February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
CONSUMED IN FREEDOM’S FLAME
Cathal Liam
Unabashed support for the men and women who fought for Irish freedom in the early years of the 20th century is a rarity in these politically correct and revisionists times. Cathal Liam, a Cincinnati-based writer who makes his debut with "Consumed In Freedom’s Flame," sets himself firmly against this tide in a story that follows the life of Aran Roe O’Neill, a fictitious rebel who finds himself in the thick of the 1916 Rising and subsequent events. This is a "faction" book. Real characters such as Pearse and Collins are interwoven with O’Neill and others of the author’s invention. Though a novel, the book comes with an extensive bibliography indicative of the author’s effort to blend his story with actual events of a traumatic period in Irish history. St. Padraic Press, P.O. Box 43351, Cincinnati OH 45243. 444 pp. $24. Advance orders via fax (513) 985-9316 mgray64632@aol.com.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
State Killings and
The Quest for Truth
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Bill Rolston with Mairead Gilmartin
Over the course of the Troubles, Bill Rolston has been a meticulous recorder of events in Northern Ireland. His work has covered the role of politicians, paramilitaries and even the media outlets and journalists who have covered the conflict from the 1960s onward. In this, his latest study, Rolston presents the accounts of 30 people who have battled, some for many years, to establish the truth about the killings of people either directly or indirectly at the hands of the state. Included are the Bloody Sunday killings, the Dublin-Monaghan Bombings, the Gibraltar Three and the deaths of individuals such as at Finucane, Fergal Caraher and Robert Hamill. 395 pp. $22.95. Available from Irish Books and Media, 1433 Franklin Ave. East, Minneapolis, MN 55404. Phone (612)871-3505 or email: IRISHBOOK@aol.com.
PAUL HENRY
S.B. Kennedy
Paul Henry is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s leading landscape painters of the 20th century and this richly illustrated biography chronicles his life and work up until his death in 1958. Henry became particularly well known for his landscapes of Ireland’s western seaboard. His "Launching the Curragh," now in the National Gallery of Ireland, and "The Potato Diggers" are familiar to art experts and casual observers alike. The author S.B. Kennedy is head of fine and applied art at the Ulster Museum in Belfast. Yale University Press. 184 pp. $50. Details from (203)432-0964 or heather.dauria@yale.edu.
THE NAMES UPON THE HARP
Marie Heaney
Illustrations by P.J. Lynch
The Children of Lir, Deirdre of the Sorrows, Cuchulainn and many other heroic figures from Irish myth and legend adorn this finely illustrated collection compiled by Marie Heaney, Tyrone native and wife of poet Seamus Heaney. Dubliner P.J. Lynch is the winner of a number of awards for his illustrations including the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. The book also comes with a pronunciation guide, source notes and a section on suggested further reading. Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Press. 96 pp. $19.95.