Peter Costello
A Breath of Fresh Éire by Olga Balaeva (Beehive, €14.99/£12.99)
Author and photographer Olga Balaeva is a new kind of Irish writer, representative of the emerging culture of a future island. Born in Moscow she is alive in several languages including Gaelic. She has already Ireland as gaeilge “a user friendly guide to the language” – considering the baleful effect that grammarians have had on preventing free and easy use of our “native language” this sounds very refreshing. Doubtless our new citizens of Slavic, African and Asian origin will indeed save the language.
This little book is full of charm, and the insights of a new imagination seeing our ancient landscape with a very different eye, revealing to us sights that we may well be blind to.
Unusual angle
She often finds an unusual angle. For instance, the peak of Croagh Patrick is shown almost bereft of pilgrims in winter with snow on the ground, so that the chapel in its bleak loneliness is rightly emphasised. We never really see it that way ever, for the usual idea is to illustrate the place filled with summer pilgrims. But it too has its moments of lonely isolation it seems.
A larger page would have allowed readers to better enjoy what she picks out – a pity the publishers skimped on that aspect of presentation. Perhaps something twice the size will do her talents full justice in future books.