Read Ireland Book Reviews
Issue 472
3/4 April 2010
IRA The Bombs and the Bullets: A History of Deadly Ingenuity by A.R. Oppenheimer
Large Format Paperback; 25 Euro / 34 USD / 19 UK; 388 pages
As a leading expert on non-conventional weapons and explosives, the author focuses on the bombs and explosives and shows how the IRA became the most adept and experienced insurgency group the world has ever seen through their bombing expertise and how - after generations of conflict - it all came to an end. The book is a comprehensive account of more than 150 years of Irish republican strategic, tactical, and operational details and analysis covering the IRA's mission, doctrine, targeting, and acquisition of weapons and explosives. Oppenheimer also colourfully presents the story behind the bombs; those who built and deployed them, those who had to deal with and dismantle them, and those who suffered or died from them. He analyses where, how, and why the IRA's bombs were built, targeted and deployed and explores what the IRA was hoping to accomplish in its unrivalled campaign of violence and insurgency through covert acquisition, training, intelligence and counter-intelligence. The book focuses entirely on the IRA's bombing campaign - beginning with the Fenian 'Dynamiters' in the 19th century up to the decommissioning of an arsenal big enough to arm several battalions - which included an entire home-crafted missile system, an unsurpassed range of improvised explosive devices, and enough explosives to blow up several urban centres. The author scrutinises the level of improvisation in what became the hallmark of the Provisional IRA in its pioneering IED timing, delay and disguise technologies. He follows the arms race it carried on with the British Army and security services in a Long War of Mutual Assured Disruption. Oppenheimer fully describes and assesses the impact of the pre-1970s bombing campaigns in Northern Ireland and England to the evolution of strategies and tactics. He also provides an insight into the bombing equipment and guns from the IRA inventory held at Irish Police HQ in Dublin.
Revolution in Ireland: Popular Militancy 1917-1923 by Conor Kostick
Hardback; 39 Euro / 48 USD / 29 UK; 250 pages [Add To Basket]
The years from the Easter Rising in 1916 to the ending of the Civil War in 1923 were years full of drama and of fast-changing events, whose outcome shaped Irish society for generations. The conventional narrative of this period is one that focuses on the efforts of the nationalist politicians of various hues and the military activities of the IRA in their struggle to escape the British Empire. But these were also years of extraordinary popular initiatives, directed against both the British administration of the Ireland and indigenous employers. Over a hundred 'soviets' were proclaimed in the period. This book studies the militancy of working people throughout urban and rural Ireland during these revolutionary years. It examines how this popular militancy impacted on the struggle for independence: how it shaped the policy of the British authorities; how leaders of the national movement, such as de Valera and Collins, were affected by the popular struggle; and how the ebbs and flows of the popular movement were closely intertwined with the issue of partition. This book provides a great deal of detail on working-class militancy between 1917 and 1923. It stresses the large scale and considerable impact of mass action and labor activism, challenging traditional interpretations that focus almost exclusively on the role of armed groups. There is a full account of the strikes, factory occupations and land seizures that shook Irish society. It details popular involvement in the struggles of those years, paying particular attention to the socialist and trade union movement. This revised edition consists of a comprehensive rewrite that updates the work in the light of recent publications and the release of new archive materials. In particular, this new edition includes new eyewitness accounts from the archives of the Bureau of Military History including the testimony of notable trade union activists, an extension of the account of the mutiny of the Connaught Rangers (28 June 1920), and extra information on Michael Collins' intelligence system.
Follow the Money by David McWilliams
Large Format Paperback; 17 Euro / 23 USD / 13 UK;
We catch up with old friends, Breakfast Roll Man and Miss Pencil Skirt, and meet new characters like the Merchant of Ennis, Shylock and the Godfather. We have late night tea with Brian Lenihan, are charmed by Miriam O'Callaghan and cross swords with Seanie Fitzpatrick. We learn why the average drug dealer on the side of the street has more in common with the banker than either would care to mention, as we follow the money -- in both rackets -- from its source at the very top right down to the 'buy now, pay later' deals at rock bottom. Why should we trust the people who got us into this mess in the first place? They were wrong then and they are wrong now. The politicians, bankers and developers think they can hand us the bill and walk away from the carnage. They want us follow a route that will make things worse for the ordinary man on the street while saving the bankers at the top of the tree, insisting that there is no other way. But there is an obvious alternative which has been adopted by every economy that has successfully emerged from this type of crisis. With the same sense of fun as The Pope's Children, David McWilliams makes answering hard questions easy. In his typical breezy style, he suggests where to go from here. To be led up the garden path once in the past ten years is a tragedy; to be led up twice by the same people is unforgiveable. There is an alternative. Follow the Money is an optimistic and uplifting book about that alternative, which is well within our grasp if only we'd wake up and seize it.
Onthegame.ie: Prostitution in Ireland Today by Stephen Rogers
Paperback; 13 Euro / 19 USD / 10 UK; 261 pages [Add To Basket]
Clare is a pretty, unremarkable young English woman who enjoys walks in the country, meeting up with friends for a meal, watching Eastenders every night. She has got a wisdom tooth coming through that is driving her to distraction. She is on good terms with her neighbours who know nothing of where she goes every night. She also demands upwards of Euro300 per hour to men who want to have sex with her while she beats them. A quick Google search for an escort (or prostitute with a bigger bank balance) will bring up listings for more than 1,000 men and women in cities and towns in every corner of Ireland. Pictures of the prostitute, in little or no clothing, is accompanied by the vast range of services they offer and, without fail, a mobile contact number. The world's oldest profession is taking on a distinctly 21st century gloss. This book explains what has become thousands of men's most guilty secret. Ireland is a haven for sex at its most seedy. It asks who exactly is offering the sex? What has led the women to come to this country to offer the services they do, what has driven them from their homes? Are they doing it voluntarily, or were they lured here by the promise of a better life and regretted it ever since? Who are the pimps who are taking half or more of the exorbitant fee? What has happened to those who practised the trade in its more traditional form on the streets?
Blind Ambition by Janet Gray
Hardback; 17 Euro / 23 USD / 13 UK; [Add To Basket]
This remarkable woman is a world champion. On four occasions she has won the World Disabled Water-ski Championships. She has been champion and world record holder in all three individual disciplines as well as overall champion. In competition with sighted water-skiers, she is one of the top skiers in Ireland and in the higher echelons of competitive skiing in the UK. And yet, in 2004, she nearly died. In the course of a training session in Tampa, Florida, Janet was skied at high speed into a steel ski jump in the centre of the lake. 'Doctors assessing the extent of my injuries were united in their prognosis: I wouldn't survive the night. Yet they continued to help me fight. The massive trauma to my face prevented me from breathing and an emergency tracheotomy had to be performed. I had been whipped into the ramp at the velocity required to rip a seat belt in two with the result that the bones in my face, including eye sockets, cheek bones, and nose were completely smashed. My jaw was dislocated and suffered multiple fractures plus I lost several teeth. My right hip and pelvis were dislocated and broken as was my left elbow. The head of my femur was crushed, my knee-cap fractured, ribs were also dislocated. I suffered crush injuries, snapped a tendon in my thumb and lost a serious amount of blood. My face was gone, my body a mangled mess and my heart failed on three occasions. But doctors resuscitated me, allowing me to cling tentatively to life. I will never know whether it was a dream or a moment of lucidity but I remember thinking, I am going to die here alone and I didn't get to say good-bye to Paul and my family.' But Janet Gray did not die. In fact, not only did she make a full recovery, she resumed her career in water-skiing and regained her world titles and previous ranking as World Disabled Water-ski Champion.
The Most Famous Irish People You’ve Never Heard Of by Colin Murphy
Hardback; 13 Euro / 19 USD / 10 UK; 424 pages [Add To Basket]
This title includes stories of adventure & achievement inventors, gold-diggers, military leaders, spies, rabble-rousers, soldiers, courtesans, ace pilots detectives, athletes, and heroes. Irish people have left their mark on virtually every corner of the globe. This fascinating book tells the stories of the Irish who are justly celebrated in their adopted homelands, but virtually unknown in Ireland: William Melville from Kerry, the First Head of MI5; Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty from Cork, who rescued 4,000 Jews and Allied Servicemen from the Nazis; James Hoban from Kilkenny who designed The White House; Jennie Hodgers from Louth who served three years in Union Army during the American Civil War - as a man; and, George McElroy from Dublin who became one of World war I's outstanding aerial aces And many more.
Captain Rock: The Irish Agrarian Rebellion, 1821-24 by James S. Donnelly
Large Format Paperback; 25 Euro / 30 USD / 20 UK; 610 pages [Add To Basket]
One of a series of Irish agrarian rebellions dating as far back as the 1760s, the Rockite rebellion of 1821-24 brought Irish agrarian violence to a new level of intensity. Originating around Newcastle West in County Limerick, it took its name from its mythical leader, Captain Rock, the fictional avenger of agrarian wrongs whose name appeared on the laws or regulations issued by the rebels. From a close study of the local events that gave rise to the movement tithes, rents, evictions, famine, economic hardship - Donnelly expands outwards to explore the forces that transformed it into a regional agrarian revolt, especially in Cork and Limerick, but also in Kerry, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny. The conflict, ignited by the harsh and ill-advised policies of a newly appointed agent to extract payments from poverty-stricken tenants, soon spread into neighbouring counties and gained new adherents from a broad social spectrum as Ireland experienced one of its harshest economic downturns in the nineteenth century. While an exceedingly grim economic situation fuelled the Rockite movement, Donnelly argues that a confluence of economic, sectarian, and political forces sustained and magnified this outburst of violence. The complex interplay of these forces drives Donnelly s analysis of the movement s ideology, organization, and social composition. The second half of the work examines the rebellion s defining features, especially the forces that fostered an environment of extreme violence, and the government repression and economic upturn that helped bring about its eclipse in 1823 and 1824. Drawing on a wealth of sources including letters, newspaper stories, official reports, depositions, proclamations, and threatening missives sent by Rockites to their enemies Donnelly builds his analysis upon a rich narrative, replete with human detail.
Real Irish Ghost Stories by Paul Fennell
Paperback; 13 Euro / 18 USD / 10 UK; 240 pages
Large Format Paperback with 8 page full colour photo insert; 12 Euro / 16 USD / 10 UK; 300 pages [Add To Basket]
Do you believe in the paranormal - 'ghosts' as you might have called them when young? It s a question that usually meets with a guarded answer but if we haven't had a psychic experience ourselves we surely know someone who has. The great Dr Johnson said about the existence of ghosts that all argument is against it but all belief is for it. Paul Fennell, himself a paranormal investigator, has collected reports of ghostly events and visitations from all over Ireland. In the preliminary section of his book he describes all kinds of such manifestations from inexplicable movements of inanimate objects to strange noises and figures that move at will through locked doors and brick walls. He categorises them, from revenants and grounded spirits, through poltergesists to demonic possession. Most of this book comprises the stories of ordinary people, told in their own words. It will surely persuade the sceptical that there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt of in their philosophy.
Impact: The Human Stories Behind Ireland’s Road Tragedies by Jenny McCudden with a Foreword by Gay Byrne
Paperback; 13 Euro / 18 USD / 11 UK; 214 pages [Add To Basket]
Ireland's record for road safety is dismal: nearly every day brings news of yet another horrific crash resulting in serious injury or loss of life. Impact tells the human story behind the stark statistics. Grieving families and injured victims describe how a crash that is over in seconds can devastate lives forever. Their insights into coping with unexpected grief, and the shock of injury are harrowing and moving. Interviewees include former government minister Jim McDaid TD, Galway boy racers, and Micilín Feeney, left brain-damaged after a drink-driving accident. Those working on the front line in emergency services - gardaí, fire officers, medical personnel - are given a voice, while road safety experts discuss the facts behind our collision culture. Impact is the first detailed account of road traffic accidents in Ireland. It is essential reading for everyone, from experienced drivers to those about to get behind the wheel for the first time.
Holywood Star: the life and times of a rock and roll misadventurer' by Eamon Nancarrow. published by Showcase UK
Large Format Paperback; 13 Euro / 16 USD / 10 UK; 342 pages [Add To Basket]
Possibly the funniest book to come out of Belfast and amazingly enough – it's all true! Inspired by a drink with Van Morrison teenager Eamon Nancarrow decides to become a rock singer. From the 70's streets of Holywood, County Down, to London's rock scene of the late 80's, Eamon's autobiography charts his calamitous attempts to seek fame and fortune. The stories about his friends and outrageous misadventures have made readers crease up so much that the author is offering a 100% refund if it doesn't make you rock and roll with laughter.
Please note: Prices were correct at time of original posting but are subject to subsequent change without notice.
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