Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 271
Oxford Companion to Irish History edited by SJ Connolly
Large Paperback; 25.00 Euro / 32.00 USD / 18.00 UK; 650 pages
The editor, with a team of 96 renowned experts, has updated and revised the text for this second edition. With its initial appearance in 1998, this book set a benchmark among reference works on Irish history and was designated the 'definitive guide to over 2,000 years of Irish history'. This new edition takes into account recent research and events. There is coverage not only of leading political figures, organizations, and events, but also of subjects such as dress, music, sport and diet. Traditional topics such as the Rebellion of 1798 and the Irish Civil War sit alongside entries on newly developing areas such as women's history and popular culture. The coverage has been expanded to offer a full treatment of prehistoric and early historic Ireland and more comprehensive information on literary history. There are also new entries on individuals who have died since the first edition was published. In addition, the sections dealing with the politics in the Irish Republic and in Northern Ireland have been rewritten to take full account of the developments up to the end of the 20th century. With over 1,8000 entries, this book offers a comprehensive guide to all aspects of the Irish past from earliest times to the present day.
Irish Writing: An Anthology of Irish Literature in English 1789-1939 edited by Stephen Regan
Paperback; 19.00 Euro / 23.50 USD / 11.00 UK; 550 pages [Add To Basket]
Evoking a traumatic century and a half, this anthology spans 150 years of modern Irish culture, from the dawning of a powerful nationalist consciousness in literature to the waning of the Irish Literary Revival after the First World War. With a wide-ranging and generous selection of fiction, poetry, and drama, this book unites these disparate works into a collection that is sometimes rebellious, often subversive, invariably charged with emotion, and always alive with startling imaginative energy. It has a rare depth and range of scope, and contains much that is difficult to obtain elsewhere.
Sun and Cross: From Megalithic Culture to Early Christianity in Ireland by Jakob Streit
Trade Paperback; 24.00 Euro / 28.50 USD / 16.00 UK; 230 pages, with full colour illustrations throughout
In this book the author traces an unbroken spiritual culture in Ireland from the ancient sun-oriented monuments of stone circles and dolmens, through the Celtic era, into the period of the early Christian stone crosses. The highly evolved stone-age culture was absorbed and developed by the Celts when they settled in Ireland in the centuries before Christ. They in turn found it natural to accept Christianity that developed in a unique manner in such a spiritual climate. Early hymns and liturgical texts, combining the older nature practice with the new religion of Christianity bear witness to his unbroken evolution. Finally, the author depicts the amazing missionary zeal of monks like Columbanus who established Celtic Christianity across the vastness of Europe during the Dark Ages, until its suppression by the Church of Rome in the eighth century.
The Story of Mayo by Rosa Meehan
Large Hardback; 30.00 Euro / 35.00 USD / 25.00 UK; 392 pages [Add To Basket]
Mayo, Ireland's third largest county, is a place of spectacular beauty. It boasts an extensive Atlantic coastline, a network of inland rivers and lakes, magnificent mountain ranges and unique preserved boglands. This book celebrates the county in all its aspects including its landscape, archaeology, history and people. The book explores the unique experiences and character of the people of Mayo through their work on and off the land, cultural and artistic expressions, educational and sporting achievements, spiritual endeavours and political struggles. The text is wonderfully enlivened by the inclusion of hundreds of photographs, providing an appreciation and understanding of Mayo. This is a story of a remarkable county and a resilient people.
The Skellig Story: Ancient Monastic Outpost by Des Lavelle
Paperback; 12.50 Euro / 15.00 USD / 9.00 UK; 90 pages, with full colour illustrations throughout
This book is the story of two of the world's most stunning and unspoilt islands, Skellig Michael and Small Skellig, which lie off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. The author explores the extraordinary, isolated Early Christian monastic settlement with its stone 'beehive' huts. He describes the abundant bird life, including the huge colony of gannets, and tells of the history, legend, geology, plant life, the lighthouse, the seals and the underwater world.
Irish Days: Oral Histories of the Twentieth Century by Margaret Hickey
Paperback; 16.00 Euro / 20.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 288 pages [Add To Basket]
This book provides an opportunity to travel back in time in Ireland. In this collection of conversations with Irish men and women of a generation that is all but disappeared, the reader can listen to authentic voices describing Ireland's deepest culture from the early twentieth century. The stories are by turns witty, angry, modest, proud, astonishing and revealing. And they are always truthful. Bitter memories of evictions and the Black and Tans contrast with reminiscences of triumphs in two All-Ireland finals. A nun explores Count John McCormack's old home and a High Court judge tells some wry tales of comedy in court. A north-side Dubliner remembers the days when Nelson still stood on his Column, and a forestryman recalls the time he heard the cry of the banshee. The stories in this book are alive and jump off the page with an extraordinary intimacy and a spontaneous poetry and wit.
The Love Story of W.B. Yeats and Maud Gonne by Margery Brady
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 12.50 USD / 7.00 UK; 128 pages [Add To Basket]
This book is the dramatic and compelling story of the great love of William Butler Yeats for Maud Gonne - the women he immortalised in his poetry. Set in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this romantic tales unfolds against a background of political unrest and tenant agitation in Ireland. They poet, William Butler Yeats, is a central figure in the Irish literary revival while Maud Gonne, a political activist, is passionately involved in the struggle for Irish independence. But the book is not a dissertation on the work of Yeats, nor is it about the history of the day or the political involvements of Maud Gonne: it is a love story, illustrated with some of the most poignant poems ever written.
Fatal Influence: The Impact of Ireland on British Politics, 1920-1925 by Kevin Matthews
Paperback; 30.00 Euro / 36.00 USD / 24.00 UK; 320 pages [Add To Basket]
This book places the settlement of the Irish Question in the 1920s within the broader context of a revolution then taking place in British politics and shows how each affected the other. In a finely detailed investigation, the author explores the Irish partition and the often-conflicting motives that led to this momentous decision. Far from solving the Irish Question, dividing the country into two parts merely created what one politician at the time called its 'elements of dynamite'. These explosive elements were thrown into an already unstable political situation in Britain, with three political parties - Liberals, Conservatives and Labour - all vying for a place in that nation's traditional two-party system. This book brings together some of the most colourful characters of twentieth-century Irish and British history, from Winston Churchill and Michael Collins to David Lloyd George and Eamon de Valera. Looming behind is Sir James Craig, the rock-like embodiment of Ulster Unionism. But this story of 'high politics' also involves men whose careers are not normally associated with the Irish conflict, figures such as Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald, Neville Chamberlain and, even, Oswald Mosley and Anthony Eden.
Who Needs Irish?: Reflections on the Importance of the Irish Language Today edited by Ciaran Mac Murchaidh
Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 192 pages [Add To Basket]
This book is a collection of essays in English for all those interested in the Irish-language debate today. Why does the Irish language evoke such a range of feelings in people? Why does the debate come across as being so polarised? This book tries to answer these questions and others. Contributors include: Alan Titley, Donncha O hEallaithe, Eilis Ni Dhuibhns, Gabriel Rosenstock, Lillis O Laoire, Neasa Ni Chinneide, Muireann Ni Mhorain, Kate Fennell, Mairin Nic Eoin, Breandan O Doibhlin, Lorcan Mac Gabhann, Anna Heusaff, and Padraig O Mianain.
The Lough Gowna Valley by Frank Columb
Trade Paperback; 25.00 Euro / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK; 560 pages, with black-and-white photos and illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
This book is the complete story of an Irish midland region, from its geological formation to the present day.
Little Black Book of Great Places to Stay in Ireland by Lucinda O'Sullivan
Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 200 pages, with full-colour photos throughout [Add To Basket]
This book is a celebration of the good things the real Ireland has to offer, from scrumptious bed and breakfasts, through historic country houses, distinctive hotels and fabulous castles and spas.
Leisure Walks Near Dublin by Joss Lynam
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 12.00 USD / 7.50 UK; 120 pages [Add To Basket]
This book contains a selection of 35 walks in the greater Dublin area that can be enjoyed by the whole family. The routes include terrain as varied as a Malahide estuary, the Grand Canal at Robertstown, Glenmalure, the Broad Lough at Wicklow and Trooperstown Hill near Laragh. Most walks are circular; many can be accessed by public transport; most are not more than an hour and a half long.
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