Read Ireland Book Review
Issue 304
Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-Block Hunger Strike by Richard O’Rawe
Trade Paperback; 14.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 260 pages
'This inside account of the 1981 hunger strikes by one of the IRA prisoners' leaders is without doubt the most significant; it will force a complete reassessment of this pivotal episode in modern Irish history.' Ed Moloney author of A Secret History of the IRA
'I was told in 1991, when I privately criticised the role of the IRA Army Council in the hunger strike, that I could be shot if I opened my mouth. The threat had the desired effect.'
Richard O'Rawe was a senior IRA prisoner in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh prison. One of the 'Blanketmen', he took part in the dirty protests that led to the hunger strikes of the early 1980s.
Now Richard O'Rawe gives his personal and outspoken account of the turbulent times that saw British and Irish governments entering unprecedented negotiations with the IRA army council and the prisoners themselves.
Passionate, disturbing and controversial, Blanketmen is a landmark text in the cruel history of Northern Ireland.
'A compelling and subversive book; essential reading for anybody interested in the IRA' Richard English author of Armed Struggle: A History of the IRA
The Black Angel by John Connolly
Trade Paperback; 20.00 Euro / 25.00 USD / 15.00 UK; 532 pages [Add To Basket]
Bones are being collected, and crafted into strange sculptures, which means that someone is also collecting bodies which in turn means there is a likelihood that someone is out there killing. When Charlie Parker’s friend Louis is told his cousin has gone missing, and her skull turns up in the possession of one such craftsman, a whole new world of horror erupts. In this darkest of gothic thrillers, Parker reluctantly leaves his partner, Rachel, and their new baby behind, knowing that whatever he has experienced in the past , this new trail is far more sinister with far more chance of personal destruction. But in some strange way it seems to be his destiny.
As he investigates the murder, alongside Louis and his partner Angel, Parker realizes that the crafting of bones is just a tiny part of the history currently haunting them. Hundreds of years ago fragments of a vellum map were ripped up and distributed amongst Europe’s Cistercian monasteries. This was designed to confuse seekers for the ominous Black Angel who had been sealed in a silver statue. These fragments are being secretly collected and once the map is assembled and the tomb found, the dreadful power of the Angel will be loosed on the world. The potential for misery is huge. Parker discovers that the search for the Angel is one that dates back centuries, running from the Holy Land to the battlefields of the Second World War, from Mexico to the Ossuary at Sedlec in the Czech Republic. Parker is not only going to help avenge a dead girl, but he must also fight for his life, his family’s future and to destroy his nemesis. The preacher Faulkner, Caleb Kyle, Pudd and the Travelling Man – all bad men from Parker’s past who continue to haunt him – are woven into the dark strands of this new novel by Ireland’s own gothic-horror master!
Second Son by Christy Kenneally
Trade Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 315 pages
When Gabriel Flaherty plunges to his death from a cliff in suspicious circumstances, it is left to his brother Michael, a priest from New York, to return home to The Island and uncover what has happened. Michael finds his childhood home much changed. With the opening of a factory, the sea that had given the islanders their livelihoods, as well as claiming so many of their lives, is no longer paramount. But along with steadier incomes and easier lives, the factory has brought suspicion and jealousy. Whilst confronting his past – his estranged father, the old priest who shaped his life and his first love – Michael uncovers an intricate, far-reaching web of evil that touches everyone he knows. But when the close-knit islanders realize the full extent of what is going on, they unite to avenge their own, seeking justice of a different kind. As the net tightens, they hold their breath, waiting to see who will survive…
The Portable Creative Writing Workshop by Pat Boran
Trade Paperback; 15.00 Euro / 18.00 USD / 10.00 UK; 212 pages [Add To Basket]
How do writers practice? What do they do to warm up? When they have no ideas, do they write at all?
Whether you belong to a writing workshop running low on steam, or you're struggling to continue working on your own, this book offers a wide range of games and exercises to help stimulate you in your writing.
In three main sections covering The Raw Material, Poetry and Fiction, prize-winning poet and fiction writer Pat Boran takes a hands-on approach to the creative writing process. Through some 200 pages of games, exercises and challenges, he not only explains many of the techniques and central concepts of creative writing, but he also shows how these can be put to work in your writing.
Written by former Rattlebag presenter and acclaimed poet Pat Boran, this is the first creative writing guide of its kind. Offering all the advice and tips of the classroom, the book is aimed for use both in the creative writing forum and at home.
Accessible, with exercises and style guides, this unique book is the best starting place for anyone setting out on the writing road.
Irish poet and writer Pat Boran is the author of four collections of poetry, short fiction for adults and children, and four non-fiction works. His most recent publication is the collection of poems, As the Hand, the Glove. Programme Director of the annual Dublin Writers Festival, Boran also regularly reads from his own work and conducts writing workshops throughout Ireland and abroad.
Golden Apples by Bill Cullen
Trade Paperback; 16.00 Euro / 20.00 USD / 11.00 UK; 222 pages
Bill Cullen, legendary head of Renault Ireland, went from selling apples on the streets of Dublin to owning a company with an annual turnover of over $350 million. He credits much of his success to the women in his life: his mother, Mary, and his grandmother, Molly Darcy, whose fierce intelligence and homespun wisdom were a constant motivation and whose stories he told so vividly in his bestselling memoir, It’s a Long Way from Penny Apples. Now Bill shares those memories, and interprets them for the twenty-first century. Under his inspirational guidance, you can transform your career and your life. (Also available in hardback at 30 Euro)
Parley-Poet and Chanter by Pecker Dunne
Trade Paperback with Music CD; 16.00 Euro / 20.00 USD / 11.00 UK; 112 pages [Add To Basket]
Pecker Dunne is one of Ireland’s best known traditional musicians and balladeers and one of the last of the Travelling musicians. His favourite instrument is the banjo but he is also a fine fiddle-player and singer. He has played all over Ireland, in Britain, Australia and the USA. Now 73 years old, he lives in Co. Clare with his family. This book gives a glimpse into this life and into the many aspects of Traveller culture that are under threat today, including the language of the fairground Travellers, Parley. In this vivid account of his life, Dunne recalls his travels in Australia, playing for huge audiences in New York, working with the Dubliners and with Richard Harris. His moving description of his battle with alcoholism, the hardships of life on the road, and the prejudices and racism endured by Travellers give a special poignancy to his life story. The accompanying CD shows how Dunne has used his talent as a musician to express the joys and sorrows of his own community, the Irish Travelling People.
Irish Blessings, Toasts and Curses by Padraic O’Farrell
Paperback; 10.00 Euro / 13.00 USD / 7.00 UK; 120 pages [Add To Basket]
The Irish have blessings, curses and toasts for every occasion: hearing the news of a death of marriage, consoling neighbours in sorry or sharing their joy, looking for a husband or wife, going off to work, saving turf, or having a drink at the end of the day. This book collects the very best of all three to produce this charming, nostalgic book.
The Road from Ardoyne: Mary McAleese the Making of a President
Trade Paperback; 13.00 Euro / 16.00 USD / 9.50 UK; 400 pages [Add To Basket]
Born the eldest of nine children in 1951 in Belfast, Mary McAleese witnessed as a teenager the anti-Catholic pogroms of 1969 which saw streets around her burned out by loyalist mobs led by the police. Her father packed his family into the car and set off for the safety of Dublin; they returned to Belfast, but were forced to flee again from their home in Ardoyne, after it came under repeated attack.
Ray Mac Mánais traces the life of Mary McAleese from her girlhood in Ardoyne to the threshold of the presidency. Her story is a chroncile of triumphs and tragedies, of self-belief and tenacity. It is both an adventure story and a love story; it is also a tale of grit and determination on the part of the man who would become her husband. In writing this book the author has had the cooperation of the president and members of her family, and has had access to many of her personal papers.
She graduated in Law from the Queen¹s University of Belfast and in 1975 became the youngest ever Reid Professor of Law at Trinity College Dublin. She was the first Catholic Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies, and she became the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Queen¹s University of Belfast.
She worked as a current affairs journalist and presenter in radio and television with Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ) during the controversial days of the 1980 and 1981 hunger strikes, and was a Director of Channel 4 Television. On 11 November 1997 she became the first President to come from Northern Ireland.
Irish Music Audio CD
When All is Said and Done by Danu
20.00 Euro / 26.00 USD / 14.00 UK [Add To Basket]
Danú is the most captivating Irish traditional music group to emerge since Solas. Composed of 7 musicians, the group plays a stunning mix of evocative, kinetic instrumentation and stirring songs. Features vocals by the acclaimed Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, including Bob Dylan's "Farewell Angelina" and Paul Brady's "Follow On," as well as fine traditional songs. And, of course, Danú's powerful renditions of reels and jigs in brilliant ensemble settings.
Track Listing 1. The Highest Hill (reels) 2. Follow On (song) 3. The Peacock's Feather (hornpipe, reel) 4. Ó Dheara, 'Sheanduine (song) 5. Around The House (barndance, march, reel) 6. Farewell, Angelina (song) 7. The Coachman's Whip (reels) 8. An Cailin Deas Crúite na mBó (song) 9. Kilfenora (fling, jig) 10. Only Nineteen Years Old (song) 11. Gerry's Set (jigs, reel) 12. Pots and Kettles (air, jig)
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