Peter CostelloThe Family Prayer Book, Council for Marriage and the Family of the Irish Episcopal Conference (Veritas, €14.99 / €14.99 / £12.75)
It is often pointed out that in the traditional rural life of Ireland that died in the 1960s, the day opens with a prayer to start the fire, closed with the rosary or others prayers, and was sustained through the day by more prayers.
It was an ideal not always achieved in city life. There prayer had to take other forms. In this sturdy little book, ideal for presentation to a married couples or at confirmation, are collected not only familiar traditional prayers, but players suitable for other stage of life, and its fortunes and misfortunes. There are a few token prayers in Gaelic; some families might have preferred more.