Nick Maxwell Coercive confinement in Ireland: patients, prisoners and penitents Eoin O’Sullivan and Ian O’Donnell (Manchester University Press, £65) ISBN 9780719086489 Coercive confinement in Ireland puts the spotlight on the wide range of institutions used by independent Ireland to confine ordinary criminals and those who flouted the moral codes of the period, along with children and … Read more
Dublin Fire Brigade and the Irish Revolution Las Fallon (South Dublin Libraries, €7.50) ISBN 9780956580481 Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) has a pivotal if unsung role in the history of the Troubles, 1916–23, and as the individual responsible for destroying one of the last artefacts from that time, I feel that I am particularly well … Read more
The Book of Kells Bernard Meehan (Thames and Hudson, €60) ISBN 9780500238943 The codex of the four Gospels, translated into Latin, in Trinity College, Dublin, known since at least 1621 as ‘the Book of Kells’ (a detail we learn on p. 24 of this book), is no ordinary manuscript! It is viewed, indeed treasured, … Read more
Bookworm came across a very interesting book recently: Roger Stalley (ed.), Irish Gothic architecture: construction, decay and reinvention (Wordwell, 230pp, £29.99pb, ISBN 9781905569700). The Gothic style arrived in Ireland in the thirteenth century, being primarily associated with ecclesiastical buildings. Naturally, this multi-authored book begins with the construction of cathedrals, before focusing on the medieval construction … Read more
Titanic Belfast Titanic Quarter, Belfast www.titanicbelfast.com by Tony Canavan Located in an iconic building, Titanic Belfast opened to a fanfare of publicity, promising to be a world-class visitor attraction in Northern Ireland. A year later it has met its target for visitor numbers and has sustained its PR campaign. Its setting is a bonus, … Read more