I Die in a Good Cause: Thomas Ashe: A Biography Sean Ó Luing (Mercier Press, €14.99) J. Anthony Gaughan In his introduction to this new edition of Seán Ó Lúing’ a biography of the patriot Thomas Ashe, Prof. Joe Lee speculates on the kind of influence Thomas Ashe would have exerted on the independence movement…
The monasteries magdalen asylums and reformatory schools of Our Lady of Charity in Ireland 1853 – 1973 by Jacinta Prunty (Columba Press, €34,99) I found Jacinta Prunty’s account of the institutions of the congregation of Our Lady of Charity both magisterial and immensely satisfying. But here I must declare a personal interest. With other duties…
Terrorism has horrific consequences. Among these consequences, and frequently not adverted to, are lack of respect for the truth, the undermining of the rule of law and the obstruction of justice. In this remarkable study the author, who has specialised in criminal law in England, Wales and Ireland since 1966, details how consequences such as…
For many years, Kenny’s Bookshop has been one of the features of Galway City. Des Kenny describes here the beginnings of that mecca for bibliophiles – now only run on-line. Maureen Canning and Des Kenny met for the first time when she was attending University College, Galway. Within a few years they married and opened…
The pledge of the Ulster Covenant to resist Home Rule by all means was signed by 5,360 Monaghan men, which was about 60% of the Protestant population of the county. As in Belfast the Ulster Volunteer Force was also established in Monaghan in January 1913. By May, part of the Larne shipment of arms had…
Women Writing War: Ireland 1880 – 1922 edited by Tina O’Toole, Gillian McIntosh, Muireann Ó Cinnéide (University College Dublin Press, €30) This is a collection of essays about war written from a feminist perspective. In the opening essay Diane Urquhart focuses on Anna Parnell, an archetypal feminist firebrand. Born in 1852, Anna was a sister…
Good Seed, Fertile Soil: Religious Vocations in Limerick: Biographical Dictionary: I West Limerick by J.M. Feheney (Iverus Publications, €25; copies from the author at jmfeheny@iol.ie, or The Bookstore, Newcastle West) This biographical dictionary features short profiles of almost 1,000 deceased members of the clergy and religious congregations from the 24 parishes in West Limerick. The…
Living Stream of Catholicism: View of the Catholic Church Through the Centuries by Eamon Flanagan (St Pauls, £7.95) The author sets out to highlight the living stream of Catholicism throughout the centuries and this he achieves in prose and poetry. At the outset he divides world history into a number of segments which will be…
Sisters of the Revolutionaries: The story of Margaret & Mary Brigid Pearse, by Teresa & Mary Louise O’Donnell (Merrion Press,€14.99). This is an excellent account of the sisters of Patrick and Willie Pearse. Since the Pearse sisters died some of the politically motivated commentary on them ranged from the overtly negative to the gratuitously offensive. …
My Memoirs by Peter Malone (Kingdom Books, €25.00; all receipts will go to charity; for details contact Loretto Dalton, lorettodalton@gmail.com) This is a delightful memoir by a proud son of Dundalk. Born in 1944, Peter Malone was educated at the Dominican Friary Primary School and St Mary’s Marist College. Both sides of his family were…