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Read Ireland Book Reviews, January 2004
Republicanism in Modern Ireland
edited by Fearghal McGarry
This book is a collection of essays by leading scholars on aspects of
Irish republicanism - north and south - from the early twentieth century
to the present day. It is the first collection of essays to assess
republicanism within a broad historical context. Yet an awareness of history,
and its uses, has long been a notable characteristic of modern Irish republicanism,
an introspective political tradition with a marked preoccupation with
the past and its own place within it. Over the past century, Irish
republicans have been repeatedly faced by similar arguments, rhetoric
and choices and a number of key themes emerge. Should republicans
participate in political institutions that they regard as illegitimate?
Is physical force more effective than politics in advancing republican
aims? The importance of splits, schism and rivalry as a dynamic
of republican politics and the incoherenece, opportunism and flexibility
of republican organizations are revealed in these essays. Subjects covered
in this book include the relationship between republicanism and democracy,
paramilitarism and the Irish revolution, IRA veterans and land division,
the influence of communist ideology, the IRA’s link with Nazi Germany,
the rhetoric of republican legitimacy and the internal politics of the
Provisional IRA. Further essays on commemoration, republican attitudes
to British identity in Ireland and the mentality of extremist republicanism
locate the appeal of republicanism in issues of culture and identity as
well as ideology and politics. A fascinating read.
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Ireland and Postcolonial Theory
edited by Clare Carroll and Patricia King
This book is a collection of twelve essays by leading Irish intellectuals
and international postcolonial critics as they debate Ireland’s past and
present experience of postcolonialism. The approach in all essays
is theoretical, historical and comparative. The first two essays
by Joe Cleary and David Lloyd analyse the development of theories that
explain the emergence of cultures, and investigate how colonialism relates
to Ireland and how Irish Studies has influenced the development of postcolonial
critique internationally. The next six essays ask how and why decolonising
criticism emerged in Ireland from the time of the Renaissance. They apply
postcolonial perspectives to Irish cultural history and the contest of
cross-colonial identifications between native Irish and Amerindian cultures
that developed during the Enlightenment of the Eighteenth Century. Essays
by Kevin Whelan and Seamus Deane explore the after-life of the famine
and its effects upon Irish politics, writing and art. The final
selection of essays is devoted to the comparative study of postcolonial
interactions between Ireland and India. Edward Said concludes these essays
with an afterword that reflects Ireland’s position in relation to postcolonial
struggles around the world.
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Towers, Spires and Pinnacles:
A History of the Cathedrals and Churches of the Church of Ireland by Sam
Hutchinson
This book tells the story of over 1,100 Church of Ireland cathedrals and
churches of worship. These range from medieval cathedrals and ancient
parish churches in the care of the Church of Ireland since the Reformation
to the medley of new churches built in eastern Ulster during the second
half of the twentieth century. Many of the churches, especially
in the Republic, are memorials to civilisation and a way of life that
no longer exists. The Anglo-Irish aristocracy is the eighteenth,
nineteenth, and early-twentieth centuries had their faults, but lack of
taste was rarely on of them, and this is reflected in the many lovely
churches handed down to us today. Not all are beautiful, but even
the plainest frequently has a certain charm - not least because of its
location. Where known, the date of consecration (or completion)
and the name of the architect of each church are indicated. The
book is lavishly illustrated with colour photographs throughout.
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The Silver Lining: Lade Heath
and Kildonan- A Golden Age of Flying by John Haughton
This book is about the people associated with Kildonan Aerodrome, Finglas,
County Dublin, and about the aircraft, which flew there. It is about
a special time, the 1930s and the last twenties, with a unique atmosphere
and ambiance. It is about a place called Finglas. It is about
the inter-relationship of people, aircraft, time and place resulting in
a unique blend - Kildonan. The unique atmosphere of the time is
partly captured by the poems of Oliver St. John Gogarty, some of whose
verses are included. The book is a celebration of what was a golden
age of flying, when during a time of peace between the two World Wars,
the general public for the first time discovered the joys of flying.
It is also about Lady Heath (Sophie Mary Pierce) born in Newcastle West
in Limerick, who spent her later years at Kildonan, the aerodrome built
by Hugh Cahill.
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The Quiet Revolution: The Electrification
of Rural Ireland by Michael Shiel
The bringing of electricity to rural Ireland, begun in the 1940s, was
a quiet revolution that transformed the lives of rural dwellers.
This book is an entertaining and detailed account of those events.
It tells of the plans, the financing, the organization, materials and
problems, the celebrations, and the contributions of the many different
people who made the project possible. It brings the spirit of the
times to life and recaptures the enthusiasm and sense of awe that greeted
this new source of energy and the beginning of modern life in Ireland.
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Hurling’s Top 20 by Colm Keane
In this book, the author profiles 20 of the greatest hurling legends to
grace the Irish game: from Christy Ring, Mick Mackey, Jack Lynch and Tony
Reddin to more recent heroes such as Nicky English, Joe Cooney, Brian
Whelahan and D.J. Carey. Tipperary’s John Doyle and Jimmy Doyle,
Kilkenny’s Eddie Keher and Noel Skehan, along with Cork’s Ray Cummins
and Jimmy Barry-Murphy recall their glory years. Offaly’s Joe Dooley
together with Wexford’s Billy Rackard and Tony Doran describe how their
counties beat the odds, turning the tables on the traditional hurling
powers, while Waterford’s glory years in the 1940s and 1950s are recalled
through career profiles of John Keane and Tom Cheasty. Jimmy Smyth
describes Clare’s fallow years. This book chronicles over half a
century of hurling history, as seen through the eyes of those who have
played at the highest level of the game.
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Gaelic Football’s Top 20 by Colm
Keane
For the first time ever, 20 of the greatest legends in Gaelic football
history are exclusively profiled in this book. Among the legends
are Kerryman Mick O’Connell and Galway’s Sean Purcell, who vividly recount
Gaelic football’s golden age in the 1950s and 60s, while Sean O’Neill
describes Down’s historic breakthrough in 1960. The great Kerry
teams of the 70s and 80s are also represented by stars including Pat Spillane,
Mickey Sheehy, Jack O’Shea, John Egan and Eoin Liston, while Dublin’s
Jimmy Keaveney and Brian Mullins assess their most memorable giants with
the Kerry giants. Elsewhere in the book, Larry Tompkins and Billy
Morgan revisit Cork’s matches with Meath in the late 80s and early 90s,
Meath’s Colm O’Rourke and Martin O’Connell offer their view of the contests.
Offaly are represented by Matt Connor. Donegal’s Martin McHugh and
Derry’s Anthony Tohill recall their breakthroughs, unlike Mayo’s Willie
Joe Padden and Sligo’s Mickey Kearins, who instead describe the pain o
f their counties’ near misses. On a different note, Enda Colleran
remembers Galway’s three-in-a-row in the 60s. This book is crammed
with anecdotes of the contests and controversies that have dominated Gaelic
football in the last half century.
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An Introduction to Irish Ancestry
3rd edition by Sean Quinn
An updated guide to Irish Ancestral Research that details the two principal
assets: the records and the repositories in which the records are held.
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Surnames in Ireland by Sean Quinn
This book makes available as much information as possible on 700 Irish
surnames.
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