Books about Irish History

[DaveinMD]

Talk about books on Irish History here. Rebels is a wonderful book about the Easter Rebellion. It reads like a novel, but is packed with information.

Another must read is Tim Pat Coogan's biography on Michael Collins.

[JohnKleeb]

1. I am gonna be keeping my eye on this thread

Since I need to get some.

[DaveinMD]

2. I'm also reading

Gerry Adams' autobiography now. Pretty good so far.

[JohnKleeb]

3. that sounds awesome

[DaveinMD]

4. Another must read

is Ten Mean Dead. This one is about the hunger strikes.

[Tweed]

5. "How the Irish Saved Civilization"

Great book, talks about how Irish monks saved many of Europe's best and most ancient works of writings during the dark ages.

[CBHagman]

8. Cahill's book is very readable.

You expect How the Irish Saved Civilization to be dry and scholarly, and yet it reads so beautifully. Cahill manages to cover everything from Latin verse to Irish mythology to Celtic Christianity.

By the way, I believe the warp spasm experienced by warriors still exists. A lot of us Dems have it. :-)

[DemBones DemBones]

11. Great minds. . . great books! I love the

last chapter, in which he says that people are divided into two sorts: the Romans, who want to have everything, and the Catholics (or small "c" catholics), who believe God will provide and we can share -- and it's the catholics who will save the world from the greed of the Romans.

[DemBones DemBones]

6. An older book (ten years or so) that I really enjoyed is

"How the Irish Saved Civilization" by Cahill (can't think of his first name right now.) What did you think of it, Dave?

Another older book I learned a lot from is "Ship Fever and Other Stories" by Andrea Barrett, a wonderful writer of fiction. In the novella "Ship Fever," she deals with real people who were involved in the quarantine and treatment of Irish ship fever victims entering Canada. The Irish in the story reflect on life in Ireland, the famine, sickness there, etc., and the story clearly details how Canadians looked down on the Irish immigrants. Good historical fiction is a great medium to raise people's consciousness.

[DaveinMD]

7. How the Irish Saved Civilization

is a neat book. Of course, I've always been more interested in the political conflict, so most of what I read is that.

[DemBones DemBones]

10. Have you read any good historical fiction that deals with the

political conflict? I have read some that really brings home what it was like to be Catholic in Ireland (or England) once the Prods took over. Can't think of any book titles offhand, though.

Do tell us more histories and biographies to look for, though. I read them as well, just find that sometimes historical fiction is superb at providing atmosphere that histories lack. (Or that some histories lack.)

[CBHagman]

12. Well, there was Trinity by Leon Uris.

I think Nuala O'Faolin wrote a novel about 19th century Ireland. Roddy Doyle mostly writes about Dublin, but I think he may also cover the political issues.

I read several of Brendan O'Carroll's Jarro books in quick succession -- The Mammy, the Chiselers, The Granny, The Young Wan. He manages to be -- surprise, surprise -- both hilarious and heart-breaking. You can tell he's a comedy writer, though, and the prose could stand a lot of tightening up and more than a little subtlety. But he's a delight to listen to, if you ever have a chance to catch him at a book signing.

[DemBones DemBones]

14. Thanks, I'll look for those. nt

[DaveinMD]

13. I haven't read much fiction

on this subject.

[Tweed]

9. "May the Road Rise to Meet You" This book rocks!

"May the Road Rise to Meet You: "Everything You Need to Know About Irish American History." Is a wonderful book by Michael Padden and Robert Sullivan. There is even a foreward by: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The book is written in short little bits about Irish-American history and you get SO much information. Great read, I lent it to my girlfriend so she can enjoy it.

[mrgorth]

15. Coogan's The IRA

is the best book on Irish history I've yet read. It's not just about the RA. Essentially, because the history of Irish nationalism is the history of Ireland, this book works.

[Historic NY]

16. The story of the Irish Race..........by

Seumas MacManus

Its a popular history of Ireland from colonization to modern day.

[CBHagman]

17. Balanced, unbiased books about "The Troubles"?

My reading about Northern Ireland has been extremely limited, and I'd be interested in a good overview of the history of the situation throughout the 20th century. I've got "Those Are Real Bullets" and Gerry Adams's latest. Any suggestions?

[DaveinMD]

18. Search for Tim Pat Coogan

He wrote a book about the Troubles. Very good.

[Maeve]

19. Be aware--Coogan's books are huge--thick and meaty

I've got two out from the library right now--I hope I can find time to read them before I have to take them back!

Another interesting one on the subject is Marianne Elliott's "The Catholics of Ulster". It looks at the whole of Ulster history and even pre-history to explain how things came to such a pass.

[DaveinMD]

20. The Committee

is a must a must read.

It documents collusion between the RUC, British Intelligence, and Protestant death squads. Its also very thick, but extremely important.