Book Reviews: High Island: An Irish Monastery in the Atlantic by Jenny White Marshall and Grellan D. Rourke (Hardback; 25.00 IEP / 30.00 USD / 20.00 UK) On Ardoilean, or High Island as it is known, lying some three kilometres off Ireland's west coast and exposed to the wilds of the Atlantic, there exists the most extensive remains of early medieval monast- icism in the west of Ireland. But High Island is the most elusive of Connemara's islands, and for centuries it has concealed its secrets well. Just what size was the monastic community that developed there? How advanced was it? How long had it been there? And most intriguingly, was the island inhabited only by a monastic community, or was this community preceded by a more extensive and developed society. In this fascinating and richly illustrated story, the authors rewrite a history that had gone unquestioned, and untouched, for centuries. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Champagne & Silver Buckle: The Viceregal Court at Dublin Castle 1700-1922 by Joseph Robins (Paperback; 14.99 IEP / 18.50 USD / 13.00 UK) This book examines the social and ceremonial life of the Viceregal Court of Dublin Castle, and looks at the individual who performed at the Castle from the onset of English administration after the Williamite wars until the transfer of power to Michael Collins and the government of the Irish Free State in 1922. This fascinating narrative, largely derived from primary sources documents a lively, little-known aspect of Irish social history. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth: A Visit to Ireland's Valley of the Kings by Werner Antpohler (Paperback; 6.99 IEP / 9.50 USD / 6.00 UK) This book is a guide for those who search Ireland's past, who wish to go beyond measurements and simple analysis. It poses intriguing questions about the awe-inspiring monuments of Newgrange, Knowth & Dowth, and answers them imaginatively, so that the past is brought to life. The book is a thought-provoking read, seeking to interpret the mysterious artwork and cryptic symbolism associated with the Valley of the Kings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Special Places to Stay in Ireland 2001 by Alastair Sawday and Stephen Tate (Paperback; 13.50 IEP / 15.50 USD / 12.00 UK) The new edition of the guide describes over 200 interesting and beautiful places to stay in Ireland, each chosen because it is, in some way, very special indeed! Color photographs throughout. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please note that while the Irish prices on this newsletter are correct, the US dollar and UK sterling prices are guideline prices only based on the current exchange rate. Also, please remember that postage charges are extra depending on destination. (Full details on our FAQs page.) Read Ireland Web Site Home Page: http://www.readireland.com Read Ireland Book Review is a free weekly newsletter. Please forward copies to anyone you think may be interested. If you wish to re-use any of the reviews or the newsletter in its entirety, please feel free to do so as long as Read Ireland is credited. Automatic subscriptions to: ri-subscribe@readireland.ie Read Ireland - THE Source for Irish Books on the Internet! Please send orders, questions, criticism or general comments to me at: gregcarr@readireland.ie Please visit us at: Read Ireland @ Phibsboro Bookshop, 342 North Circular Road, Phibsboro, Dublin 7, Ireland Mon-Fri 9:30-5:30 and Sat 11:00 - 5:30 Tel & Fax: +353-1-8302-997 www.readireland.ie Prices on books are subject to change without notice. Please specify for confirmed price quotations. Read Ireland Book Review - Issue 161 - Irish History **************************************************** Wild Geese and Travelling Scholars by Frank D'Arcy (Paperback; 4.99 IEP / 6.00 USD / 4.00 UK) The departure of soldiers known as the 'Wild Geese' from Ireland to Continental Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is a part of Irish history that is little remembered today. In fact, the scattered exiles of those centuries were by no means all soldiers. What was their fate, and what connections did they retain with their ancestral home? Who were the students and clerics in the Irish colleges in Paris, Bordeaux, Salamanca, Prague and a dozen other Continental countries? Who were the many generals in the service of a series of kings and dukes over a period of almost 200 years, and what were the often mixed causes for which they served? These and many other questions are answered in this book to provide a picture of a significant epoch in the history of Irish migration. ************************************************** The War of Independence by Edward Purdon (Paperback; 4.99 IEP / 6.00 USD / 4.00 UK) The truce established between the warring IRA and government forces on 9 July 1921 signalled the effective end of what historians now prefer to call the Anglo-Irish War, since the independence won was partial and its stated aims had not yet been achieved. In the two and a half years of the war's duration, a total of 1,300 people had been killed - more than 1,000 of them Irish. This book traces the causes, course and consequences of the war. ************************************************* Wolfe Tone by Sean McMahon (Paperback; 4.99 IEP / 6.00 USD / 4.00 UK) Theobald Wolfe Tone was just thirty-five when he committed suicide, with none of his ambitions achieved. Yet his reputation is as the founding father of Irish republicanism. His name was used by Thomas Davis and Padraic Pearse almost as a mantra, and his grave at Bodenstown, County Kildare, is one of the most hallowed of republican sites. This short, comprehensive account of his life and work shows him to have been a true patriot, but also a much more complex character than the icon- makers would have us believe. ************************************************* Robert Emmet by Sean McMahon (Paperback; 4.99 IEP / 6.00 USD / 4.00 UK) For nearly 200 years, since his death on the scaffold in Thomas Street, Dublin, on 20 September 1803, Robert Emmet has been the 'darling of Erin' - the archetypal young martyr for Irish freedom. Because of the romantic story of his fatal love for Sarah Curran, he has always had the reputation of being a brave but foolhardy young man whose brief insurrection was vain and whose life was needlessly sacrificed for love. Yet, as this book shows, he was far from being a reckless dreamer. His preparations for the rising which he led show him to have been a meticulous planner, a master of security, an ingenious inventor of effective weapons for urban warfare and the deviser of a revolutionary plan that, but for sheer bad luck, might well have succeeded. ************************************************* In Their Own Voice: Women and Irish Nationalism edited by Margaret Ward Paperback; 8.99 IEP / 11.50 USD / 7.00 UK; Attic Press; 198 pages This collection of documents enables some of the women who took part in the movement for Irish national independence to be heard in their own voices. Through their writings these women express their hopes and dreams, their criticisms and their disappointments, their terrors and their refusal to accept defeat. This is their voice as they explained themselves in autobiographies, letters and speeches. Maud Gonne, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington and Constance de Markievicz are among the better know contributors, but the voices of lesser-known witnesses to this formative period of Irish history prove to be equally rich and illuminating. ************************************************** History of Dun Laoghaire Harbour by John De Courcy Ireland Hardback; 35.00 IEP / 45.00 USD / 28.00 UK; Four Masters Press; 181 pages, with b/w photos Dun Laoghaire Harbour, recognised as one of the most picturesque in Europe, was built early in the 19th century as the consequences of an explosion of popular anger at the continuous deaths from ship- wrecks in Dublin Bay. The most competent and experienced navigators at the time had described the port of Dublin as the most perilous in the whole world for a ship to leave or approach in certain circumstances. Thanks largely to the efficiency and foresight of Captain Hutchinson, the first harbour master, the port built an 'asylum' harbour or port of refuge, which became with the introduction of steam-driven passenger and mail carrying ships the busiest port on the western shore of the Irish sea, also a leading fishing port and popular yachting centre. Recent controversies about the new system of harbour management under recent legislation has revived sharply the question whether Dun Laoghaire can continue to be considered as the 'People's Port' as it has been since its inception. ************************************************** The Diocese of Elphin: People, Places and Pilgrimage edited by Francis Beirne Hardback; 30.00 IEP / 41.50 USD / 17.50 UK; Columba; 403 pages, with b/w photos This book outlines the history of the Diocese of Elphin from Patrician times until the end of the second millennium. It is a compendium of historical detail on the thirty-eight parishes on the clergy and religious, and on a host of other aspects of the life of the diocese. The extensive bibliography will be a treasure trove for historians, researchers, students and everyone interested in Irish ecclesiastical history. The Diocese of Elphin stretches from the bridge of Athlone to the bridge of Bunduff on the outskirts of Bundoran, and includes parts of Roscommon, Sligo and Galway. *************************************************** Sacred Places and Pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of Dublin by Brid Liston Paperback; 9.99 IEP / 13.50 USD / 8.50 UK; Veritas; 142 pages, with b/w photos Getting to know the Irish local environment and its relationship to our spiritual tradition is part of our ongoing religious development. Our Christian tradition in Ireland is rich in sacred places, and pilgrimage has been a central theme in the celebration of the Jubilee Year 2000. Many of these places are well known to us, but many too have almost been forgotten. This book ensures that a knowledge of these very special places, as well as they prayer of pilgrimage, will not be lost to tradition. *************************************************** The Faith of the Catholic Church: A Summary by David Konstant Paperback; 12.00 IEP / 15.00 USD / 10.00 UK; Veritas; 135 pages This book is for those who wish to gain a basic knowledge of the faith and moral teaching of the Catholic Church. *************************************************** Bloody Sunday: Lord Widgery's Report, 1972 Paperback; 9.80 IEP / 12.00 USD / 7.50 UK; Stationary Office This book contains Lord Widgery's Report of Events in Londonderry, Northern Ireland on 30, January 1972. *************************************************** New in Paperback This Week: Trimble by Henry McDonald Paperback; 12.60 IEP / 16.50 USD / 10.00 UK) David Trimble's ascent to the post of First Minister of the new Northern Ireland Assembly has been a remarkable political journey from the hard-line fringes of Unionism to the moderate centre-ground. Whatever the future of the first devolved government in Belfast for a quarter of a century, Trimble's career, from his involvement in the early seventies with Bill Craig's ultra-right-wing Vanguard to leadership of a government that includes a former IRA chief of staff, Martin McGuinness, as one of his fellow ministers, is a unique story of personal and political transformation. The author tells the story from Trimble's childhood in Bangor, County Down, a town 'as British as Finchley', through his years studying and teaching law at Queen's University, Belfast. He traces Trimble's political career from his early involvement with extreme Unionism, and his role as advisor to loyalist paramilitary leaders, to his rise in the Unionist Party and his maturing into a politician seeking reconciliation with Irish nationalists and republicans. The author has been granted many exclusive interviews with David Trimble over the years. He describes his relationships with world leaders, including his close friendship with Tony Blair and his dealings with Bill Clinton. In order to understand the man, the author examines his two marriages and his life outside Ulster politics. Lucid and revealing, this book also describes the final tortuous negotiations towards the devolution of power from London to Belfast on 1 December 1999. As Northern Ireland's new government - on temporary suspension at the moment - stands on a knife-edge between political failure or survival, this is a vital and important book for all who seek to understand Ireland's troubled past and its hopes for the future. This book was our choice of Non-Fiction Book of the Month for March 2000. ************************************************ The Outer Edge of Ulster: A Memoir of Social Life in 19th Century Donegal by Hugh Dorian (15.99 IEP / 20.00 USD / 14.50 UK) Hugh Dorian (1834-1914), a writing clerk, watches the 'Donegal prisoners' arrive at Derry gaol under a military escort. Indignant at their treatment - in print as much as in prison - he writes a 'true historical narrative' of the transformation of his home community in the nineteenth century. That community, though never named by Dorian, is the Fanaid peninsula on the Atlantic coast of north Donegal. Dorian describes the ordinary and the everyday - births, deaths and marriages, hedge- schools and schoolmasters, the poitin industry and donkey races, local systems of land holding, the social position of craftsmen and musicians, and the personal and sectarian hatreds that shaped his childhood. And then he describes the extraordinary and the incomprehensible - the Great Famine and the 'mournful silence', the sense of communal bereavement, that followed in its wake. The book is prefaced by a scholarly introduction which traces the personal and political troubles that befell the author. Click your Back Button on your Browser to return to the Ireland WEB Site.