Nick Maxwell You only need to browse through the annual saleroom catalogues on the War of Independence produced by Dublin’s main auction houses to confirm that the cultural production of the Irish Revival was imaginative, diverse and vastly industrious. The ephemera are exquisite: newspapers, journals, pamphlets and theatre programmes, illustrated with delicate etchings, illuminated lettering and the … Read more
Bruce Nelson starts his book with a clear statement: ‘this book is about race’. Over 257 pages he describes how Irish nationalists developed their own conception of the Irish race in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He does this in an enjoyable, well-written and thought-provoking way. Nelson traces how in the nineteenth century … Read more
At first glance, judging by the title, I thought this was a book in the Michael Richter mode, treating Irish history in a wide international spectrum. But it turns out that the world framework in question is for the most part Scotland, Wales and England from the twelfth century onward. In the latter part of … Read more
This enormous tome is Jane Ohlmeyer’s second book and has its origins in her first: a biography of Randall MacDonnell (1609–83), 1st marquis of Antrim. His eye-catching career prompted Ohlmeyer to wonder whether or not his experiences were ‘typical’. Eighteen years later, she has provided an answer that is rather more comprehensive than simply ‘yes’ … Read more
Bookworm is looking forward to Christmas, and a number of series from Irish publishers present a few ideas for stocking-fillers. First up is UCD Press. The latest in their ‘Classics of Irish History’ series is a new edition of the collected writings of the Young Irelander James Fintan Lalor: ‘The faith of a felon’, and … Read more