Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 402 - 26 January 2008
Irish Republicanism in Scotland 1858-1916: Fenians in Exile by Mairtin Sean O Cathain – Trade Paperback; 25 Euro / 36 USD / 18 UK; 290 pages
Hardback; 20 Euro / 27 USD / 14 UK; 200 pages
The first historical narrative of Irish nationalism in Scotland, dealing with the exiled Irish nationalist movement in Scotland as a whole and not just focusing on the physical-force tradition within that movement. The book begins with a discussion of the Irish in Scotland, and follows the organizational birth and growth of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and other Irish nationalist groupings up to 1882. The nature of Irish expatriate political organization and activity is discussed and Fenianism in Scotland is measured against its counterparts in England and Wales, North America, Australasia and South Africa. The immigrants' political development is examined and the prevailing view of the Fenian tradition is challenged, placing the beginning and development of the movement much more in the Irish diaspora than in Ireland itself.
Hold & Firm: John Charles McQuaid and the Second Vatican Council by Francis Xavier Carty
Trade Paperback; 13 Euro / 18 USD / 9 UK 180 pages [Add To Basket]
Mention Archbishop John Charles McQuaid of Dublin to any Irish Catholic old enough to remember the 1960s and you will most likely be told that he came back from the Second Vatican Council and said there would be no change. Also, you may be given a strong expression of admiration for his efficient and farseeing management style and for his legendary kindness to the poor and the sick or, with equal strength, an utterance of disgust and dislike and complaint that he wouldn t let Catholics go to university in Trinity College. Few will be neutral and even fewer will ever have met the man nor known him. The Council and its spirit of aggiornamento, or updating, the inspired dream of Blessed Pope John XXIII, was a landmark in the Catholic Church s long effort to come to terms with the modern world. In the 1960s, those latter years of his 32-year episcopate, Dr McQuaid, approaching his seventy-fifth year and retirement, was thrust into a whirlwind of change and excitement. Attentive to everything that happened at the Council in Rome, and diligently attending every meeting during every session in the autumns of 1962 to 1965, he was seen as theologically conservative at a time when it was popular, especially in the media, to be liberal. He was torn between innate anxiety about sudden change and unquestioning obedience to every wish of the Pope. He was a man of contrasts, if not opposites, gentle and kind but authoritarian and strict, shy but forceful, indeed the most dominant and controversial Irish churchman of his age, exerting an influence that filtered into every area of public life. A certain aura glowed from Archbishop s House, the palace in Drumcondra, the aura of an all-seeing pastor whose prime concern was for the simple faithful but at the same time a forbidding schoolmaster who seemed to be aware of everything that happened in his archdiocese. This book reaches behind the myths of John Charles McQuaid and describes how the dream of Pope John s Council was lived out for the Archbishop and the 800,000 Catholics in his archdiocese.
Rule 42 and All That by Sean Kelly
Hardback; 25 Euro / 36 USD / 18 UK; 300 pages
Sean Kelly outlines what life was like growing up on a farm in a very different Ireland. He recalls his earliest memories, his neighbours and a way of life long since gone. He went to secondary school in St Brendan's College, Killarney and returned there to teach for thirty years. He devotes some time to outlining life as a boarder in the 1960s and some of his memories as a teacher.His career in the GAA incorporates his playing days with Kilcummin and Parnells in Dublin and his involvement in GAA administration from a very young age at East Kerry, County, Munster and national level. He deals with some of the great moments and some of the great controversies of his time. Hurling became part of his life once elected Vice-Chairman of Kerry in 1982 and he outlines his memories and thoughts and work for the ancient game. As President, he traces some of the major issues he faced, the changes he made and the people he met. But inevitably his memoir, like his presidency, is dominated by the whole Rule 42 saga."Rule 42 and All That" is the complete inside account of a defining struggle in Irish sport, one that both ended and inaugurated an era.
Social Change and Everyday Life in Ireland, 1850-1922 by Caitriona Clear
Trade Paperback; 24 Euro / 30 USD / 15 UK; 200 pages [Add To Basket]
Men and women who were born, grew up and died in Ireland between 1850 and 1922 made decisions - to train, to emigrate, to stay at home, to marry, to stay single, to stay at school - based on the knowledge and resources they had at the time. This, the first comprehensive social history of Ireland for the years 1850-1922 to appear since 1981, tries to understand that knowledge and to discuss those resources, for men and women at all social levels on the island as a whole. Original research, particularly on extreme poverty and public health, is supplemented by neglected published sources - local history journals, popular autobiography, newspapers. Folklore and Irish language sources are used extensively. All recent scholarly books in Irish social history are, of course, referred to throughout the book, but it is a lively read, reproducing the voices of the people and the stories of individuals whenever it can, questioning much of the accepted wisdom of Irish historiography over the past five decades. Statistics are used from time to time for illustrative purposes, but tables and graphs are consigned to the appendix at the back. There are some illustrations. An idea summary for the student, loaded with prompts for future research, this book is written in a non-cliched, jargon-free style aimed at the general reader.
South Tipperary 1570-1841: Religion, Land and Rivalry by David Butler
Trade Paperback; 30 Euro / 40 USD / 20 UK; 336 pages
This study explores the interaction between the Protestant and Roman Catholic communities of South Tipperary from their earliest divergence c.1570 to the culmination of emancipation, c.1841. Particular attention is given to the ultimately unsuccessful strategies of the ruling Protestant establishment to secure hegemony in the region and thereby dominate the Roman Catholic majority. Making extensive use of maps to illustrate continuity and change in church and state organizations, this book analyzes how the ruled majority population accommodated itself to the changing political situation, and shows how it progressively challenged and undermined the Protestant establishment through counter-strategies of resistance.
Divine Right?: The Parnell Split in Meath by David Lawlor
Hardback; 39 Euro / 52 USD / 26 UK; 266 pages
David Lawlor's research shows how Dr Nulty broke the power of local Parnellites over their refusal to vote for a nun as matron of Navan workhouse. The bishop then nominated Michael Davitt, founder of the Land League, to unseat North Meath's Parnellite MP, Pierce Mahony (who is commemorated in the name of Navan's GAA club). While the Parnellites successfully petitioned the courts to have Davitt's election - and that of Patrick Fulham, his colleague in South Meath - annulled because of 'undue clerical influence', new anti-Parnellite candidates narrowly won the ensuing by-elections. However, clerical interference in Meath politics provided damaging evidence of 'Rome rule' to Tories and Unionists opposing Gladstone's second Home Rule bill, which was lost in the Lords in 1893.
Stop Howling at the Moon by Eamon O’Donnell
Trade Paperback; 15 Euro / 20 USD / 10 UK; 200 pages [Add To Basket]
The early bird catches the worm, but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese. Stories and fables are as powerful in business as they are in life. A good story focuses attention on key topics and provides an insight into the way we think and act on a range of issues. Stop Howling at the Moon brings together 101 short fables about business and management to draw some powerful lessons. An essential guide for managers, employees and business owners, these light-hearted tales illuminate key principles of good management, many of which are often ignored, but which are key to success. It is only when we stop we think! These stories will stop you, entertain and stimulate your imagination, engage your soul and deliver lessons for life!
The Suspect: The Story of Rachel O’Reilly’s Murder by Jenny Friel
Trade Paperback; 11 Euro / 15 USD / 8 UK; 205 pages, with an 8-page black-and-white photo insert [Add To Basket]
On a rainy October morning in 2004 Rachel O'Reilly, a 30 year-old mother-of-two, was brutally battered to death in her home in north county Dublin. It was a merciless killing that stunned the small, trusting community where she lived and devastated her close-knit family. In the days that followed the discovery of her body, it was thought that Rachel was the victim of a bungled robbery attempt. It soon emerged, however, that police investigating the case believed Rachel had known her killer and that her murder had been carefully planned months in advance. The spotlight immediately fell upon Rachel's husband, Joe O'Reilly, who admitted in a number of extraordinary press interviews that he was a prime suspect in his wife's slaying. The 32-year-old advertising executive vehemently denied any involvement. It was a crime that captured the imagination of the public who watched as the illusion of the idyllic suburban life the couple shared together began to shatter.
The Discovery of the Dingle Diamond by C.P.R. May
Paperback; 15 Euro / 20 USD / 10 UK; 266 pages [Add To Basket]
The Discovery of the Dingle Diamond combines archaeology with legend to reveal the story of the Tuatha Dé Danaan. As the Author traces their history back through time, he discloses an enigmatic wisdom that touches our very genesis as human beings. This book is the result of five years of painstaking research, originating with the discovery of a massive temple on the wild shores of West Ireland and dedicated to the Earth and the Sun and ending in the heart of Europe in the age of the Great Goddess. It is a quest into the understanding of the first stirrings of human thought.
The Longest Rebellion by Chris Lawlor
Trade Paperback with endflaps; 13 Euro / 18 USD / 9 UK; 200 pages [Add To Basket]
The 1798 Rebellion was a decisive moment in Irish history. It shaped Loyalist and Republican attitudes for generations afterwards. Although the enormity of the rebellion and its legacy cannot be overstated, the event itself was short-lived. The savagery of the fighting lasted through one fateful summer. By its end the insurrection was totally subdued. Yet there was one area in the west of County Wicklow where the rebellion was not subdued. The violence here lasted five and a half years and only ended when the rebels freely laid down their arms in December 1803. It was centred on Dunlavin parish, which stretches from the County Kildare border to the summit of Lugnaquilla, Leinster's highest mountain.The picturesque village of Dunlavin was the scene of a horrific massacre on the very first day of the 1798 Rebellion. Thirty six unarmed and defenceless prisoners, arrested before the rebellion broke out, who had played no part in the hostilities were shot on the village green. Other prisoners were hanged from the pillars of the village market house.This book explores the tensions that existed in the area before the massacre. It provides an account of the causes of the massacre and a study of the key personalities involved. The events of the fateful day are examined and the consequences of the event are analysed. One of the principal consequences was the guerrilla campaign waged by Michael Dwyer and his rebel band in the Wicklow Mountains. This book also follows the activities of Dwyer, born in the Glen of Imaal, who fought in Wexford during the 1798 Rebellion. Following the defeat of the rebel armies, Dwyer retreated into the wilderness of the Wicklow Mountains. From here he waged a relentless guerrilla campaign for more than five years. Eventually, with no hope of help from Napoleonic France, Dwyer arranged terms with the authorities and ended his resistance in December 1803. The rebel leader expected to be given safe passage to America, but he was held in Kilmainham Jail and transported to Australia in 1805, where further adventures awaited him. This book makes extensive use of many primary sources including archival material and folk ballads. Numerous contemporary documents and poems are reproduced in the text. It is an excellent work of reference and a welcome addition to the literature covering the 1798 Rebellion and its aftermath, as well as a treasured memento for future generations.
Global Ireland by Tom Inglis
Paperback; 20 Euro / 27 USD / 13 UK; 290 pages [Add To Basket]
"Ireland" offers a concise synthesis of globalization's dramatic impact on Ireland. In the past fifteen years, Ireland has transformed from a sleepy and depressed European backwater to the "emerald tiger," a country with a booming economy based on knowledge and high tech industries. Not long ago it was one of the poorest and most traditional countries in Europe, yet now it is one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan. Using a number of case studies of Ireland's transition, Tom Inglis explains what this means for traditional Irish culture and society and offers an incisive social portrait of globalizing Ireland. Books in" Globalzing Regions" series look at how nations and regions across the world are navigating the tumultuous currents of globalization. Concise, descriptive, interdisciplinary, and theoretically informed, they serve as ideal introductions to the peoples and places of our increasingly globalized world.
Please note: Prices were correct at time of original posting but are subject to subsequent change without notice.
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