February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE
Tony Hawks
A bestseller in England, "Round Ireland with a Fridge" is Tony Hawks’s hilarious account of his absurd quest to circle Ireland with a refrigerator within a month. Originally a drunken bet made with a friend in London, the book tells the tale of his hitchhiking exploits, the people he meets and the trip’s triumphant end. Hawks is a well-known British television and radio comedian. Thomas Dunne Books, a division of St. Martin’s Press. $247 pp. $23.95.
THE IRISH RINGFORT
Matthew Stout
The Irish Ringfort is the first book to use the new national data base on these early Christian sites. Stout, a cartographer with the Trinity College Department of Geography, examines all aspects of the forts, from shape and size to national distribution and the lives of the neighboring farms and communities. An indispensable guide for those interested in historical geography and arch’ology in early Christian times. Four Courts Press, distributed by International Specialized Book Services, 5824 NE Hassalo St., Portland, OR 97213. 142 pp. $30.
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A CELTIC CHILDHOOD
Bill Watkins
The first in a trilogy, "A Celtic Childhood" is a collection of humorous stories from Watkin’s boyhood years from his family gatherings in Limerick and Wales, where poetry, history and song were common themes. From stout-loving Welsh father to an uncle who gets the heebie-jeebies from eating round food. Born in Birmingham in 1950 to a Welsh-Irish family, Watkin’s second book in the trilogy is "Scotland is Not for the Squeamish." Ruminator Books. 322 pp. $16.
WARS OF THE IRISH KINGS
David Willis McCullough
Ireland’s early history was sculpted by monasteries and wars, an area McCullough explores in this detailed work. Covering Viking raids, family feuds and the wars of rebellion against England, "Irish Kings" introduces Ireland’s most famous warriors, such as Finn MacCool, Cuchulain, and Mad King Sweeney. It takes the reader through a thousand years of struggle to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Crown Publishing Group. 348 pp. $35.