Irish Emigrant Book Review, No. 16 (Nov. 1996)

Belfast - A Pocket History by Jonathan Bardon
- For those of you who would like to learn something about the history of Belfast and the background to the present sectarian differences, “Belfast - A Pocket History” by Jonathan Bardon and David Burnett will provide just what you are looking for. Very briefly covering the early centuries, the authors take their starting point as the start of the plantations in the 17th century. It is interesting, for example, to read that the Presbyterians suffered as much if not more discrimination than the Catholics at the hands of the Anglican city fathers. The authors take us through the development of the city in the 18th century to its main industrial growth between 1800 and 1870. The political problems of the turn of the century are dealt with in some detail and the inclusion of riots and sectarian strife in the last 70 years brings us up to the hopes for a second ceasefire.

The Life And Work of Sarah Purser by John O’Grady
This book examines the long and productive life of the Irish artist who became renowned for her portraiture and was also instrumental in the setting up of An Tur Gloine. This centre for stained glass was an important development in the art world in Ireland at the beginning of this century. Ms Purser’s involvement in the Hugh Lane controversy and the establishment of the National Gallery is also dealt with in some detail. She staged her first solo exhibition in 1923 at the age of 75 and in the same year became the first female associate member of the Royal Hibernian Academy, though she had been an honorary member for some years. The book is copiously illustrated with the artist’s work and with photographs, and includes a comprehensive catalogue of all her work.

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The Wild Geese of the Antrim McDonnells by Hector McDonnell
This book begins with the Flight of the Earls and records the lives of the descendants of Sorley Boy McDonnell. From Captain Sorley, who was active in the O’Neill Regiment in 1615, it goes on to give a particularly interesting account of the McDonnell connection - through Daniel, an illegitimate son of the first Earl of Antrim - with the Franciscan College in Louvain. The family’s connection with intrigue against England continues with Maurice McDonnell, while Randell’s association with the Pretender resulted in his divided family having homes in both France and Ireland. The McDonnells were also active in Spain and the final section of the book deals with Enrique Reynaldo who fought at Trafalgar. Author Hector McDonnell, the younger son of the 13th Earl of Antrim, has given a personal slant to many notable events in history with this well-researched examination of his family in exile.

The Last Of The High Kings by Ferdia Mac Anna
Mac Anna writes with great humour about the attempts of his hero, Frankie Griffin, to survive the rigours of family life. As the mother of five boys I totally identified with his mother’s tirade on Frankie’s never lifting a finger at home, particularly relishing the line,
“did he think his shirts and trousers got washed by magic then marched up the back and threw themselves on the line?”

Limerick Lives by The Samaritans
- The Samaritan fund-raising book, “Limerick Lives”, contains interviews with 78 prominent people associated with the city who were interviewed by a number of journalists and writers who gave their time voluntarily to the project. While the book includes obviously high-profile citizens such as Jim Kemmy and Suzanne Murphy, Vincent Browne, Ciaran Carey, Micheal O Suilleabhan and Bill Whelan, there is also a page devoted to Maggie Alton, the last of the Palatines who lives in the family home in Glenosheen, and Paul Hogan, a pigeon fancier. Taken from the arts, politics, religion, social services and sport, each interview gives a brief outline of the life and achievements of the personality and is accompanied by a photograph, most of them the work of Michael Martin.

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The Wicklow World of Elizabeth Smith, edited by Dermot James and Seamas O Maitiu
“The Wicklow World of Elizabeth Smith”, comprises extracts from a diary kept by a Scotswoman married to a Wicklowman. This tells of her work on their estate at Baltiboys near Blessington. Although this was a part of the country which did not suffer the worst of the famine, there was plenty for the Smiths to do in setting up soup kitchens and helping tenants who wished to emigrate. The entries are not all of a doom and gloom nature, for Elizabeth also comments on the visit of Queen Victoria to Ireland, and is critical of both monarch and peasant alike. A great-grandaughter of the Smiths made a name for herself in England and elsewhere as the dancer Ninette de Valois.

The Valley of the Squinting Windows by Brinsley McNamara
A title possibly familiar to many who have never read the book as its publication in 1918 caused such a stir. As a portrait of Irish village life, it is based on McNamara’s native place of Delvin in Co. Westmeath and many of the characters in it were easily recognisable to the inhabitants. Such was the furore that the author’s father, a schoolteacher, eventually had to move elsewhere and I’m told by someone from that area that there is still much bad feeling over the affair. The story concentrates on the meanmindedness of the inhabitants who relish the misfortunes of others, and on the importance of appearances in maintaining the hierarchical structure.
The Various Lives of Marcus Igoe by Brinsley McNamara
An autobiographical examination of the author’s life and achievements written in the form of a dream. It is a difficult book to follow; indeed, Robert Smylie, the former editor of the Irish Times, referred to it as the novel that McNamara wrote back to front, but the territory is familiar as the setting is again the village of Garradrimna.

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Belfast Merchant Families in the Seventeenth Century by Jean Agnew
A book based on a doctoral thesis and examines the growth in trade in the city during the second half of the seventeenth century, and the merchants who made it possible. The author deals with a total of 32 merchant families, many of them interrelated, who came from Scotland, England and the Low Countries. They were predominantly Scottish and Presbyterian though some were Church of Ireland, and names such as McCartney, Knox, Leather, Waring and Pottinger recur. The different goods in which the merchants traded, as well as their methods of trading, occupy different sections of the work, and each family is profiled in a detailed appendix.

Bearing Witness: Essays on Anglo-Irish Literature by Augustine Martin
Divided into five sections, “Bearing Witness: Essays on Anglo-Irish Literature”, brings together a collection of Professor Martin’s writings on such diverse topics as “Sin and Secrecy in Joyce’s Fiction”, “A Skeleton Key to the Stories of Mary Lavin” and “The Rediscovery of Austin Clarke”. Also included is a 20-page extract from the biographical work on Patrick Kavanagh with which Professor Martin was involved at the time of his death. The book is edited by Anthony Roche, who is also a lecturer in Anglo-Irish Literature and Drama at UCD.

The Northern Ireland Question in British Politics, edited by Peter Catterall and Sean McDougall
An excellent collection of essays which deal with the Northern Ireland “problem” mainly from the perspective of the British Government, although not all the writers are British. For Irish readers who approach the book with an open mind, it can be very enlightening. The concise and intelligent study from each contributor provides the reader with a clear picture of various aspects of the history of Northern Ireland and its relationship with Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The writing is invariably attractive and this adds greatly to the pleasure in reading what might otherwise have been, to the general reader, rather dull material. - Reviewed by John McAvoy.

Dunne - People And Places by Dean Dunn
The book traces the history of the Dunnes of Ireland, centring on an area of north-west Laois, and explores the different branches of the family. There are also a number of profiles of some of the more prominent members of the family, including a number who made their names overseas. Mother Amadeus Dunne founded the Ursuline Missions of Montana and Alaska, Edmund F. Dunne became Chief Justice of Arizona in 1874 while Finlay Peter Dunne was editor of the Chicago Journal for three years at the end of the last century. Closer to home Fr Joseph Dunn was the co-founder and longest serving director of Radharc, making over 350 films in 75 countries.

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