne Power
Trade Paperback; 12.99 Euro / 11.50 USD / 10.00 UK; Picador, 324 pages [Add To Basket]
On a hill overlooking the grey sea, in a house filled with the past, a woman gathers her ghosts for one night to hear their story retold. This is Sive Moriarty's tale, beginning with her grandmother's ill-fated marriage. Moving, mysterious and gracefully written, this book is a strange and beautiful tale of love between mothers and daughters, between men and women, and between individuals and the land they lived on. From the grotesque bustle of sixties London to the magical landscapes of coastal Ireland, it is a story that paints, most beautifully of all, the landscape of the human heart.
The Stuart Kingdoms in the 17th Century edited by Allan MacInnes and Jane Ohlmeyer
Hardback; 50.00 Euro / 42.50 USD / 35.00 UK; Four Courts Press, 272 pages [Add To Basket]
The 'British Problem' has come to dominate the historiographical agenda of the Stuart kingdoms in the seventeenth century. This volume aims to challenge traditional interpretations and to offer constructive suggestions about how the 'New British Histories' might be fruitfully reappraised and situated in wider geographical, methodological and cultural contexts. By asking pertinent 'awkward' questions, the book explores the relations within, between and beyond the Stuart kingdoms and accentuates the positive aspects of 'awkwardness'. These essays offer fresh and exciting research, often by younger scholars, and innovative insights from regional, national, and international perspectives. This collection invites readers to view the Stuart kingdoms from a holistic standpoint and to pay due attention to Scotland and Ireland as well as their awkward neighbour, England, with losing sight of the wider European and global pictures.
Irish Verse: An Anthology edited by Bob Blaisdell
Paperback; 3.60 Euro / 3.10 USD / 2.70 UK; Dover, 134 pages [Add To Basket]
Celebrated for their unique poetic sensibility and wondrous way with words, the Irish have produced a rich heritage of great poetry. This book attests to the Irish love and language, spanning fourteen centuries of literary history and featuring works by more than 60 of the country's most distinguished poets. This book is a comprehensive selection of well-known Irish poets.
A Buyer's Guide to Irish Art 2nd edition edited by Roberta Reeners
Paperback; 38.00 Euro / 33.00 USD / 29.00 UK; Ashville Media; 432 pages, with full colour photos throughout [Add To Basket]
This book is a definitive record of over 7,000 paintings by 700 Irish artists that have gone to auction in Ireland and the UK since May 1999. Listing every Irish artwork to go under the hammer at all the major auction houses, the book presents all the information that every art collector needs to know - including detailed price guides and sales histories for each piece. It also includes a series of unique editorial features that inform and captivate the established collector and new art investor - from advice on how to buy art at auction to selecting the Top Forty-Five Rising Stars of Irish art to watch out for. This book is an essential reference for any interested in Irish Art.
Buying a House in Ireland by Tim McDonald
Paperback; 11.40 Euro / 10.00 USD / 8.99 UK; Blackhall Publishing, [Add To Basket]
Over the last number of years it has become extremely difficult for people to purchase property in Ireland: prices have increased substantially and there can be intense competition between purchasers vying for a property. This book advises on how to complete the purchase of a property in Ireland. Covering topics from viewing and bidding to the legal side of the property purchase, this is a very practical guide to purchasing houses or apartments, be they new or second-hand, urban or rural. It contains useful, up-to-date information for first-time buyers as well as those who have already 'been around the block'.
A Voyage Round My Life by Henry Boylan
Paperback; 12.50 Euro / 11.00 USD / 9.50 UK; AA Farmer, 166 pages [Add To Basket]
Henry Boylan was born the son of a sea captain in 1911. Prevented from going to sea by the Great Depression of the 1930s, he joined the Civil Service, and was soon assigned as manager of the fledgling Radio Eireann. His fluent Irish introduced him to the vigorous and active world of the gaelgeoiri, far from the repressiveness of the traditional image. As Director of Gaeltacht Services he helped to build up thriving tweed and seaweed industries in the West of Ireland and travelled the world selling Irish tweed, in the days when one went by transatlantic liner and dressed for dinner. In the late 1950s he and Gaeltarra Eireann were the victims of an extraordinary vendetta by a senior politician. On his retirement from the Civil Service he embarked on his second career as a writer. This is his autobiography.
Famine by Liam O'Flaherty
Paperback; 12.00 Euro / 10.50 USD / 9.00 UK; Wolfhound Press, 430 pages [Add To Basket]
First published in 1937, this book has been variously defined as a masterpiece, a major achievement, and a classic of Irish literature. During the Great Famine of the 1840s over three million people lost their lives or were forced to flee the country. This novel tells the story of three generations of the Kilmartin family as they fight to survive. It is a story full of human tragedy, courage and passion.
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