February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
LOYALISTS
War and Peace in Northern Ireland
Peter Taylor
Veteran British journalist Peter Taylor shifts his attention from the IRA and Sinn Féin, covered in his book "Behind the Mask," to the various loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland who have shown little reluctance during the Troubles to kill for faith, queen and what they see as a part of Ireland that is forever British. "Loyalists" is based on a series of interviews with loyalist leaders and gunmen who carried out many of the North’s most horrific killings. The book reveals the view, held by many leading loyalists, that it was their attacks on senior IRA and Sinn Féin figures, more than any other factor, that resulted in the peace process and Good Friday accord. TV Books, 1619 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. 288 pp. $27.50.
TOG É GO BOG É
Kila
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The band Kíla has been creating quite a stir across the water with their brand of what Hot Press magazine described as "acid céilí tribal groove, the future of Irish music." Now released in the U.S., Tóg É Go Bog É ("take it easy" in Irish) will allow fans of the Irish/Celtic sound to sample Kíla’s version of same, a fusion of Irish-European-African rhythms that will likely have more than just your toes tapping. Green Linnet, 43 Beaver Brook Rd., Danbury, CT 06810.
THE PACK IS BACK
Wolfstone
Celtic rock isn’t all Irish. Scotland, too, can lay a claim to one of the great musical revolutions of recent years. The Scottish band Wolfstone are offering their seventh album to fans who like a tartan twist to their favorite sound. Guitars, fiddles, whistles, pipes drums are all brought to bear on this just released CD. Green Linnet, 43 Beaver Brook Rd., Danbury, CT 06810.
IRELAND
The 20th Century
Charles Townshend
Not the only retrospective with the century running to a close. This one is described on the cover as "a marvel of compression and balance," by Brian Farrell, Irish television journalist, lecturer and author. Farrell’s opinion carries weight and Townshend, a professor of international history at the University of Keele, is indeed taking on a weighty subject: 20th century Ireland as a single entity. Oxford University Press. $19.95.