February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
MONDO DESPERADO
Patrick McCabe
"Mondo Desperado," from Clones, Co. Monaghan, writer Patrick McCabe, a two-time Booker Prize finalist, is a serial novel written in the overblown and oversexed style of 1950s pulp fiction and B-movies. For the 10 interconnected stories in this book, set in a strange fictional Irish town, McCabe has assembled a cast of wackos and dreamers who live lives of decidedly not quiet desperation. McCabe is now working with film director Neil Jordan on a screenplay adaptation of "Breakfast on Pluto," his most recent Booker Prize-nominated book. HarperCollins. 240pp. $24.
ACTUAL INNOCENCE
Five Days to Execution,
And Other Dispatches from
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the Wrongly Convicted
Barry Scheck, Peter Neufeld, Jim Dwyer
Two top lawyers and a top journalist present a tale of innocence denied, death being the consequence. The three authors, known for their involvement in Ireland-related cases or, in the case of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Dwyer, his frequent reporting on issues of Irish-American concern, document a series of cases in which men were convicted and sentenced to death only to be subsequently found innocent. The book concentrates heavily on the revolution in criminal investigation provided by DNA evidence. The authors approach the pivotal issues of guilt or innocence before the death penalty by focusing not so much on how the innocent eventually get out of prison, but how they ended up on death row in the first place. Beyond that, the three outline what they see as wrong with the American justice system and propose a number of reforms. Doubleday. 298 pp. $24.95.
FOR THE CAUSE OF LIBERTY
A Thousand Years of Ireland’s Heroes
Terry Golway
One man’s seditious rebel is another’s hero. Against the tide of revisionism that has been sweeping through Ireland in recent years, author and journalist Terry Golway follows up on his recent John Devoy biography, "Irish Rebel," with this compact but highly detailed account of the struggle for Irish freedom over the last thousand years and the individuals, famous and not so well known, who have stepped forward to champion Ireland’s cause — often paying with their lives. From Brian Boru to Gerry Adams and even loyalist Gusty Spence, Golway follows the struggle for liberty to the point where it has also become a struggle for peace. He focuses not just on the popular and enshrined, but also on the lesser known heroes, many of them women, many Protestant. Simon & Schuster. 397 pp. $26.
THE PENGUIN BOOK
OF IRISH FICTION
Edited by Colm Tóibín
Colm Tóibín, a critically acclaimed novelist himself, has performed a great service with this anthology. Not only does he provide a detailed collection of Irish writing over the last three centuries, but he also places on record the fact that some writers often referred to as "British" are in fact Irish and belong to that singular literary genre: The Irish writers of English language prose. Starting with Jonathan Swift, Tóibín takes the reader on a journey through the course of Irish fiction writing, up and over the mountain that was James Joyce, up the present day and the works of Irish writers such as Edna O’Brien, Sebastian Barry, Julia O’Faolain, Patrick McCabe and Colum McCann. "A magisterial collection, nicely arranged and invaluable to anyone interested in Irish literature," is the Kirkus Reviews assessment of this work. Viking. 1,200 pp. $40.
TURN
Great Big Sea
When the New York Times opined that Great Big Sea’s music is "as evocative of [their native] Newfoundland as were the Beach Boys of California," the band knew that there would be great big expectations for their next album. The Canadian quartet’s new album, "Turn," evokes their Celtic seafaring roots and combined with the energy and spirit of contemporary rock. Sire/London Records.
THE OXFORD COMPANION
TO IRISH HISTORY
Edited by S.J. Connolly
Written by a team of 87 specialists, the 1,800 entries introduces and explores the fascinating and complex history of Ireland from the earliest times to the present. People and events are reevaluated in the light of recent research, while emerging areas of scholarship, such as women’s history and public health, are discussed in depth. Oxford University Press. 618 pp. $19.95.
KINDRED SPIRITS
Various artists
The musical compilation links the traditions of Celtic lands, from Ireland, Scotland and Wales to Galicia and Brittany. Among the featured artists are Loreena McKennitt, Altan, Capercaillie and Milladoiro. Green Linnet.
100 YEARS OF DERRY
Roy Hamilton
This book contains more than 200 black and white photographs of Derry in the 20th Century. Arranged by decade, they are accompanied by informative captions and text. The photographs depict the routine of daily life as well as the more momentous occasions such as emigration ships leaving for America, World War I, the Depression, World War II when Derry welcomed American troops, visiting showbands, the civil rights movement and the outbreak of the Troubles, Bloody Sunday, President Clinton’s visit to Derry and the city’s recent rejuvenation. Roy Hamilton was born in Derry in 1943. Dufour Editions, Chester Springs, PA. 174 pp. $22.95.
RIPLEY BOGLE
Robert McLiam Wilson
In this novel, we are introduced to 21-years-old Bogle, a Cambridge University dropout-turned-penniless drifter who takes readers through the underbelly of London and into the surreal world of a vagabond. But Bogle is not your ordinary bum. With his sharp intellect and better than average appearance, he careens through the wild streets of homelessness and Irish identity, all the while regaling us with the tales of his ragged Belfast past, and events that have led up to his extraordinary existence. Ballantine Publishing Group, a division of Random House. 326 pp. $12.95.
SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN
The Inside Story of
Ireland’s Industrial Schools
Mary Raftery and Eoin O’Sullivan
In Ireland, from 1868 to 1969, industrial schools, many run by religious orders, were where thousands of impoverished children, mostly girls, were sent, often committed by the courts. During April and May 1999, RTE, Ireland’s broadcasting service, showed a three-part documentary series on these "schools " entitled "States of Fear." Produced by Mary Raftery, the series provoked an unprecedented response across the country and on May 11, the date of transmission of the final part of the trilogy, the taoiseach issued an apology on behalf of the State to the victims of child abuse. This book expands on many of the areas dealt with by "States of Fear." Dufour Editions, Chester Springs, PA. 426 pp. $21.
A NEW DAY DAWNING
A Portrait of Ireland in 1900
Daniel Mulhall, with preface by J.J. Lee
This book, with its array of striking black-and-white photographs, offers a stark insight into the conditions that prevailed in the Ireland of 1900. Urban and rural poverty were rife, the emigrant ship took thousands away and the workhouse often provided a last refuge for the poor and the old. The book also gives readers the opportunity to contrast a bygone Ireland with the country that today boasts of itself as the Celtic Tiger. Dufour Editions, Chester Springs, PA. 236 pp. $35.95.
BELFAST
A Century
Jonathon Barden
This handsome coffee-table book is chock full of black and white photographs that capture the toughness, energy and resiliency of Belfast and its citizens, decade by decade, since the beginning of the 20th century. Dufour Editions, Chester Springs PA. 204 pp. $49.95.
ANOTHER SKY
Altan
This CD offering by the influential Irish traditional band is a compendium of traditional reels and Gaelic songs brought to life by the band’s twin fiddles, accordion, bouzouki and the transfixing voice of Maihread Ni Mhaonaigh. Narada World.
THE MENOPAUSE COOKBOOK
Hope Ricciotti, M.D.
and Vincent Connelly
This Irish-American husband-and-wife team, an obstetrician/gynecologist and a chef, have cooked up their second health-oriented cookbook. "The Menopause Cookbook," like their acclaimed "The Pregnancy Cookbook," includes a guide to the body’s nutritional needs and healthful, easy-to-prepare recipes that will show you how to eat well for the rest of your life. W.W. Norton. 320 pp. $15.95.
IRISH EYES
Andrew M. Greeley
Nuala Anne McGrail now lives in Chicago with her husband, Dermot, and their new baby, Nelliecoyne. But Nelliecoyne is no ordinary baby — she is fey, like her mother and can see into the past as well as the future. And her vision of a huge shipwreck off the shore of Lake Michigan plunges Nuala and Dermot into a search for buried treasure. A Forge Book. 320 pp. $24.95.
NIGHT OWL
Dolores Keane
Irish music icon Dolores Keane’s new album features traditional and modern ballads sung to contemporary arrangements. Keane, who began her recording career at the age of 5 and was a founding member of De Dannan, has put together an eclectic collection of songs, including "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," "Fare Thee Well A Stir" and "Dunlavin Green." Alula Records, 1 (800) 932-5852.
DREAMING OF AMERICA
An Ellis Island Story
Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ben F. Stahl
Eve Bunting, a Caldecott award-winning writer and native of Northern Ireland has written a children’s book that tells the true story of Annie Moore, the 15-year-old Irish girl who was the first immigrant to land on Ellis Island when it opened its doors to the world in 1882. Troll, a division of Bridgewater Books.
MY IRELAND
John O’Connor
Internationally acclaimed classical pianist John O’Connor has taken a break from the music of Beethoven and Schibert to record an album of Irish melodies. "My Ireland" features 16 tracks which O’Connor recorded with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The melodies include popular favorites such as "I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen," "The Rocky Road to Dublin" and "She Moved Through the Fair," as well as less familiar selections like ""the Meeting of the Waters" and "The Coulin." Sin-Drome Records Ltd. www.sin-drom.com.
JOSEPH McCARTHY
Reexamining the Life and Legacy
of America’s Most Hated Senator
Arthur Herman
Joseph McCarthy, born into an Irish Catholic farming family in Wisconsin, became the youngest member of the U.S. Senate in 1946. Within a few years he was a reviled figure nationally and internationally. In this revisionist biography, Arthur Herman sets out to debunk what he sees are the myths surrounding the Red Scare of the 1950s. He argues that while McCarthy often overreached himself, he was often right, and that while he was often shameless, he was also well-intentioned. The Free Press. 404 pp. $26.
SINGING FROM MEMORY
The Cassidys
The five brothers from Donegal who make up the Cassidys developed their love of music at an early age — their father was choirmaster of the local church. They were raised in an Irish-speaking household, and the traditional Irish Gaelic tunes on "Singing From Memory" are the songs they remember hearing their parents and grandparents sing. The band combines the old and the new, setting the songs to a contemporary beat, and using some non-traditional instruments. Sliced Bread records, (215) 540-1879.
TRIBAL WAYS
Finbar Doyle
The influence of Christy Moore pervades this collection of tracks by balladeer Finbar Doyle. The Kildare-born singer’s voice bears an uncanny resemblance to Moore’s, though there is an edge to Doyle’s singing that puts a contemporary spin on the songs. The album features enough Moore standards — "The Well Below the Valley," "The Cliffs of Dooneen" and "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" — to invite comparison, but the collection, and Doyle, stand on their own merits. For information, call (617) 789-2433.
SPIN
Whirligig
Though firmly rooted in the music of Ireland, Whirligig’s sound is influenced by a wide variety of musical styles, including Klezmer, Eastern European, jazz and rock. Their new album features the band’s trademark innovative twists on Celtic, world and traditional music. Joining Whirligig on the album are special guests Susan McKeown, Terre Roche, Steve Holloway, Jerry O’Sullivan and Eilis Egan. Prime CD, 1 (800) prime-cd.
THE ABBEY THEATRE
1899-1999
Form and Pressure
Robert Welsh
A little more than a century ago, W.B. Yeats’s "The Countess Cathleen" and Edward Matyn’s "The Heather Field" inaugurated the Irish Literary Theatre, which was to take its name from its home on Abbey Street, Dublin. Despite riot, fire and critical controversy, it has housed Ireland’s National Theatre ever since. In this book, Robert Welsh, an English professor at the University of Ulster at Coleraine, examines the form, content and themes of some of the Abbey’s greatest plays. Oxford University Press, New York. 280 pp.
THE STORY OF IRELAND
A History of an Ancient
Family and Their Country
William Magan
This book goes beyond mere storytelling in tracing a Celtic family through 2,000 years of Irish history. This updated version of "Umma Moore, The Story of Ireland" is a thorough exploration of the social, religious and economic factors that have shaped Ireland — her history, myths and folklore. Element Books, Boston. 428 pp. $19.95.