The last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, the Seanchai enthralls his assembled audience for three evenings running with narratives of foolish kings and fabled saints, of enduring accomplishments and selfless acts -- until he is banished from the household for blasphemy and moves on. But these three incomparable nights have changed young Ronan forever, setting him on the course he will follow for years to come -- as he pursues the elusive, itinerant storyteller . . . and the magical tales that are no less than the glorious saga of his tenacious, troubled, and extraordinary isle.

    And at the heart of every Maeve Binchy novel, the lives and loves of vividly drawn characters are deftly woven into unforgettable, beautifully realized tales. Now, in this charming audio set, three of Maeve Binchy's classic coming-of-age tales are collected together. These wonderful audio presentations represent the very best work of one of the world's most celebrated authors. And listening to her comforting stories feels just like coming home.The Copper BeechCarved on the trunk of the mighty copper beech tree that embraces the schoolyard in Sharcarrig are declarations of love, hope, and identity--the youthful dreams of the children who studied there. Now grown, yet shaped by their years in the schoolhouse, they lead different lives. The Copper Beech tells the story of these eight dreamers.Circle of FriendsCircle of Friends begins with the pair of Benny Hogan and Eve Malone from the village of Knockglen until they leave for university in Dublin and are joined by Nan Mahon and Jack Foley. Long-hidden lies emerge to test the meaning of love and the strength of ties held within the fragile gold bands of a circle of friends.The Glass LakeIn The Glass Lake, Maeve Binchy explores the unspoken language between mothers and daughters in an extraordinary story of a mother's secret, a daughter's courage, and the hidden bond between them that neither deceit nor death can destroy.

    Biddy tells him, but soon learns that something gained for nothing has no value. Full color.

    As a member of that brilliant 1960s generation of working-class idealists politicized by class, war and sex, McCafferty, in her writing and broadcasting on everything from the hunger strikes to football, has inspired and infuriated in equal measure.Yet, although she is an iconic figure Nell' (there is only one) her sexuality has remained in the background, hardly acknowledged and never, it seemed, to be discussed. Until now. In a memoir of scorching honesty McCafferty writes about what it is to be the public, and the private, Nell. Nell McCafferty was born on Derry's Bogside in 1944. She was the first of her family to go to university and after graduating she began a career in journalism which made her one of Ireland's most controversial commentators. She lives in Dubli

    Written for all those who have felt the tug of memory or a connection to some time and place that came before they lived, this book explores Frank’s trip to Ireland for a shamanic conference and his experiences of connecting with the land, the faery people, and the spirits that inhabit the land. It explores the inner reaches of our connections to ancestors, to the land, to the mysteries shared in all life. As Frank explores these depths, he brings the reader along on the journey, explaining what is happening and what he is experiencing and how this ties to the myths and deep meanings of the Celtic traditions. The book continues on the "mist-filled path" of Frank’s first book, exploring the teachings and beliefs of ancient Ireland and recasting them into language and stories that will appeal to today’s readers. Celtic spirituality is based on the oneness of all life and the sanctity of our Mother Earth.

    In this explosive book, Alan Barker gives a gripping inside account of the inner workings of the Royal Ulster Constabulary’s elite Special Branch and its struggle against terrorism, a struggle which resulted in those who waged that war feeling ultimately betrayed and let down.

    In A Pot O' Gold, noted writer Kathleen Krull and beloved illustrator David McPhail bring this legacy to life. Created for families, this anthology compiles classic and rare examples of Irish culture including stories, poems, songs, recipes, and even a little blarney. From legends of leprechauns and fairies to the classic poetry of Yeats and Joyce, this treasury is a perfect way for anyone to share the wonders of Ireland.

    After seeing action in Syria with the Commandos, he joined the new unit that David Stirling was establishing, the Special Air Service. The raids Mayne led in the Western Desert destroyed over one hundred enemy aircraft on the ground. The common factor in these successes was Mayne's ability to read the situation, anticipate how the enemy would react, and then attack. Mayne was twenty-seven when he won the DSO for the first time. Mayne subsequently led the unit in Italy, France and Germany, winning a further bar to the DSO in each of these campaigns, as well as the Croix de Guerre and the Legion d'Honneur. At the end of the war, after a short period with an Antarctic Survey, Mayne returned to the law. In 1955 he died in a car accident, aged forty. Soon after his death, misinformation about Mayne began to appear. He was portrayed variously as a classical tragic hero of drama, and a man of anger and aggression. Hamish Ross's work largely refutes these standard interpretations, using official war diaries, the early chronicle of 1 SAS, Mayne's papers and diaries, and a number of extended interviews with key contemporaries. It has the support of the Mayne family and the SAS Regimental Association. Hamish Ross strips away the legend and leaves Mayne not diminished but enhanced.

    This work by James Connolly who founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party designs a revolutionary plan for workers to reclaim every industry from the jurisdiction of the master class. The subjugation of Ireland rests on a financial reliance of the oppressed on the oppressor. Connolly outlines how the Irish Nation and the working class can combine their concerns into a policy which allows free intermingling of activities and goals. When this happens self determination will quicken the ambition of Irish people, and a new freedom will rise up to furnish true optimism and rugged purpose.

    Determined to reach his grandmother's village by Christmas Eve, Kevin and his stubborn but endearing donkey, Missie, set off on 1800-mile trek along the entire jagged coast of a divided Ireland.Their rollicking adventure takes them over mountains and dales, through smoky cities and sleepy villages, and into the farmhouses and hearts of Ireland's greatest resource--its people.Along the way, Kevin would meet incredible characters, experience Ireland in all of its glory, and explore not only his Irish past, but find his future self."One of the finest books about contemporary Ireland ever written...In a style evocative of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, O'Hara writes memorably of his most unusual way of touring his ancestral home of Ireland." --Library Journal

    It is time to return from Dublin, London and New York to Rossmore and the old stone house overlooking the Irish Sea where they grew up. But ancient jealousies surface as each sister confronts the past and the decisions they have made.For work-driven Kate it is time to take stock of her role as a high-flying ambitious lawyer and single parent; life is a battle between work and looking after Molly with little time for a proper relationship. Even Patrick, the man she once fell for, has ended up marrying her sister. Beautiful and intense Moya must take a hard look at her marriage to the charming but unfaithful Patrick and consider her own worth. For wild child Romy who has travelled the world and hasn't put a foot on Irish soil for years, it is time to finally stop running and find the courage to confront her family.A good and caring mother, Maeve Dillon has somehow over the years labelled each of her three daughters: Moya the beautiful, Kate the brains, and Romy, the bold and wild one. Now it is finally time for all three to break out of the box.

    The attached tag bears his own name and address. Who is she? And why would a complete stranger send her to him? As Solly attempts to find the answers, other Ballygurry inhabitants are drawn into the mystery. Their inquiries lead to the secluded monastery of Santa Eulalia on the medieval trail to Santiago de Compostela. As the Ballygurry pilgrims begin to thaw in the Spanish sunshine, a number of interwoven mysteries from the past gradually unfurl to rekindle old hatreds--"and restore old passions.

    It seems that our favorite haunts are also those of resident wraiths intent on revisiting their past in the cozy confines of centuries-old pubs.Ghostly monks, Victorian ladies, and murdered soldiers abound. There is the sinister figure with cape and cutlass at The Lifeboat Inn in Thornham, the busy ghost of Mary Queen of Scots at Oundle's Talbot Hotel, and even a rather risqué female ghost at The Lion and Swan Hotel in Congleton, who appears in the early hours of the morning to tend the fire wearing nothing but clogs and a winsome smile!From Cornwall to Scotland, and from Ireland to East Anglia, historian and inveterate ghost-hunter Richard Jones seeks out the most charming inns with the spookiest of ghost stories. Richly illustrated with color photography and atmospheric drawings, all of the information you need for your own tour of haunted inns is provided. Just be prepared to encounter a ghostly knight or phantom highwayman as you relax with your drink.

    This title paints a picture of the reality of life in the west of Ireland. It admires the simplicity of the people's character, and their readiness to face risks and danger without any show of bravado.

    Sunday, November 21, 1920, was a decisive day in the Irish nation's long, bloody struggle for independence from Great Britain. It was on that day that fourteen British secret agents in Dublin were assassinated, an act that shattered the British intelligence system in Ireland and made it possible for a small, ill-equipped force of irregulars to impose its will on its centuries-old oppressor. The operation was carefully and secretly organized, and it was the crucial culmination of a decades-long undercover struggle.Bloody Sunday tells the exciting behind-the-scenes story of the events that led up to the operation and gives a completely new appraisal of "the troubles." It shows Michael Collins as the brilliant leader that he was, and it disperses the fables and fiction that have grown up around Ireland's War of Independence.Author James Gleeson saw the "Black and Tans" and "Shinners" in action. He spoke to men who had taken part in the operation-not only the leadersbut also the rank and file-as well as men from the British side. His unbiased, factual account is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in Irish history.

    "How can I go home now my sea-cloak is in tatters?" she cries. "When I wore it I could fly, walk, and swim to my home at the bottom of the sea." Martin and his mother decide to help Una, and Martin searches far and wide for the things they need to repair her cloak: silver grasses, tiny green feathers, rare shells. Then comes the day when Una can at last fly away, and soon Martin begins to miss his new friend in this haunting tale woven from Irish folktales.

    The characters, some of them Dubliners appearing under their own names, visit shops and pubs that can be located precisely in the streets of the city in which Joyce grew up. Despite the renovation of Dublin in recent decades, many of these neighborhoods and establishments remain. Published to coincide with the centenary of Bloomsday on June 16, 2004, this unique study uses more than 100 maps and photographs to examine the importance of Ulysses's basis in physical fact, showing how characters move around the city and how the novel works in terms of time and place. The accompanying texts include an analysis of Joyce's use of Thom's Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, an account of the characters' movements episode by episode, an alphabetical list of the addresses of characters and places, a timetable of corresponding events, a note about unresolved problems, a detailed set of maps based on originals from early in the twentieth century, and a selection of historical illustrations. These tools enable the reader to approach more fully the perspective of the native Dubliner in 1904 and enhance the delightsand the understandingof Joyce's great novel. 113 illustrations, including 79 maps.

    Read how the Children of Lir became beautiful white swans, how Fionn defeated the fire-eating dragon, and share the exciting adventures of the Red Branch Knights. Discover the story behind the Giant's Causeway, and laugh with the leprechauns as they plot their mischief.Interspersed throughout this irresistible treasury is a delightful selection of Irish poems perfect for reading aloud to children of all ages."

    He has been a poet who has revisited his work, re-scoring familiar and estranged pieces into new gatherings that reflect his preoccupations more powerfully, bringing together poems from different times--and adding many new, previously lost or unpublished ones--so that they speak in chorus like the generations of people they celebrate.

    A master of arresting dialogue and intimate characterization, Eugene McCabe demonstrates his outstanding gift for short fiction in this revelatory and haunting collection.

    This book provides a new, more inclusive approach to the study of Irish identity as perceived by Britons and demonstrates that ideas of race were inextricably connected with class concerns and religious prejudice in popular views of both peoples. De Nie suggests that while traditional anti-Irish stereotypes were fundamental to British views of Ireland, equally important were a collection of sympathetic discourses and a self-awareness of British prejudice. In the pages of the British newspaper press, this dialogue created a deep ambivalence about the Irish people, an ambivalence that allowed most Britons to assume that the root of Ireland’s difficulties lay in its Irishness. Drawing on more than ninety newspapers published in England, Scotland, and Wales, The Eternal Paddy offers the first major detailed analysis of British press coverage of Ireland over the course of the nineteenth century. This book traces the evolution of popular understandings and proposed solutions to the "Irish question," focusing particularly on the interrelationship between the press, the public, and the politicians. The work also engages with ongoing studies of imperialism and British identity, exploring the role of Catholic Ireland in British perceptions of their own identity and their empire.

    Includes many early drawings, as well as many works not commonly found, even in general surveys.

    

    'Irish Customs and Beliefs' is a beautiful series of gentle stories which explore the beliefs and customs of the old Irish.

    The origins of the six kindreds-MacCabes, MacDonnells, MacDowells, MacRorys, MacSheehys, and MacSweeneys-are traced and the circumstances which brought about their relocation to Ireland are investigated. The book also examines the galloglas as warriors, pointing to their distinctly Norse character and proposing their battle-fury as the last unmistakable echo of the Scandinavian impact on the Celtic west.

    The physical beauty of the land itself is well documented, and the creations of its inhabitants are extraordinary. This lavish book focuses on Irish cultural history as expressed through her artists and artisans -- everything from ancient portal dolmens to the Book of Kells, from stone towers to medieval high crosses and soaring monasteries. Fortresses and castles and other architectural splendours are explored, along with early gold creations, masterful paintings, and stunning stained glass windows. In a variety of media including stonework, metalwork, handwork, architecture, and painting, Ireland's artists and craftspeople tell a provocative story of a land deeply rooted in tradition. This coffee-table book tours Ireland's rich cultural history with memorable stops at every imaginable venue.

    Notorious buildings are described, such as Leap Castle, where psychics have been overwhelmed. There are also spirits who warn of impending death or try to avenge long-forgotten wrongdoing.

    This stands out, especially where Ireland is concerned. And it shows in both his words and pictures...He has become more Irish than the Irish in his efforts to come to terms with, to understand this contradictory little postage-stamp of a land, whose architectural monuments predate the Pyramids of Egypt, whose sagas are the oldest in Europe, yet whose economics is one of the most high-tech in the world.

    It offers spectacular seascapes and mountain views. The peninsula is rich in wildlife, archaeology and charming Irish pubs. This guidebook contains information you need to plan your holiday on the Dingle Way.

    35,000 first p

    The photos are complimented with brief historical facts regarding the shown region.

    We Irish know this, as do the international celebrities who have been attracted by its beauty and security. The countryside has remained unspoiled and the people unaffected.A Place Near Heaven is the story of a calendar year in West Cork, told in month-by-month observations of the natural world. Tranquil and beautifully written, it is a book in the finest tradition of writing on rural life and the natural world. In tracing the course of a full year, from January to December, Damien Enright captures the special atmosphere of the world in which he has chosen to live and which he loves with such obvious passion.A paragraph at random: 'Yesterday, after the weekend of half light, the weather changed again and it was a beautiful, flashing day, as sharp as Siberia but, down by the south-facing sea, as warm as Spain. Backed into a sunny corner, I again watched the kittiwakes dance over the whitecaps. Sprats, birds and seals were still at Coolbawn strand. Television wildlife, for all its joys, cannot compare with the reality.'Damien Enright s writing has drawn praise from Alice Taylor, Aidan Higgins, Tim Severin and Dick Warner, among others. A Place Near Heaven will establish him in the very first rank of Irish nature writers."

    The authors analyze images of the Troubles in various media from theatre and film to murals and from to photography to literature.

    In "Angels," Mr. Fine the eccentric chemist, reappears after a long hiatus and enchants the town with his violin. The dead arise to rewrite Irish history in "Ellie," when a recent immigrant to Ohio meets a widow long gone from Ireland. A donkey with an attitude hassles a small town in "Jack Ass Blues" and shakes the authority of Church and State. "Song for Angie" shuttles between Ireland and San Francisco, retracing through music, the lives of a church organist and her troubadour niece. In another tale, a foreign cabby ruffles local racists when he joins the town taxi rank. Love tests a champion Irish dancer in "Flying Visit," and the title story, "Out of the Blue," concerns of a mysterious funeral coming to Ireland from Chicago. Surreal, naturalistic, cinematic, humorous and sometimes poignant: all styles intersect and play, often in a single tale. In this diverse and engaging collection, Eddie Stack takes us into worlds of magic and mystery, from which we emerge with a smile.

    It was a universal phenomenon. American Indian chiefs, African witch doctors, medical men in Australia, Europe and Asia all held the respect of their communities. In Ireland, people simply were unaware of any other possible source of illness than a hostile spirit. There was a strong tradition of fairy lore and a deeply religious ethos among the people. So, if a person was living a reasonably sinless life and fell sick, the accepted culprits were demons or fairy folk. To deal with these, therefore, many folk cures involved secret incantations. While people were glad to accept these, they were even more pleased to leave any possible blame for invoking supernatural powers of healing to another. Psychologists might agree that the pace of Irish folk life in the past was in itself health-giving. It had time for neighbourliness, for helping out, for sympathetic chat with someone in trouble. The rituals in which healers engaged were often drawn out. They impressed the patient or his representative. Folk medical practitioners had 'cures', but above all they had