Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend & Folklore
by William Butler Yeats
from Gramercy
Introduce yourself to the noble heroes and magical creatures of Irish mythology. Includes the two definitive works on the subject by the giants of the Irish Renaissance. W.B. Yeates' Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry and Lady Gregory's Cuchulain of Muirthemne.
Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland
by David McKittrick
from New Amsterdam Books
Compellingly written and evenhanded in its judgements, this is by far the clearest account of what happened through the years in the Northern Ireland conflict, and why.
Killing Rage
by Eamon Collins
from Granta UK
Eamon Collins never pulled a trigger for the Irish Republican Army. But he helped organize several hits--some "successful," others not. Upon joining the IRA, he was warned that "in all probability, [he] would end up on the run, in prison, or dead." Collins would end up all three: after a bombing attack--in which he had played no part--he was arrested, and after five days of punishing interrogation, agreed to turn informer. Changes of heart eventually led him to recant his confessions, and he was sent to prison. Upon his release, the IRA forced him into exile "outside the war zone." As time passed, he returned to his family home and tried to move on. In 1995 Collins appeared on British television to tell the story of his life in the IRA.
Killing Rage presents his story in fuller detail, allowing Collins to try to explain "why a segment of people within the Catholic population believed that the best way to redress their grievances was through violence." Collins also painted an unsavory portrait of the IRA--while showing their Protestant counterparts in an equally unflattering light.
In his introduction, Collins admits he is sorry about the deaths he caused:
But my sorrow is not enough.... By exposing myself to the anger of my former comrades and the families of my victims, I wanted to show that I had thought long and hard about what had happened and that it is possible to become a different person--as we all have to become different people if we are to live together in Northern Ireland without political violence.Killing Rage, however, clearly reopened old wounds. Collins was found murdered on January 28, 1999. --Sunny Delaney
I Never Knew that About Ireland
by Christopher Winn
from Thomas Dunne Books
The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940
by Eloise Engle
from Stackpole Books
Irish History For Dummies (For Dummies (History, Biography & Politics))
by Mike Cronin
from For Dummies
A rip-roaring ride through the history of the Emerald Isle
Ireland’s story is an amazingly dramatic and intense one – and today the influence of Irish culture can be felt around the globe. This book helps you find out why, taking you on a rollercoaster journey through the highs and lows of Ireland’s past including invasions, battles, executions, religious divide, uprisings, emigration – and Riverdance!
Mike Cronin is a lecturer at the Centre for Irish Programmes, Boston College, Dublin. He has written 5 books on Irish history.
Discover:
- When and how Ireland became Celtic
- Ireland and Britain’s complex relationship
- The evolution of Irish culture
- How Irish emigration has affected the world
- Northern Ireland’s rocky road to peace
Belfast Diary: War as a Way of Life
by John Conroy
from Beacon Press
A street-level view of the twenty-five-year conflict in Northern Ireland. "For those puzzled by Northern Ireland, Belfast Diary offers a wellwritten, sympathetic and cleareyed view."
-The New York Times Book Review
Rebel Hearts: Journeys Within the IRA's Soul
by Kevin Toolis
from St. Martin's Griffin
A Secret History of the IRA
by Ed Moloney
from W. W. Norton & Company
An epic portrayal of one of the twentieth century's longest wars—based on unprecedented access to all the players.
Filled with disclosures and based on the author's unprecedented access to the Irish Republican Army, this explosive book sparked controversy when it was first published in hardcover. Delving deeply into the inner workings, furtive plots, and deadly rivalries of the Irish Republican Army, Ed Moloney, who has covered the IRA since the late 1970s, delivers a riveting account of how one of the world's oldest and most ruthless terrorist groups was maneuvered into ending its thirty-year war with Britain. With revelations including the IRA's long and astonishing associations with Qaddafi's regime, Margaret Thatcher's secret diplomacy with Gerry Adams, the Catholic Church's clandestine negotiations with Republican leadership, and hitherto undisclosed activities of the American government under Bill Clinton, A Secret History rewrites, with dramatic results, the story of this intractable conflict. In particular, fascinating material on Adams's Machiavellian rise to power establishes the IRA leader as one of the most complex political figures of our time. Like Thomas Friedman in From Beirut to Jerusalem, Moloney brings a sharply intelligent reporter's eye to a tangled history often baffling to outsiders. #1 international bestseller; A Washington Post 2002 Rave. 8 pages of illustrations.
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