Judging Dev: A reassessment of the life and legacy of Éamon de Valera Diarmaid Ferriter (Royal Irish Academy, €30/£25) ISBN: 9781904890287 De Valera was unquestionably the dominant political figure of twentieth-century Ireland. His achievements included the foundation of Fianna Fáil, wartime neutrality, constitutional innovation, and democratically remaining in power for sixteen uninterrupted years. All of … Read more
They say that journalism is the first draft of history, and this is literally the case with Irish Times journalist Deaglán de Bréadún’s The far side of revenge: making peace in Northern Ireland (Collins Press, 450pp, €18.99/£14.99 pb, ISBN 9781905172610). Originally published in 2001, the concluding ‘fifth act’ has been added, bringing the story up … Read more
Beyond the Pale National Photographic Archive, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 +353 (0)1 6030200, photoarchive@nli.ie, www.nli.ie Mon.–Fri. 10am–5pm, Sat. 10am–2pm by Tony Canavan Old photographs, especially in black and white, have a continuing fascination for the public and have an authenticity about them that other remnants of times gone by seem to lack. … Read more
The Importance of Being Irish RTÉ1, March–April 2008 Yellow Asylum Films/Royal Irish Academy Frederick Douglass agus na Negroes Bána TG4, 2 April 2008 Camel Productions by John Gibney It goes without saying that Ireland has undergone radical changes in the past two decades. In recent years numerous attempts to explain the origins and nature of … Read more
Bleeding poets Daniel Reardon New Theatre, Dublin, Feb.–March 2008 by Eamon O’Flaherty An imaginary encounter between three poets in a public house in Dublin at the height of the Great Famine forms the basis of this comedy of ideas from Daniel Reardon. The New Theatre is an intimate space, and this suits the claustrophobic atmosphere … Read more