The rape of eight-year-old Kathleen by a neighbour had triggered their removal - the Irish authorities ruling that her mother must have been negligent. They were only allowed a strictly supervised visit once a year, until they were permitted to leave the harsh and cruel regime of the institution at the age of sixteen. But Kate survived her traumatic childhood and escaped her past by leaving for England and then Australia when the British government offered a scheme to encourage settlement there. Fleeing her past again, Kate worked as a governess in Paris and then returned to England where she trained as a beautician at Elizabeth Arden. She married and had a son.A turning point in Kate's life came when she applied to become a magistrate and realised that she had to confront her hidden personal history and make it public. This is her inspiring story.

    He spent almost nine years of his life in prison because of his activities as a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). When he died on 5 May 1981, on the sixty-sixth day of his hunger strike against repressive prison conditions in Northern Ireland's H Block prisons, parliaments across the world stopped for a minute silence in his honor. Nelson Mandela followed Sands' example and led a similar hunger strike in South Africa, and Fidel Castro compared his suffering to that of Jesus. Bobby Sand's remarkable life and death have made him an "Irish Che Guevara." He is an enduring figure of resistance whose life has been an inspiration to millions around the world. In Hollywood, actors like Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke and Brad Pitt have flirted with a biopic of his life. But until the publication of Nothing But an Unfinished Song, no book has adequately explored the motivation of the hunger strikers, nor recreated this period of history from within the prison cell. Denis O'Hearn's powerful biography, with new material based on primary research and interviews, illuminates for the first time this enigmatic, controversial and heroic figure.

    Tracing the memories of home through both people and place, McGahern details family life and the beginnings of a writing career that would take him far from home, and then back again. Haunting and illuminating, All Will Be Well is an unforgettable portrait of Ireland and one of its most beloved writers.From the Trade Paperback edition.

    But, beneath the cosy contentment of their lives lies tensions that threaten to erupt at any moment. Andrew, Laura's handsome brother, has just returned home from Crete with his bride in tow, the surprisingly timid Ruth, who is finding it hard to fit in with Andrew's overbearing mother, Cecily. And, to her increasing concern, Andrew doesn't seem to have his mind entirely on her... Laura is desperate to have a family, and can't understand why Donal doesn't seem to share her only wish. And the beautiful, glamorous Breffni, with her lovely husband, Cian, and the golden child, Polly, well, she has the greatest surprise in store...

    

    A year later, while en route to India, their troop ship is recalled and they soon find themselves in the European slaughterhouse that was World War I. As stretcher bearers, the two men witness all too closely the horrors of the battlefield and the trenches, the savagery, and the unconscionable waste of human life on fields made liquid by “the blood and guts of boy soldiers” at the Somme, Ypres, and Passchendaele. Meanwhile, back home in Ireland, Con’s sister and Matthias’s lover, Kitty Hatchel, yearns for their safe return and reminds them of their carefree childhood on the banks of the local canal, as well as their hopes for the future.Brilliantly and movingly narrated by a chorus of voices from the community — Matt, Con, Kitty, and others — The Canal Bridge tells the story of how the young men take Ballyrannel to war with them, and how the war comes back home when hostilities end in Europe. The Ireland the friends left in 1913 no longer exists, for the political landscape has been transformed by the Rising against the British in 1916. It is now a land riven with sectarian tensions and bloodshed from which there is no escape.

    The notion of charging into adversity has been a cherished part of Ireland’s military history.In September 1961 another chapter should have been written into the annals, but it is a tale that lay shrouded in dust for years.The men of A Company, 35th Irish Infantry Battalion, arrived in the Congo as a UN contingent to help keep the peace. For many it would be their first trip outside their native shores. Some of the troops were teenage boys, their army-issue hobnailed boots still unbroken. They had never heard a shot fired in anger. Others were experienced professional soldiers, but were still not prepared for the action that was to take place.Led by Commandant Pat Quinlan, A Company found themselves tasked with protecting the European population at Jadotville, a small mining town in the southern Congolese province of Katanga. It fell to A Company to try and protect people who later turned on them. On 13 September 1961 the bright morning air of Jadotville was shattered by the sound of automatic gunfire.The men of A Company found their morning Mass parade interrupted, and within minutes went from holding rosaries to rifles as they entered the world of combat. This was to be no Srebrenica; though cut off and surrounded, the men of Jadotville held their ground and fought …This is their story.

    It's a celebration of over 70 pub classics: thick soups and stews; savory tarts and meaty pies; big bowls of salad (times change!); and desserts of the seconds-are-always-appropriate variety. There's shepherd's pie, fish and chips, seafood chowder, and whiskey bread pudding for those with a taste for the quintessential. Contemporary specialties such as Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Courgette Soup; Salmon Cakes with Dill and Wine Sauce; Braised Lambshanks with Red Currants; and White Chocolate Terrine spotlight modern Irish cooking's richly deserved acclaim. Complete with pub photos, history, and lore, nobody leaves hungry when The Irish Pub Cookbook is in the kitchen.

    The Bureau of Military History interviewed those involved in this scheme in the early 1950s with the assurance that the material would not be published in their lifetimes. A few of the contributions were made available by the families of those involved, but the bulk of them have only recently been released. This is the first book to make use of those interviews. It makes fascinating, almost unique reading, because they contain first-hand descriptions in which men speaking candidly of their involvement in killing selected people at close range. As a result it throws a considerable amount of new light on the activities of the Squad and the intelligence operations of Michael Collins.

    This is the story of one of the greatest days in rugby history.

    For this book Christy O'Connor has had unique and continuous access to twelve goalkeepers over one season and tracked their experiences through the highs and lows, the celebrations and rejections, the saves and the misses, resulting in an inside story never told before. The players talk frankly about the pressures, the passion, the trauma, the disappointments and glories, the utter despair at being dropped from the team and the long road back to re-selection. The brotherhood of goalies forms a kind of inner club within the hurling community -- here we are taken into its heart and spirit as never before. Includes: Donal Og Cusack (Cork); James McGarry (Kilkenny); Liam O'Donoghue (Galway); Brendan Cummins (Tipperary); Stevie Brenner (Waterford); Brian Mullins (Offaly); Timmy Houlihan (Limerick); Brendan McLoughlin (Dublin); Davy Fitzgerald (Clare); Graham Clarke (Down); DD Quinn (Antrim); Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford), as well as a wealth of stories and anecdotes about famous past teams and players."

    Ireland, a Prophecy --Part I. Orpheus in Ireland --Bringing Home Our Stolen Soul --Tailtiu Revisited --Fintan mac Bochra --Ollamh Fodhla --Fir Flathemon --Enflaith: The Birdreign of the Once and Future King --Dolmen Love --A Christian Orpheus --Our Song of Ascent into Ireland --Scelec --Wolf-Time --Amhairghin's Fourteenth I Am: His Tragodia, His Goatsong --Changed Utterly --Shaman --Part II. Manannan in Ireland --I. Ireland's Bhagavad Gita as a Pagan Might Be Happy to Sing It --II. Ireland's Bhagavad Gita as a Christian Might Be Happy to Sing It --Book 2. Ireland, Ultimately --Lugh --Macha --Manannan and Crom Dubh --Cu Roi mac Daire --Danu --Christ --Epilogue: Overcoming Our Serglige.

    

    It was Christianised eventually and adapted as the Feast of St. Brigid. A large variety of customs and traditions are still associated with the feast till this day, many of which date back to the pagan Celtic days." In this book, Sean O. Duinn collects these rites and rituals, describes them and shows their relevance at various stages in history and today. He also identifies the places and areas associated with particular customs and traditions.

    Authors Jo O'Donoghue and Sean McMahon cover an impressive range of subjects in over 5000 entries, with special attention paid to the unique legends, superstitions and fables of the Emerald Isle. Other topics addressed include contemporary Irish culture, the origins of Irish words and sayings, and Irish literature throughout the ages. At once scholarly and whimsical, this is a truly indispensable trove of fact and fancy for any lover of Irish culture.

    From the bestselling author of 'Four Letters Of Love' and 'As It Is In Heaven, 'Only Say The Word' is a story about love, home and family, about reading and writing, and ultimately - about living.

    

    Not any more. This book can claim to be the first comprehensive guide for family historians searching for ancestors in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ulster.Whether their ancestors are of English, Scottish or Gaelic Irish origin, it will be of enormous value to anyone wishing to conduct research in Ulster prior to 1800. A comprehensive range of sources from the period 1600-1800 are identified and explained in very clear terms. Information on the whereabouts of these records and how they may be accessed is also provided. Equally important, there is guidance on how effectively they might be used.The appendices to the book include a full listing of pre-1800 church records for Ulster; a detailed description of nearly 250 collections of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century estate papers; and a summary breakdown of the sources available from this period for each parish in Ulster.William Roulston is Research Officer with the Ulster Historical Foundation. He is a native of Bready, County Tyrone, and has researched and written on a number of aspects of the history of Ulster in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

    AS RESEARCHING ULSTER ANCESTORS BUT IS IDENTICAL IN CONTENT TO THE BOOK RESEARCHING SCOTS-IRISH ANCESTORS: THE ESSENTIAL GENEALOGICAL GUIDE TO EARLY MODERN ULSTER, 1600-1800 (SECOND EDITION). When the first edition of this book appeared in 2005 as Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors it was quickly recognised as an essential work of reference for family historians researching Ulster ancestors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It filled an important gap in providing reliable guidance on sources for perhaps the most critical period in understanding a family’s links with the north of Ireland. This is territory where some family historians fear to tread. But they need not. This guide opens up avenues for research; drawing attention to the riches of archives inside and outside of the island of Ireland, demonstrating the benefit of often undervalued, rare, even quite unconventional, yet accessible sources – if you know where to look – which can help document your ancestors back to the 1600s. At more than twice the size of the original, this new edition is a massively expanded version of the first volume. It includes additional information on church records and landed estate papers, as well as new chapters looking at records relating to law and order, emigration, business and occupations, diaries and journals, and clubs and societies. The extensive appendices to the book include a summary breakdown of the sources available from this period for every parish in the historic nine counties of Ulster (including a listing of surviving pre-1800 church records); a detailed description of around 350 collections of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century landed estate papers; and a listing of more than 500 towns and villages in Ulster with parish locations.

    Not any more. This book can claim to be the first comprehensive guide for family historians searching for ancestors in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ulster.Whether their ancestors are of English, Scottish, or Gaelic Irish origin, it will be of enormous value to anyone wishing to conduct research in Ulster prior to 1800. A comprehensive range of sources from the period 1600–1800 are identified and explained in very clear terms. Information on the whereabouts of these records and how they may be accessed is also provided. Equally important, there is guidance on how effectively they might be used.The appendices to the book include a full listing of pre-1800 church records for Ulster; a detailed description of nearly 250 collections of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century estate papers; and a summary breakdown of the sources available from this period for each parish in Ulster.

    Not any more. This book can claim to be the first comprehensive guide for family historians searching for ancestors in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ulster.Whether their ancestors are of English, Scottish or Gaelic Irish origin, it will be of enormous value to anyone wishing to conduct research in Ulster prior to 1800. A comprehensive range of sources from the period 1600-1800 are identified and explained in very clear terms. Information on the whereabouts of these records and how they may be accessed is also provided. Equally important, there is guidance on how effectively they might be used.The appendices to the book include a full listing of pre-1800 church records for Ulster; a detailed description of nearly 250 collections of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century estate papers; and a summary breakdown of the sources available from this period for each parish in Ulster.

    Includes a comprehensive guide to Irish ingredients, from wild and cultivated harvest fruits to traditional meats and game.

    Form and content, as well as the personal and the political, are blended throughout this collection with imagination and consummate skill. This collection concludes with a first person recounting of the life and works of the great prison reformer John Howard while detailing his vision for the moral regeneration of the corrupted human soul.

    New and Selected Poems shows him to be a poet of humanity and wit whose observant, rhythmically supple poetry is attuned to the tragedies and comedies of contemporary life. One of the book's highlights is "The Bottom Line", a multi-voiced and multifaceted portrait of business managers and bureaucrats. Closing with a generous selection of previously unpublished work, New and Selected Poems - which follows Dennis O'Driscoll's acclaimed Exemplary Damages, chosen as a Book of the Year by Seamus Heaney in 2002 - makes for a compelling collection, wide in its appeal and yet imbued with a distinctive and often startling world-view. Born in Thurles, County Tipperary in 1954, Dennis O'Driscoll has published six collections of poetry and a selection of his essays and reviews, Troubled Thoughts, Majestic Dreams (Gallery Press). He received a Lannan Literary Award in 1999, the E.M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2005 and the O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry in 2006. A civil servant since the age of 16, he works for Irish Customs in Dublin.

    In telling a wide range of stories about the Irish everywhere, this historical-fictional account of the Irish people around the world from the time of Christ to 1969 opens up the really big issues - the relationship between the minute particulars and the larger patterns which gradually become apparent.

    Throw in the vowels is a new retrospective from Rita Ann Higgins: provocative and heart-warming poems of high jinx, jittery grief and telling social comment by a gutsy, anarchic chronicler of the Irish dispossessed.

    George Gibson proposes a new interpretation of the novel, based upon a previously unrecognized paradigm from Irish mythology underlying the entirety of the work. This mythic structure derives from the ancient rituals and events collectively known as the Teamhur Feis (the Rites of Tara), the most important religious festival conducted in pre-Christian Ireland. Gibson demonstrates that sources known and used by Joyce describe the Rites as a historical event with nationwide attendance, an extraordinary and complex array of Druidic ritual, mystical rites, historical reenactments, sacred drama, conclaves, assemblies, and ceremonies performed by a bizarre cast of characters ranging from representatives of Irish deities and personifications of abstract principles to Druids, magistrates, ritual functionaries, and reenactors of the mythic dead. In Irish tradition, the most significant performance of this pagan spectacle occurred in 433 A.D., when Saint Patrick arrived at Tara just as the Rites were reaching their climax. Gibson argues that this pivotal event is also the climax of Finnegans Wake. Demonstrating remarkable parallels between specific events and performers of the Rites and the episodes and characters comprising Finnegans Wake, Gibson shows that every event and performer at the Rites has a correlate in the novel, and all Wakean episodes and performers have their parallels in the Rites of Tara. Ultimately, he argues, Joyce structured his novel according to the Teamhur Feis, and Finnegans Wake is a calculated reenactment of the most important event in Irish paganism.

    Until the day she disappeared, leaving only a boat drifting upside down on the unfathomable lake that gave the town its name. Ravishing Helen McMahon, the Dubliner with film-star looks and unfulfilled dreams, never belonged in Lough Glass, not the way her genial pharmacist-husband Martin belonged, or their spirited daughter Kit. Suddenly, she is gone and Kit is haunted by the memory of her mother, seen through a window, alone at the kitchen table, tears streaming down her face. Now Kit, too, has secrets: of the night she discovered a letter on Martin's pillow and burned it, unopened. The night her mother was lost. The night everything changed forever...

    In this first volume of the Royal Irish Academy's multi-volume A New History of Ireland a wide range of national and international scholars, in every field of study, have produced studies of the archaeology, art, culture, geography, geology, history, language, law, literature, music, and related topics that include surveys of all previous scholarship combined with the latest research findings, to offer readers the first truly comprehensive and authoritative account of Irish history from the dawn of time down to the coming of the Normans in 1169.Included in the volume is a comprehensive bibliography of all the themes discussed in the narrative, together with copious illustrations and maps, and a thorough index.

    Few police forces in the world have suffered so grievously as the RUC and this book is a fitting memorial to the sacrifices made in the interests of the civil population it was determined to protect. Throughout its history, it has not only had to perform normal police duties but contain the ever present IRA threat.In 1969, the climate changed and ushered in a new and even more violent era of sectarian strife. The emergence of extreme nationalist organizations posed grave problems and, with the RUC in a prime role, the position of the Chief Constable was hugely important.This book tells the story of a remarkable police force without fear or favor. Ironically its reward for containing a hugely challenging internal security situation and at the same time policing the community traditionally was its disbandment.

    

    The designs include ones from the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Book of Kells and Celtic jewellery.

    As a child, he was immersed in folk music – his father played the fiddle, his mother the accordion. The kitchen was where Protestant and Catholic farmers alike would gather for songs and storytelling at the end of a day’s harvesting. During the sixties and seventies Tommy was chief songwriter for The Sands Family, who played wherever they were welcome, from local wakes and weddings to New York’s Carnegie Hall; his songs have been recorded by Joan Baez, Dolores Keane, Dick Gaughan and The Dubliners. He tells of his family’s traditional way of life; of the turbulent days of the civil rights movement; The Bothy Band brawling in Brittany; encounters with Alan Stivell, Mary O’Hara and Pete Seeger; Ian Paisley on his radio show Country Céilí; and a ‘defining moment’ during the Good Friday Agreement talks, when he organized an impromptu performance with children and Lambeg drummers. The Songman is a memoir replete with warmth and wit.

    The Ancient Books of Ireland is lavishly illustrated with fine examples of classic scripts and illuminations.

    Traces the career of Liam Lynch, Ireland's greatest guerilla commander.

    Many of Dublin's inhabitants wanted to weaken or terminate London's rule but there remained a vast and conflicting range of visions of that future: far more immediate was the unfolding disaster of the First World War that had put 'home rule' issues on ice for the duration. The devastating events of that Easter changed everything. Both the rising itself and-even more significantly-the ferocious British response ended any sense at all that Dublin could be anything other than the capital of an independent country, as an entire nation turned away in revulsion from the British artillery and executions. As we approach the 90th anniversary of the rebellion it is time for a new account of what really happened over those fateful few days. What did the rebels actually hope to achieve? What did the British think they were doing? And how were the events really interpreted by ordinary people across Ireland? Vivid, authoritative and gripping, Easter 1916 is a major work.

    How much can we really know about the life and times of Patrick? Why and how was the Patrick myth built up in the seventh century, and what was its influence on the development of Irish Catholicism? This new study takes a fresh approach to these questions. It begins by looking at what we expect from history; and the very different expectations of those who made Patrick famous, gave value to his writings so that they were preserved, and produced the interest that is still with us. Only when we can distinguish between the problems and perspectives of the hagiographer, on the one hand, and the historian, on the other, can we begin to approach Patrick.

    Yet is it possible that the great Viking armies left more in their wake than carnage and destruction? The stories of two families-the Olafssons, who transformed a pirate camp in Ireland into the kingdom of Dublin, and the Haraldssons, whose rule encompassed Hebrides, Galloway, and the Isle of Man-suggest that the Vikings did indeed leave behind a much greater legacy.Between the tenth and twelfth centuries, these two Viking families, descendants of men whom earlier chroniclers dismissed as pagan pirates, established themselves as Christian rulers whose domain straddled the Scandinavian and Celtic worlds. The Olafssons and Haraldssons carved out empires that inspired fear and made their families fabulously wealthy. From their ranks came the settlers who gave name to the Danelaw in Britain, Fingal in Ireland, and Normandy in Francia. Celebrated in Icelandic sagas and poems, Irish tales, and French history, the Olafssons and Haraldssons took part in the last successful Scandinavian invasion of Britain and the overthrow of the last Old English kingdom, even as they allied with, fought against, and married their Irish neighbours.Though the families had come to these lands as conquerors, they soon learned the importance of cooperating with those they had vanquished. Even as they worshipped pagan gods, the Olafssons and Haraldssons both became important benefactors to the Christian church. They also played a crucial role in the economic revival of northern Europe as trading ships from their ports sailed throughout the Atlantic and the goods they produced traveled as far west as Canada. Under their rule, the seas became a connector for a shared culture, commercially, artistically, and socially.Challenging traditional views of the Vikings' culture, Benjamin Hudson shows the role that these two great dynasties played in the Second Viking age. The rise and transformation of the Olafssons and Haraldsssons from the tenth to the twelfth centuries highlights a period and people important for understanding the political, religious, and cultural development of Europe in the High Middle Ages.

    The villagers can support only one instructor, so the men agree to battle it out through rounds of reels and hornpipes. At each stage of the contest, the men challenge each other by calling for more and more difficult tunes to test their opponent's skill. Cheered on by the gathering crowd, the men dance on increasingly daring platformsfrom rain barrels to stone walls and beyondas each inspires the other until the best man wins. Based on a true event, this classic tale illustrates the enduring tradition of dance and music in Ireland.

    A founder of the now world-famous Abbey Theatre, she had a profound influence on Yeats and other writers including Henry James and Anthony Trollope. She herself wrote 42 plays, as well as a biography, essays, stories, poems, and an autobiography. Married to a man twice her age, she had an extra-marital affair with the poet and anti-Imperialist Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and at 60, a brief romance with the New York lawyer and art patron John Quinn. Placing Gregory securely into the Ireland of her time, the author shows how Lady Gregory's Nationalism in politics and literature fundamentally shaped her life and work.

    It traces the evolution of his thinking as social democrat, republican, revolutionist, syndicalist, revolutionary socialist, and insurrectionist. The book covers his years in Edinburgh, Liverpool, America and Ireland, and is based largely on Connolly s prolific writings in 27 journals and in some 200 letters. On May 12, 1916, he was executed in Kilmainham Jail in Dublin.

    This scrumptious survey of a wide variety of cuisine--Mexican, Irish, Chinese, Moroccan, Turkish, Ethiopian, Nigerian, and many more--blends together an appetizing mix of kid-friendly recipes and fun food facts throughout each chapter. Kids will have a great time learning about each culture's distinctive foods and traditions while they cook up easy and yummy recipes, including: NAAN, a bread made with yogurt, which is a staple of Indian cooking SAVORY SHRIMP OVER RICE, a recipe from Northern Italy passed down through generations BRATWURST WITH SAUERKRAUT, a favorite dish of Wisconsin, where many Germans settles in the nineteenth century BANANA STRAWBERRY BATIDOS, icy Cuban drinks that are as common as cola in cities with many Cuban residents, such as Miami DUTCH WINDMILL COOKIES, which are traditionally made in the Netherlands at Christmas time THE COMING TO AMERICA COOKBOOK also includes information on cooking tools and skills, with important rules for kitchen safety and cleaning up.

    Each chapter is devoted to a particular aspect of the war and many new areas are explored. These include the role the doctrine of self-determination played in the Sinn Fein movement, the fate of numerous peace initiatives, the power struggle between de Valera and Liam Lynch within the IRA, and the impact of the civil war on the wider civil society. The last three chapters explore how the conflict has been interpreted by the actors themselves, as well as by historians. Combining perspectives drawn from history and politics, this book will interest not only students of Irish history, but also those interested in the comparative study of civil wars.

    Hamish McHaggis is a lovable, happy-go-lucky Haggis recognizable by his orange fur, big red nose, and tartan hat. In tow are the skeptical Rupert Harold the Third, a Hedgehog and English gent, the cheeky and mischievous Pine Marten, and Angus and Jeannie, two accident-prone Osprey. Colorfully illustrated, the captivating stories will educate and reveal the geography and history of Scotland and leave children wanting to know more about Scotland. Hamish has tickets for the Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. But will they make it?

    

    Though unflinchingly hard-hitting, it is utterly compelling and written with great insight and sensitivity. [From the back cover]

    In 1688 William of Orange had claimed the English throne, forcing the catholic James II to flee to Ireland. From there he hoped to mount his comeback. In December of that year James' troops attempted to take over the protestant city of Derry. To the now-famous cry of 'No Surrender' the apprentice boys closed the city gates to James' army and the 105-day siege begun. The besiegers effectively used cannon and mortar to shell the defenders - with terrifying results - and conditions became desperate as the city began to run out of food. Carlo Gebler's book thrillingly describes both the events leading up to the siege and the heroic struggles within and outside Derry as the five month battle waged.

    While the importance of books and printing in influencing the outlook of early modern people is well known, recent years have seen significant changes in our understanding of how writing and print shaped lives, and was in turn shaped by those who appropriated the written word.

    Northern Irish writer McCafferty has relocated the action to 1960s London, where the young couple has just arrived from Belfast.