Monkstown Parish Church has been described as ‘a glorious extravaganza’, ‘a mule between the Gothic and the Saracenic’, a place unsuitable for Christian worship, a ‘perversion of judgement and taste’, a building of originality and beauty, a masterpiece. Outraged critics and ecstatic admirers outdo each other in their adjectival usage, while others use more cautious … Read more
The story of the Waterford shipyards highlights the role of Quakers as entrepreneurs, and particularly as risk-takers, who were willing to fund new enterprises, providing rare economic relief to underdeveloped areas. Their shipbuilding ventures in Waterford were as technologically advanced as any similar development of the day. Shipbuilding in Waterford is richly illustrated and, coupled … Read more
Irish women and nationalism: soldiers, new women and wicked hags Louise Ryan and Margaret Ward (eds) (Irish Academic Press, €25 paperback) ISBN 0716527677This book explores Irish women’s engagement with nationalism from a variety of perspectives, including history, sociology, cultural and language studies, law, anthropology and community-based research. The editors, Louise Ryan and Margaret Ward, who … Read more
Ireland: a social and cultural history, 1922–2002 Terence Brown (Harper Perennial, €15) ISBN 0007125761For this third edition of his enormously influential survey of the social and cultural history of independent Ireland, Terence Brown has brought us up to the year 2002. This is an interesting development, for it involves the chronicling of the culture wars … Read more
Ireland and Scotland: culture and society 1700–2000 Liam McIlvanney and Ray Ryan (eds) (Four Courts Press, €55) ISBN 1851828753 When Dominic Behan penned his little ditty ‘The sea, oh the sea, grá geal mo chroi, Long may it roll between England and me. God help the poor Scotsman, he’ll never be free. Thank God we’re … Read more