Áine Greaney, The Big House (Simon & Schuster/TownHouse 2003), 432pp. A heartwarming saga set in a sleepy rural community in county Mayo.
Fiona O’Brien, Charity (Dublin: New Island Press 2003), ‘Ultimate chicklit: pure sex and Shopping’.
David Foster, The Land Where Stories End (Brandon 2003), 224 pp. Post-modern fable exploring male sexuality and the hermetic tradition.
Edmund Power, The Last Chapter (Simon & Schuster/Town House 2003), 384pp. Compulsive and gripping tale from the author of No Christian Grave.
Annie Sparrow, Matchstick Love (Simon & Schuster/TownHouse 2003), 368pp. Office politics, passion and revenge from the author of Said and Done.
Catherine Barry, Null and Void (Simon & Schuster/Town House 2003), 432pp. A wickedly funny tale from the author of The House that Jack Built.
Catherine Phil MacCarthy, One Room an Everywhere (Belfast: Blackstaff Press 2003), Passion, heartbreak and self-discovery in a story of love between an older man and a younger woman.
Kate McCafferty, Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl (Dingle: Brandon Press 2003), 224pp. A young girl is kidnapped from her home in Galway an shipped out to Barbados. Debut novel.
Barbara and Stephanie Keating, To My Daughter in France (Vintage 2003), 464pp. An irresistible love affair, heroism and the wartime French resistance.
Short Fiction
Séamus Ó Grianna, The Sea’s Revenge and Other Stories, ed. Nollaig Mac Condáil (Cork: Mercier Press 2003), 192pp. About the hidden rural Gaelic Ireland, translated by the author himself.
Daniel Corkery, The Stones and Other Stories, ed. Paul Delaney (Cork: Mercier Press 2003), 192pp. Stories from each of his four influential collections of 1916-1939.
Poetry
Paul Perry, The Drowning of the Saints (Galway: Salmon Poetry 2003), 80pp. Debut collection from 1998 Hennessy New Irish Writer and 2002 Listowel Poetry prizewinner.
Medbh McGuckian, Had I a Thousand Lives (Gallery Press 2003), 88pp. Honouring the bicentenary of Emmet’s, Dwyer’s and Russell’s resistance and weighing the morality of sacrifice for political ends.
John F. Deane, Manhandling the Deity (Manchester: Carcanet Press 2003), 128pp. ‘An everyman fallen from grace’ on the possibility of belief.
Séamas Ó Scannláin, Poets and Poetry of the Great Blasket (Mercier 2003), 160pp. Dual-language anthology fo three island poets.
Kerry Hardie, The Sky Didn’t Fall (Gallery Press 2003), 64pp. Her third and most varied collection: work set in Achill and Switzerland.
John B. Keane, The Street: Poems and Songs (Cork: Mercier 2003), 96pp. Verses from the late and very lamented Listowel The Street man.
Three Irish Poets: Eavan Boland, Paula Meehan, Mary O’Malley (Manchester: Carcanet Press 2003), 144pp. A substantial amount of poetry from each, with a personal statement and biography.
Autobiography & Memoirs
Martin Quigley, Drifting with the River Gods (Collins Press 2003), 160pp. ‘Cannery Row crossed with Huckleberry Finn on the River Suir.’
Evelyn Doyle, Evelyn (Orion 2003), 224pp. How her deserted father fought to repossess his children. Soon a movie.
Charles W. Magill, ed., From Dublin Castle to Stormont: The Memoirs of Andrew Philip Magill, 1913-1925 (Cork UP 2003), 96pp. Unpublished memoirs of a senior civil servant in Dublin, London and Belfast.
Patricia Boylan, Gaps of Brightness: A Memoir (Dublin: A. & A. Farmar 2003), 186pp. Ninety-year-old’s lively memories of a Northern childhood and career as actress and journalist in Dublin.
Michael Kirby, Skelligs Calling (Dublin: Lilliput Press 2003), 176pp. Second volume by a remarkable nonagenarian fisherman-poet and painter.
Brendan Ó Cathaoir, ed., Young Irelander Abroad: The Diary of Charles Hart (Cork UP 2003), 96pp. A fresh perspective on Young Ireland and mid-century America.
Biography
Charles Horton, Alfred Chester Beatty: from miner to bibliophile (Dublin: Townhouse 2003), 48pp. Biography of the American mining engineer, inEstrialist and philanthropist. June.
T. Morrissey, Bishop Edward Thomas O’Dwyer of Limerick, 1842-1917 (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003), [q.pp.]
Enoch Brater, The Essential Samuel Beckett (Thames & Hudson 2003), 144pp. Into paperback for an appreciation of his life and work 122 ills.
Martin Ryan, Francis Butler: a life 1838-1910 (Dublin: Lilliput Press 2003), 256pp Biography of a Victorian adventurer, soldier, politician and author; Anti-jingoist’ army man who wrote Red Cloud and The Great Lone Land on Canada.
Anne Chambers, Granuaile: The Life and Times of Grace O’Malley, c.1530-1603 (Dublin: Wolfhound Press 2003), 224pp. [updated]
B. Rooney, The Life and Work of Harry Jones Thaddeus, 1859-1929 (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003), q.pp.
Brian S. Turner, A Man Stepped out for Death: Thomas Russell and County Down (Colourpoint 2003),. 96pp., ills. Marking the 200th anniversary of the execution of the Man from God Knows Where.
Joe Steve Ó Neachtain, Scread Mhaidne (Cló lar-Chonnachta 2003), 350pp. A moving account of a woman’s search for her birth mother
Literary and Cultural Criticism
Clare Carroll, Ireland and Post-colonial Theory (Cork UP 2003), 280pp. Core text material for postcolonial studies.
Dillane & Kelly, New Voices in Irish Criticism 4 (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
Catherine Dunne, An Unconsidered People (Dublin: New Island Press 2003). The novelist looks at the Irish in London - a forgotten people.
P. J. Matthews, Revival: The Abbey Theatre, Sinn Féin, the Gaelic League and the Co-operative Movement (Cork UP 2003), 280pp. Argues that the Irish revival was a progressive period for self-help movements.
Media Studies
Joan FitzPatrick Dean, Dancing at Lughnasa (Cork UP 2003), 98pp., ill. On the movie.
Gerardine Meaney, Nora (Cork UP 2003), 98pp. On the film-historical romance, feminist biopic or meditation on art vs human relationships.
History
M. McNamara, Apocalyptic and Eschatological Heritage: the Middle East and Celtic Realms (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003),
Crawford, Counting the People: A Guide to the Censuses of Ireland 1813-1911 (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
O. Walsh, Ireland Abroad: Politics and prefessions in the Nineteenth Century (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
Barnard, Irish Protestant Ascents and Descents, 1641 -1775 (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
Lydon, The Lordship of Ireland in the Middle Ages [2nd edn.; History Classics] (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
E. O’Byrne, War and Politics and the Irish of Leinster, 1156-1606 (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
C. Fauske, William King and the Anglican Irish Context, 1688-1729 (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
Andy Bielenberg, ed, Irish Flour Milling: A Thousand Year History (Dublin: Lilliput Press 2003), 288. Well-illustrated essays.
Michael Shiel, The Quiet Revolution (Dubln: O’Brien Press 2003), 304pp. The fascinating account of the bringing of electricity to rural Ireland, begun in the 1 940s.
Gabriel Doherty & Dermot Keogh, eds., De Valera’s Irelands (Cork: Mercier Press 2003), 192pp. Re-evaluating Dev’s responsibility for what went wrong in Ireland.
Winifred Glover, Exploring the Spanish Armada (Dubln: O’Brien Press 2003), 136pp. Detailed account of the planning, execution and failure of the Spanish Armada.
Helen Litton, The Irish Famine: An Illustrated History (Wolfhound Press 2003), 142pp. Reissue.
Art History
Clare Pollard, The Art of Hokusai: Masterpieces of Japanese Printing in the Chester Beatty Library (Dublin: TownHouse 2003), 48pp. Biography of one of the most influential Japanese artists.
David Edgar, Treasuring the Word: an introduction to Biblical manuscripts in The Chester Beatt y Library (TownHouse 2003), 48pp. An exploration of the library’s priceless collection June.
Language Folkore & Music
Thornton B. Edwards, Irish! (Cork: Mercier Press 2003), 192pp. Collection of colourful expressions on our culture in food, myth, music, leisure, language, history, education, drink.
Eilean Ní Cuilleanáin & Michael Cronin, Languages of Ireland: Strangers to Ourselves (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003).
Martin Verling, ed., A Beara Woman Talking (Cork: Mercier Press 2003), 144pp. A rare collection of folklore.
Tony Kearns & Barry Taylor, A Touchstone for the Tradition: The Willie Clancy Summer School (Dingle: Brandon Press 2003), 160pp. The traditional music capital of Ireland in
words and pictures.
Gary Hastings, With Fife and Drum (Belfast: Blackstaff Press 2003). Lore, history and music of the fife and drum tradition; illus. and CD.
Theology, Philosophy and Social Thought
Sean Sheehan, Anarchism (www.ReaktionBooks.co.uk 2003), 224pp. On the re-emerging anti-everything cult-history, anecdotes and analysis.
Padraig Faulkner, As I Saw It (Wolfhound Press 2003), 300pp. Candid personal account of Irish political events including the Arms Crisis.
Colin Coulter & Steve Coleman, eds., The End of Irish History: Critical Approaches to the Celtic Tiger (Manchester UP 2003), 224pp. Challenging four tigerhood fallacies.
Savage, Ireland and the New Century: Politics, Culture & Identity (Dublin: Four Courts Press 2003),
Pádraig Standún, Eaglais na gCatacóm (C1ó Iar-Chonnachta 2003), 250pp. A personal view of the Catholic Church over the last 30 years.
John Morrow, On the Road of Reconciliation: A Brief Memoir (Dublin: Columba Press 2003), 88pp. Memoir by leading ecumenist and founder member of the Corrymeela Community in Belfast.
Mary T. Malone, Women & Christianity, Vol. 3 : From the Reformation to the 21st Century (Dublin: Columba Press 2003), 336pp. Final volume in highly regarded feminist Christian history series.
Micheál Ó Conghaile, An Fear Nach nDéanann Gáire (Cló lar-Chonnachta 2003), 150pp. A highly-praised selection of short-stories, the author’s s third to date.