Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 352
Skelligs Sunset by Michael Kirby
Trade Paperback; 13 Euro / 17 USD / 9 UK; 216 pages
Skelligs Sunset, a posthumous volume of work in English by Michael Kirby, is the final part in his trilogy of memoir, storytelling and poetry begun with Skelligside (1990) and Skelligs Calling (2003). This remarkable writer, farmer-fisherman and painter was born in May 1906 and died in April 2005. Aside from a three-year sojourn in the United States where he worked on the railroads during the Great Depression, he spent his lifetime in County Kerry. He also wrote eight books in Irish under the name Micheal Ua Ciarmhaic, and from his eyrie in Ballinskelligs bore witness to a world that changed so radically, from the age of the transatlantic cable to the era of the Internet.
His lyric poems evoke the sea, wind and landscape of south Iveragh in all its natural beauty. The memoirs, beginning with his schooldays and concluding in his garden, describe characters from fellow storyteller Sean O Conaill to Dan of the Roads, and record night hauls at sea, superstitions, wedding customs, games, pastimes and petty sessions in the Portmagee courts. Folklore and tall tales of courtship, fortune-seeking, gypsy magic and homecoming depict characters from the peninsula and resonate with a piquant humour and imagination.
Deep knowledge and a love of the local pervade Michael Kirby's writings. They remind the reader of the wonders and simpler joys in a life that he celebrated with such spirit.
Century of Endeavour: A Biographical and Autobiographical View of the Twentieth Century in Ireland by Roy H.W. Johnston
Trade Paperback; 40 Euro / 50 USD / 32 UK; 574 pages [Add To Basket]
“In this richly documented exploration of his own public life and that of his father, Roy Johnston provides us with a unique opportunity to follow the intellectual odyssey of a singularly gifted family, from the Board Room of Trinity College Dublin in the 1930s to the smoke-filled rooms of the Republican movement in the 1960s and beyond. Johnston throws fascinating light on his father, one of the few influential, politically active Protestants in the Irish Free State, and integrates that story with his own even more singular record - as an innovative and modernizing socialist with a lifelong belief in the centrality of science to transform society for the better, and as an astute critic from within of the militant Irish Republicanism that triumphed in the 1970s.” David Dickson, Department of History, Trinity College Dublin
'Historians of the period, economists, and anyone interested in the parties of the left, will find much to engross them. ... whatever the reader's political persuasion, it is heartening to read an account of a man following out ideas and ideals to improve society at a time when the horizon of most is bound by self-interest and immediate gain.' Thomas J. Morrissey, S.J., Studies
This series of memoirs covers successive attempts by father and son to address the problem of building a rational, inclusive, national political superstructure on an all-Ireland basis, making use of the best of available European experience, and trying to counter the extremes of Catholic nationalism and Orange Protestant hegemonism.
Fortress Ireland: The Story of the Irish Coastal Forts and the River Shannon Defence Line by John Hartnett McEnery
Hardback; 35 Euro / 45 USD / 27 UK: 200 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout
This book presents a complete and coherent account of the policies and rationale that led to Irish fortification and re-fortification against invasion over almost four centuries. Through original research into a variety of neglected primary sources, including original memoranda and long-forgotten correspondence, it describes in detail why, where, when and how defence structures from Lough Swilly to Bantry Bay were built, armed and manned in peace and war. At the same time the book analyses the roles played by these defences in time of war – roles that often involved incidents of great drama and importance.
The Battle of Clonmult: The IRA’s Worst Defeat by Tom O’Neill
Paperback; 13 Euro / 17 USD / 9 UK; 100 pages [Add To Basket]
On 20th February 1921, during an action in Clonmult, seven miles northeast of Midleton, Co. Cork, the IRA suffered its greatest loss of volunteers in conflict. Almost the entire East Cork flying column was wiped out in a single defensive action. Twelve men were shot dead and eight men were take prisoner. It was at once a deadly blow to the IRA and a battle of terrible cruelty; several of the volunteers were callously shot following their surrender and only the arrival of a British Army officer prevented the killing of the injured and remaining volunteers. In this excellent survey of the battle, its context and aftermath, the author provides insight into the days preceding the battle, the activities of the column over those fateful days and through the eyes of witnesses, the progress of the battle itself.
Michael Farrell: The Life and Work of an Irish Artist by David Farrell
Hardback; 30 Euro / 40 USD / 22 UK; 200 pages
"Micheal Farrell: The Life and Times of an Irish Painter" is a fascinating account of the turbulent life of internationally acclaimed Irish artist Micheal Farrell. With unlimited access to his brother's private papers, and having interviewed hundreds of friends, colleagues and acquaintances, David Farrell's fully authorised biography takes us from the artist's early days in Co Meath, his creative influences, burgeoning artistic career, his often troubled relationship with the art establishment; how he finally achieved critical acclaim on the international stage; his tumultuous personal life, (including a failed marriage) through to his later years of relative calm and contentment in Cardet and final courageous eleven year battle with throat cancer. An affectionate yet revealing account of the life and times of the Irishman long regarded as one of the leading figures in 20th Century art history.
Charlie: A Life in Words and Pictures by Aongus Collins
Square paperback; 10 Euro / 13 USD / 7 UK; 96 pages
Charlie contains everything you need to know about Charles J. Haughey - fast! It is a life of the late famous Taoiseach, horseman, yachtsman, tax evader and bon viveur in words and pictures. (And not even the best cartoons can make his exploits any less incredible.) Read about: - the Charvet shirts - the mistress - the yachts - the private island - the strokes - the friends, enemies and the Irish public sacrificed along the way Charlie is two books in one, written and executed by one of Ireland's leading cartoonists, who has had his satirical eye on CJH for many years but only now has the satisfaction of telling the whole story.
The Battle of the Boyne: A Guide to the Battlefield by Harman Murtagh
Paperback; 15 Euro / 19 USD / 10 UK; 78 pages [Add To Basket]
This guide to the battlefield of the Boyne by an acknowledged expert describes the political manoeuvrings that led to the battle, its relationship to the landscape, the course of the fighting, the tactics employed by both sides, army organization, weapons and uniforms, and the aftermath. Using maps, portraits, illustrations and aerial photographs to plot the course of events, it is the definitive story of the battle that changed history. The accompanying CD takes the reader on a tour of the battlefield of the Boyne.
The Celtic Football Miscellany by John White
Gift Hardback; 15 Euro / 19 USD / 10 UK; 160 pages [Add To Basket]
There is something for every fan in The Celtic Miscellany. The world-famous Scottish football club has a widely diverse and amazingly successful history, but this book is not exclusively a history, or a fan's guide, or a collection of biographies, or an encyclopaedia. It is a little bit of all of these things. Within these pages, the reader will learn thousands of quirky and obscure facts about The Boys on a wide range of topics, from the history of the club's famous hoped shirts and paradisiacal home ground, to the European glory nights, famous managers, and match-day facts and stats. More than a book of lists or compilation of trivia, "The Celtic Miscellany" will bring hours of reading pleasure to fan of The Hoops.
The Irish Draught Horse by Mary McGrath and Joan Griffith
Large Format with Endflaps; 20 Euro / 26 USD / 14 UK; 253 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
The Irish draught horse is an icon in the Irish landscape. Through good times and bad it was a constant companion, the work horse which pulled the farmers' plough, took the family to church, hunted, was a draught animal and pulled field artillery. Today the Irish draught is used for hunting, for pleasure and competition, much valued by a new generation of owners. Here the story of 'the horse of the people' is told before facts and details vanish forever.
Carson: The Man Who Divided Ireland by Geoffrey Lewis
Trade Paperback; 20 Euro / 26 USD / 14 UK; 276 pages [Add To Basket]
The partition of Ireland in 1921, and the birth of Northern Ireland as a political entity, was the work of one man above all. Edward Carson, born in Dublin in 1854, was a brilliant lawyer whose cross-questioning of Oscar Wilde at his libel trial brought about Wilde's downfall. An inspiring orator and a political heavyweight at Westminster, his defense of Unionism in the years before the First World War, and of the rights of Ulster not to be swamped in an independent Ireland, made a united Ireland a political impossibility. While some of his actions were denounced in England as close to treason, Carson's idealism and religious tolerance were untypical of the sectarian bigotry that marred the later history of Northern Ireland. "Carson: The Man Who Divided Ireland" is the first modern biography of a major figure in both British and Irish politics.
Dublin Cinemas: A Pictorial Selection by Jim Keenan
Hardback; 25 Euro / 32 USD / 18 UK; 130 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
Dublin Cinemas: A Pictorial Selection features forty-three of Dublin?s oldest and best-loved cinemas. The images evoke memories of an earlier pre-television era when each suburb had its own local cinema, and eight cinemas graced O?Connell Street. Most of these old cinemas have long since vanished, but this pictorial compilation records a selection of them for posterity. It includes not only the luxurious downtown venues, but also some of the city?s notorious ?flea pits?. While most of the photographs are of cinema facades, some show the ornately-decorated interiors. The magnificent, original auditoria of two Super Cinemas, the Theatre Royal and the Savoy, are particularly well illustrated. Although the book is mainly devoted to cinema buildings, it is also illustrated with maps, advertisements, and photographs of cinema staff. Augmented with short commentaries, it provides a varied and valuable record of some of Dublin?s most memorable cinemas.
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