Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 421
Traditional Boats of Ireland: History, Folklore and Construction edited by Criostoir Mac Carthaigh
Very Large Hardback; 60 Euro / 90 USD / 45 UK; 600 pages, with full colour photos throughout
Two centuries ago sail and oar dominated local Irish trade and fisheries. At least 60 traditional boats operated. This remarkable work, many years in the making, describes these craft, their construction and handling, usage and history, with recollections by old men who experienced the often arduous life associated with them. Many craft have survived in the life of coastal and island communities. A revival in traditional boats for leisure and sport now allows them to prosper as many are restored and replicas built. Arranged by coastal area, the contributors include local historians, boat-builders, sailors, former fishermen, and classic boat enthusiasts. Traditional Boats of Ireland looks beyond technical descriptions of boats to the background to their use. Changing patterns of fishing and water transport are considered, and the wider role of boats in people's lives boat racing, dramas at sea, and other stories of human interest. This brings alive the array of craft once a feature of our coasts, lakes and rivers. Gloriously illustrated with evocative photographs, exquisite boat plans and maps, this wonderful work is the finest and most complete description of Ireland's traditional boats.
The Williamite Wars in Ireland, 1688-1691 by John Childs
Large Format Trade Paperback; 28 Euro / 38 USD / 19 UK; 440 pages [Add To Basket]
This book provides an authoritative account of the wars between Britain and Ireland in the 17th century. William III's defeat of James II's Catholic army at the Battle of the Boyne on 1 July 1690 ended the Stuart dynasty's last hope of survival. It has also been central, together with the siege of Londonderry, to the foundation myth of Northern Ireland. John Childs, the leading military historian of the period, gives a clear and authoritative account of the campaign in all its stages.
The Murders at Wildgoose Lodge by Terence Dooley
Large Format Trade Paperback; 20 Euro / 30 USD / 15 UK; 290 pages
On the night of 29-30 October 1816, eight people were murdered by burning to death in a house in a remote part of County Louth, known locally as Wildgoose Lodge. Those killed included a five-month-old child. The perpetrators all belonged to a local agrarian secret society that was avenging the execution of three of their comrades hanged for an earlier raid on Wildgoose Lodge the previous April, following information given to the authorities by the owner of the house, Edward Lynch. Following the murder of Lynch, his family and servants the local community closed ranks. For months, the authorities failed to arrest anybody in connection with the crime. Then the state administration took over.From Chief Secretary, Sir Robert Peel (later British Prime Minister) down to the police force operating in Louth there was massive collusion between Dublin Castle administrators, a corrupt chief police magistrate, lawyers and landlords in Louth to bring suspects to trial and prosecution. Four men on death row for unrelated crimes were reprieved and offered significant monetary rewards in return for giving evidence.
Local informers - neighbours, friends and possibly relatives - of those murdered as well as those tried gave corroborating evidence. In the end eighteen men were executed and then gibbeted or dissected, at least half of whom were innocent. This was an awesome local episode with national implications which makes for an absorbing and intriguing story.
Radical Politics in Modern Ireland: The Irish Socialist Republican Party, 1896-1904 by David Lynch, with a foreword by Diarmaid Ferriter
Large Paperback; 20 Euro / 28 USD / 14 UK; 180 pages [Add To Basket]
The Irish Socialist Republican Party (ISRP) was a party of seminal importance in the history of radical politics in modern Ireland. The party was the forerunner and ideological springhead for a political tradition that has had a significant impact on radical Irish politics ever since. The ISRP was the first experiment with that powerful, dynamic, yet sometimes very confused cocktail of traditional republican politics and socialist principles. The party produced the first regular socialist paper in Ireland "The Workers' Republic", ran candidates in local elections, represented Ireland at the Second International, agitated over issues such as the Boer War and the 1798 commemorations.Politically, the ISRP was before its time, putting the call for an independent "Republic" at the centre of its propaganda before Sinn Fein or others had done so. This is the first full-length study of this important organisation. Using the primary sources available this study delves into the internal politics and personalities that brought life to the organisation. The political significance of the organisation led by James Connolly is also viewed in both the international and national sphere. The legacy of the ISRP was to have an impact on the left wing and republican movements in Ireland for many decades following its demise in 1904.
All Our Yesterdays: Father Browne’s Photographs of Children and Their Favourite Poems edited by E.E. O’Donnell
Large Paperback; 15 Euro / 22 USD / 11 UK; 132 pages, with black-and-white photographs throughout
Fr Browne s photographs of children are among the most delightful and atmospheric of his whole oeuvre. The cover photo of this book showing Mr Kitt blowing bubbles for an excited group of young children on a street in an Irish town expresses the spirit of this delightful collection of photos by the celebrated Fr Browne and poems selected by E. E. O Donnell. They include such favourites as I m Forever Blowing Bubbles , Báidín Fheilimí , A Boy s Song and Pippa Passes . FRANK BROWNE was born in Sunday s Well, Cork City, in 1880. He was a fellow-student of James Joyce at Belvedere College and at University College Dublin. In 1897 he entered the Jesuit order and was ordained a priest in 1915. He became a chaplain in the Irish Guards during World War I, going on to be the most decorated Roman Catholic padre in the British army. He spent three years in Australia recovering from mustard gas and on his return to Dublin became superior of Gardiner Street Church. In 1929 he was appointed to the Jesuit Retreats and Missions staff, a post in which he served until his death in 1960. His legacy was a collection of over 42,000 photographs including the ones he took aboard the Titanic in 1912. Fortunately he disembarked at Queenstown, now Cobh, County Cork, and went on to become (as The Irish Times put it) Ireland s leading documentary photographer.
South Belfast: History and Guide by Norman Weatherall and George Templeton
Trade Paperback; 18 Euro / 24 USD / 12 UK; 126 pages, with black-and-white photos throughout [Add To Basket]
South Belfast, as we know it today, is a creation of the nineteenth century; when people began to move to new suburbs from the old town centre and the countryside. Unlike the industrial East and West, South Belfast developed as a mainly residential quarter, but one with a distinctly bohemian flavour. "South Belfast: History and Guide" takes us along the Golden Mile, through the Botanic Gardens, and to the Knockbreda cemetery, where some of Belfast's most influential citizens are buried. It looks at the practicalities of life in the area and the origins of its street names - a perennial subject for light-hearted debate. Weatherall and Templeton take us past the homes of literary and industrial giants and explore the area's sparkling artistic history, all the while unearthing the fiery arguments that accompanied each new stage of development in this beautiful part of the city.
Irish Wild Plants: Myths, Legends & Folklore by Niall Mac Coitir
Large Paperback; 20 Euro / 30 USD / 15 UK; 375 pages, with black-and-white illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
The wild plants of Ireland have been bound up in our culture and folklore from the earliest times. They appear in the ancient Irish brehon laws and early nature poetry for which Ireland is famous. Herbal medicine was also important. In ancient Ireland, it was believed there were 365 different parts to the body, and a different plant existed to cure the ailments of each part. So, it is no surprise to find there are many myths and legends and much folklore associated with many wild plants and flowers in Ireland. A person who carries a four-leaved shamrock will have great luck in gambling, while a girl who puts nine ivy-leaves under her pillow will dream of her future husband. Plants are described in seasonal order instead of botanically, a fresh perspective that in many ways brings us back to the viewpoint of our ancestors. After describing the history of herbs in Ireland and traditional herbal medicine, different aspects of plant folklore are examined. Included are their roles in magical protection, their use in charms and spells (especially for love!), plants as emblems in children's games, in Irish place names and folklore cures.
A Burren Journal by Sarah Poyntz
Paperback with Endflaps; 15 Euro / 22 USD / 11 UK; 70 pages, with full colour illustrations throughout [Add To Basket]
Since 1987 Sarah Poyntz has bee writing a monthly diary about the Burren region of County Clare for the "Country Diary" column of the "Guardian". Illustrated with watercolours, this journal contains a selection of these diaries. Poyntz writes about how the Burren changes through the seasons of the year. She describes in detail the animals and birds of the countryside and seashore, capturing the beauty of the rare and diverse wild flowers for which the Burren is so famous. She also speaks about her friends and neighbours and life in the village of Ballyvaughan. The quotations from poetry throughout the diaries reveal her emotional and poetic response to the special environment of the Burren.
The Shores of Connemara by Seamas Mac an Iomaire
Paperback with Endflaps; 20 Euro / 30 USD / 15 UK; 184 pages [Add To Basket]
A naturalist's guide to the seashore and coastal waters of Connemara, Co. Galway, and an account of the life of the people who lived there in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The author describes the flora and fauna of the seashore, the living people made from them and the crafts involved.
Shannon Floodlands: A Natural History by Stephen Heery
Paperback; 15 Euro / 22 USD / 11 UK; 168 pages, with full colour photos throughout [Add To Basket]
This book is a comprehensive study of the Shannon Callows, a fascinating and distinctive landscape, between Lough Ree and Lough Derg, whose character is determined by the seasonal flooding of the River Shannon.
Shannon Navigation Charts from ERA Maptec
4 Laminated Charts; 15 Euro / 22 USD / 11 UK [Add To Basket]
Village Walks: Ireland – 50 Adventures on Foot
15 Euro / 22 USD / 11 UK [Add To Basket]
Perfect for both first-time visitors and returning tourists, "Village Walks: Ireland" offers an intimate view of this much loved region. Each card in this deck outlines a self-guided walking adventure, with a detailed map on one side and insider information on the other. Noteworthy sites and attractions are numbered on both sides of the cards for easy reference. Details on and suggestions for using public transport, information on local history and customs, and an overview map of the region are also included on a handy intro card.
The Tain Way Map and Guide by EastWest Mapping
Map; 10 Euro / 14 USD / 7 UK [Add To Basket]
Complete Guide to the Tain Way plus five short local walks.
Corrib County: A Rambler’s Guide and Map
Map; 10 Euro / 14 USD / 7 UK; [Add To Basket]
A rambler's guide and map of the Loch Corrib region of Ireland. The colour map shows information on geology, vegetation, historical monuments and present day activities. In addition, navigation channels, access roads and paths are shown. Colour illustrations show a selection of characteristic flowers and birds, black and white illustrations depict sites of historical interest. The text describes the lake's natural setting and explores how the landscape has evolved both through human agency and natural forces. Information on access, interesting sites and excursions is also provided.
The Burren
Map; 10 Euro / 14 USD / 7 UK; [Add To Basket]
Three comprehensive guides and maps to the History and Archaeology of the Burren.
Medieval Galway: A Rambler’s Guide and Map by Anne Korff
Map; 10 Euro / 14 USD / 7 UK; [Add To Basket]
Map of Kerry and Beara by A.B. O’Connor
Map; 6 Euro / 9 USD / 4.50 UK; [Add To Basket]
Kenmare, Tuosist-Sneem Guide Map by A.B. O’Connor
Map; 6 Euro / 9 USD / 4.50 UK; [Add To Basket]
The Bere Island Experience
Pocket Paperback; 6 Euro / 9 USD / 4.50 UK; [Add To Basket]
This guide introduces the visitor to elements of the island’s rich heritage.
Please note: Prices were correct at time of original posting but are subject to subsequent change without notice.
Gregory Carr, Independent Bookseller
Read Ireland
392 Clontarf Road
Dublin 3
Ireland
Tel + Fax: +353-1-853-2063
Customer Services Comments, Criticism and Questions
Subscribe to Read Ireland Book News - Our Free Weekly Email Newsletter