Ireland Books

I was familiar with the legend of Grace O'Malley, but Christina Bauer puts a fun twist on the story in her "Pirate Queen". It's a fascinating tale of one young woman's personal voyage of self-discovery, with her burgeoning time-traveling power standing in as a metaphor for the struggle everyone faces when we transform from kids into grown-ups. My 14-year old niece loved the book (she has an annoying little brother just like Timewalking heroine Jessica Ross); her mom loved Bauer's emphasis on kids' -- especially girls' -- need to build self-reliance and self-esteem; my 13-year old nephew loved the action... lots of action! That makes "Pirate Queen" a fast, exciting read. "Pirate Queen" is an interesting counterpoint to "Harry Potter" in that Harry seldom faces the consequences of his actions, instead getting a free pass from higher-ups sympathetic to his plight. Nice and neat, but not true-to-life. Jessica Ross travels the difficult road to finding herself mostly alone, and we all get to enjoy the journey with her. It's a trip well worth taking!

A friend recommended this book for my eldest daughter, and I ended up plowing through it myself (Harry Potter fan that I am, I just can't resist this genre). It's tons of fun - not a dull moment - but what I'm most excited about is the historical element. Finally, an "action adventure" for girls - and I don't mean a sexy superhero! The book is based on a REAL 16th century pirate queen named Grace O'Malley who apparently ruled the high seas near Ireland but whose name does not appear in the history books (which are not dominated by powerful female leaders in any event). That said, there is enough fantasy and drama to keep the boys fully engaged, too. A refreshing choice - I highly recommend it.

The first time I sat down to read this book, I only planned to read the first couple of chapters. The next thing I knew it was after midnight and I was one-quarter of the way through. The story is about this girl named Jess. She's an American teenager traveling in Ireland when she starts dreaming about a ghostly pirate queen named Grace O'Malley (who's actually a real-life Irish pirate queen from the 1500's.) Jess says she'll help Grace "find her treasure" and then she starts to travel through time to relive different things from Grace's life, like sea b! attles, secret weddings and castle seiges. I don't want to spoil all the surprises, but the book is a real page-turner, especially when Jess starts to find out about the secret society of Timewalkers. I think my favorite character in the book is Jess's little brother and master prankster Jake. It's worth reading the book just to find out what he'll do next.

Brian Mitchell's Pocket Guide To Irish Genealogy draws upon case studies, maps, charts, and his own expertise to present the aspiring genealogist with the basics of Irish genealogical research in a "reader friendly" sixty-page introduction. The nature and uses of all significant records sources in Ireland are listed and described, including civil and parish registers, gravestone inscriptions, wills, the Griffith's Valuation, Tithe Books, the 1901 and 1911 censuses, newspapers, hearth money rolls, the registry of deeds, estate records, ordinance survey memoirs and more. All major Irish record offices and heritages centers are listed along with their contact information, hours of operation, and major record holdings. Brian Mitchell's Pocket Guide To Irish Genealogy is an essential reference for any novice genealogist wishing to tap into Irish iresources.

Now in an updated second edition, genealogist Brian Mitchell's Pocket Guide To Irish Genealogy is a slim yet information-packed volume of information on reference sources to tracing ancestry in Ireland, including the 1901 and 1911 census to school registers, registry of deeds, estate records and much more. Of special note is the section dealing with Irish Genealogy and the Internet, and its guide to some of the most useful sites. A highly recommended, "user friendly" primer for beginning genealogists who wish to trace Irish ancestry, Brian Mitchell's Pocket Guide To Irish Genealogy also has much to commend it to experienced genealogists in need of a refresher for work with Irish genealogical research assignments.

In his Pocket Guide To Irish Genealogy, Brian Mitchell skillfully blends case studies, maps, charts, and his own mastery of the subject to convey the basics of Irish genealogical research -- all in less than sixty pages. Following introductory chapters on the background to research on the American side, Mitchell describes the nature and uses of all significant record sources in Ireland including, but not limited to: civil and parish registers, gravestone inscriptions, wills, the Griffith's Valuation, Tithe Books, the 1901 and 1911 censuses, newspapers, hearth money rolls, the registry of deeds, estate records, and ordnance survey memoirs. Mitchell also explains the differences between the various administrative divisions of Ireland. Pocket Guide To Irish Genealogy concludes with lists of all major Irish record offices and heritage centers, providing addresses and phone numbers, hours of operation, contact persons, and major record holdings. Pocket Guide To Irish Genealogy is an invaluable roadmap to genealogical research in Ireland and ideally suited for those new to this branch of genealogical research.

The first very detailed reference work on both the Polish Army of the Duchy of Warsaw 1807-14, the Polish forces in the French Army and the Saxon Army 1791-1813. This is the most complete and thorough study of the Poles and Saxon during the wars of Napoleon, including their organization, uniforms, and accounts of their performance on the battlefield. From the desperate action of a handful of Poles defending a Spanish fortress to vast armies facing off to determine the fate of Europe, this lavishly illustrated work is researched from sources previously unavailable to any but the most ardent historian. Extensive orders of battle, organizational details and campaign accounts. Emperor's Press, hard dust jacket, 7 1/2 x 10 1/2, v, 266 pp, charts, illus and 16 color plates illustrating 48 uniforms.

This is absolutely the best source on Poles in the English language. The Poles were the staunchest ally of Napoleon. They were the only ally loyal to Napoleon to the last day. This book covers everything about them. Only the drawings are awful; the colors are just yuck. This author is known for his objectivity and great professionalism.

I thought that in English speaking countries the interest is only at the British and the French armies, despite the fact that the Napoleonic Wars took place in Central Europe,and not on British Islands or in Ireland, or along the English Channel! This book is so packed with information, ufff.

A lot of information about every regiment in the Polish and Saxon army. I recommend this art-work to everybody.

Essentially a travel guide in a large format, this book makes an exceptional gift for anyone with a hint of Irish blood or an interest in the Emerald Isle. Beautiful images are married to very readable text and interesting sidebars and facts. Printed on glossy, coffee-table-book paper, the pictures really jump out, grab you, and drag into the incredible scenery and history of one of the most spellbinding islands on earth.

In Dorling Kindersley's unique and highly readable style, Protrait of Ireland takes the reader to Ireland through photgraphs and interesting facts. Perfect for all ages, Portrait of Ireland offers snippets of information enabling even the smallest attention span to glean valuable information about Ireland.

I received this book as a gift from a dear friend who knows just how much I love Ireland. She was right on the mark with "Eyewitness Travel Portrait of Ireland". This book has it all!

It starts out with basic info; finding Ireland on a map, it's history, landscape, wildlife and people. It then moves on to a region by region review of places to visit and the towns/sights to be seen. The book has a ton of information as well as beautiful photographs to give you a feeling of what you'd see. I especially liked that the hardback book I have is bigger and easier to view than it's soft cover counter part. I've seen the smaller version and, even though the information is the same, you lose a lot in trying to see those teeny, tiny pictures. Go for the big one if you have the room! There's not much difference between them in price.

If you plan on going to Ireland I can only suggest you suppliment this book with a guide like Frommer's that give you places to eat and stay as well as all the prices. "Travel Portrait" lists which places have fees but not exact amounts. It also lists which towns have market days, which sights require fees and offer tours, which ones are handicap accessible and what the open and close dates are for most places.

I love this book and you will, too. It is well worth owning!

Ms. Ramon's diligent research has shaped a highly complete biography of James Stephens, the founder of the IRB--the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Her exploration of Stephen's relationship to the American Fenian Brotherhood of America is cogent. Stephen's was a very complex man, yet Ms. Ramon dug out all facets of his personality in a lively style. Her book will not be matched in our lifetime. Some scholar must take on the task of providing us with great biographies of Michael Doheny and John O'Mahoney to close the Fenian ring.Highly Recommended!

The Fenian movement consisted of two linked Irish nationalist organizations, one centered in Ireland and the other in the United States. Fenianism was an outgrowth of the Young Ireland Rising of 1848. Many participants of that rising escaped from the British dragnet that followed to settle in France and America. It took ten years for these men to reassemble their forces again. In 1858 Young Irelanders, now old, under Michael Doheny and John O'Mahony living in the United States, signed up James Stephens to organize an army in Ireland to challenge the British right to rule. O'Mahony and his organization in the US promised military men to lead and to provide arms for a new Irish rising. Stephens did a masterful job of organizing Irishmen in Ireland into a secret society known as the Irish Republican Brotherhood or IRB. Unfortunately his organizing powers were much better than his ability to coordinate the hard decision to fight in 1865 and Stephens was written off as a vacillating failure by many nationalists. Desmond Ryan, an admirer of Stephens, wrote his biography (The Fenian Chief - published posthumously 1967) but it is outdated and lacks research material uncovered by Ramon and others in recent years. Ramon's biography brings scholarly research up to date on Stephens and details his life and his contribution to the Fenian movement. The book is very readable, meticulously footnoted and provides, at last, a scholarly biography of the supreme organizer of physical force nationalism in Ireland. Ramon's biography examines Stephens' character and offers well-thought out discussion concerning the motives for Stephens often criticized actions as the Chief of the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood. In addition to facts not before revealed of Stephens' life, this book is written with an objective clarity that is lacking in the Desmond Ryan's account. Ramon explains in a coherent manner the complex nature of Irish physical force nationalism, from its formation out of the failure of Young Ireland through the turbulent years 1865-1878. The Fenians laid the groundwork for the eventual independence of the Irish Republic that arose out of the 1916 Easter Rising. This book should not be missed by those interested in Irish and Irish-American history. A great biography of a man who altered the historical path of Irish history.

Required reading for anyone interested in the fascinating history of the Fenian movement. This will be the authoritative Stephens biography for some time to come. It is thorough, precise, enormously detailed, and altogether entertaining at the same time.

Unterecker's "Reader's Guide," a vade mecum for the apprentice
or seasoned reader, informs and instructs. As commentary or teaching tool, it advances a concise, systematic way to interpret the ideas, literary devices, images, symbols, and occult motifs that permeate Yeats's poetry, a thematic
analysis that connects one poem with another and reveals the visionary design at the center of Yeats's work. From the allegorical quest in "The Wanderings of Oisin" to the meditative panorama of "Under Ben Bulben," Unterecker explicates the motifs of Yeats's evolving mythology of a unified self.

In terms of understanding the writings of WB Yeats, this book is a must. It provides insights into otherwised missed subtleties that allows for a greater appreciation of the work of a great artist. (I use the diction of great artist because this truely describes his work). Anyway, this book is well written and recommended by myself.

Unterecker's "Reader's Guide," a vade mecum for the novice or seasoned reader, informs and instructs. As commentary or teaching tool, it advances a concise, systematic way to interpret the ideas, literary devices, images, symbols, and occult motifs that permeate Yeats's poetry, a thematic analysis that connects one poem with another and reveals the visionary design at the center of Yeats's work. From the allegorical quest in "The Wanderings of Oisin" to the meditative panorama of "Under Ben Bulben," Unterecker explicates the motifs of Yeats's evolving mythology of a unified self.

Compulsive reading, author has an incredible way of making history come alive for young people.

Lynne Kositsky tackled difficult subject matter in Rebecca's Flame -- and pulled it off in a way that is memorable and compelling. The controversial subject matter of the romance between Rebecca and Sean is sure to raise some eyebrows, but even though the novel is set in the 1800's, this is still a current issue in the Jewish community. Rebecca's decision on how to handle the situation is surprising and ultimately calls into question issues of faith and love.

I absolutely loved Rebecca's flame. I was irresistibly drawn in within the first ten pages, and I had the worst time putting it down. I just had to know what happened next. I thought that the characters weren't as well developed, in general, as in her other book, Candles, but I loved the character of Sean. Many characters, so-called "love interests" are not as well developed as the main character, but I got a real sense that Sean was a real person. Just like last time, Lynne Kositsky hits the nail on the head!

There is a lot of racism against Korean's in Cambridge University. Most of this racism seems to emanate from French students, who appear to have an irrational hatred of Korean's. A good example would be when a group of Korean's came to my College bar to watch South Korea play against France in the World Cup. The Korean's were told repeatedly to shut up by a group of French students whenever they cheered for South Korea (known as the red devils). The French students were very aggressive towards the Korean's, especially after Park Ji Sung scored the equalizer. I hope that France gets knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage.

It is a shame that Christian Kim was asked to leave Cambridge since he did a lot of good work as president of the Cambridge University Korean Society. Racist attacks against Korean's fell during Christian Kim's presidency, however they are now on the rise. I feel that this is a very important book in the fight against anti-Korean racism. All korean's in Cambridge need to read this book.

I have been looking forward to reading this book by Christian Kim. I have read his other books and find them quite impressive. He is insightful and understands social dynamics of today. I would recommend all books by Christian Kim.

This book written by one of the prominent leaders of the Korean community is great! Koreans have been struggling for many years to empower ourselves and it's great that there is a person out there who is willing to sacrifice himself to empower Koreans.

This book is most interesting for me because I know what kind of trouble Kant, Hegel, Fichte, and Heine had with the authorities of their times. Some young thinkers who followed Hegel could be accused of getting Hegel into more trouble than he deserved, and this book offers a tremendous amount of support for that view. There was a tremendous enthusiasm for revolution, and one of the writings produced in 1793 suggested cutting off certain heads, which is what the terror that followed the revolution in France had made a significant news item in those days. I am interested in economic issues, which a few of the philosophers tried to deal with abstractly as they aged. Actually writing about Jews seemed to be easiest for those who were young, and most of the great thinkers outgrew that phase very rapidly when they found out how long a memory the Jews have.

This book was written recently enough to have a view of the world that coincides quite well with the political issues of 2008 and the froreseeable future. The basic statement of the issues as major themes in the revolutionary changes that everybody expected to settle long before now at the beginning of the book points to specific disputes that are discussed in the chapters that follow, but it strikes me that the world has never become as settled as anyone has expected, and attempting to turn a crank by imagining an ideal outcome of a revolution is merely turning a crank.

Rose has written a masterful book, capturing the true essence of Antisemitism. I highly recommend this masterpiece. Buy it!

This book details the "bipartisan" nature of German anti-semitism. Non-Christian revolutionaries hated Jews as well, and Rose details their reasons by analyzing the political opinions of various Romantic/German philosophers of the 18th, 19th Centuries. He covers Kant, Hegel, Voltaire, Fichte, Marx, and ends with Wagner, and shows the intellectual development of revolutionary anti-semitism through these philosophers. Some are well-known, like the aforementioned ideologues, others are lesser known. The book shows the development of an anti-Semitic mythology, that began as a Christian anti-Semitism (the Ahasverus-Wandering Jew, Moloch and Mammon), yet by the beginning of the 20th Century, was a fully Secularized anti-semitism.

The important lesson from this book is how entrenched Jew hatred was across the German intellectual landscape in the 19th Century. It wasn't limited to a bunch of Capitalist Christians (as accused by many Marxist historians, who would no doubt be ashamed that their hero Marx hated Judaism), but atheists and socialists as well. A good companion book to this is "Scientific Origins of National Socialism", about Ernst Haeckel and the Monist League, and how the German scientists caved into Jew-hatred as well.

Teresa Bateman's Ring Of Truth is simply wonderful! I enjoyed reading this wild tale of "true" blarney. Delightful and entertaining---A great read.

Rich, complex and gorgeous illustrations provide the perfect compliment to the story of the braggart Patrick who is tricked by the Leprechaun King and must now tell only the truth. Obviously, this will be a decided disadvantage in the Blarney contest in which he is entered. Or will it? A thoroughly enjoyable tale which has the familiar feel of a truly great fairytale for the ages.

"Patrick O'Kelly was a peddler of scarves and trinkets, with a habit of telling magnificent lies." So begins "The Ring of Truth". "Magnificent" may even be an understatement for him. He is supposed to have kissed the Blarney Stone once, that fabled and mystical rock that gives one the gift of gab, and by the way he carries on, it's believed that he managed to get a bit of that rock stuck in his teeth! He is such a fine artist of Blarney, that he easily boasts that he could out-fib the very king of the Leprechauns himself!!

Well, as any good Irish legend will tell you, be careful about what you say about the Fair Folk, for they have great ears for hearing and egos to boot!! It's hardly long before Patrick O'Kelly is swept off to the very land of the Faeries to meet the king of the leprechauns himself!

Like any fine Celtic tale, the book is full of twists and turns and play on words, of which the title of the book is just one (I'll not give away the ending for fear of spoiling the fun for readers!). The ending is a fun surprise for readers, as well as for our brave hero, Patrick O'K. Himself! What will stick to readers' ribs most, however, are the illustrations.

Illustrated by Omar Rayyan, the book resembles now an illuminated manuscript, now a surrealistic painting. Faeries and other Fair Folk are mischievous creatures, to say the least, and to step into their world, however briefly, is to take a roller coaster ride into the ethereal and strange. Winged sprites flit too and fro, and the King has always about him a smile that is first playful and fun, and upon closer inspection, hinting at some darker purpose. Once Patrick has gone to their fair land, they are all about him, hiding here and there, yet the reader knows that they are invisible to everyone-another example of that mischievous, almost sinister magic they weave.

All in all, a tremendous book and perhaps too overlooked in the children's section. Though Irish in nature, it is not about St. Patrick's day, so there is no need to keep it mothballed until then! Bring out this treasure of a story and illustration and read it often!!