A biography of the Sinn Fé in leader, and Taoiseach in waiting, Mary Lou McDonald. Mary Lou McDonald is the bookies' favourite to be Ireland's next Taoiseach. She would be the first woman to reach the office, and the first Sinn Fé in leader ever to enter government in the Republic of Ireland. But how did a quintessentially bourgeois woman end up as the leader of a political party with such a recent terrorist past? And was her change of allegiance from Fianna Fá il to Sinn Fé in ideological or opportunistic? Shane Ross's scrupulously fair and balanced biography illuminates McDonald's political awakening, her relationship with the hard men of the IRA, and the evolution and future of Sinn Fé in.
This is the first comprehensive analysis of how Sinn Féin has transformed itself from ‘political wing’ of the Republican movement to a mainstream force in Irish politics. In this book by one of Ireland’s leading political journalists, Deaglán de Bréadún provides an incisive account of how the party has arrived at a position, in the space of one generation, where it is in power north of the border and knocking on the door of government in the south. Despite recent controversies and scandals arising from alleged sexual abuse by republican activists, and the violent legacies of the Troubles, the party has maintained its popularity. The outsiders have now become insiders in the political game. How did this dramatic transformation come about? Based on detailed research as well as interviews with a wide range of figures inside Sinn Féin and across the Irish political spectrum, Deaglán de Bréadún unveils a fascinating and indispensable analysis of a party that has come in from the cold. The book also draws on the author’s experiences covering the Northern Ireland peace process as well as politics in the Republic for many years, to reveal the most fascinating and unmissable political story of 2015.
In her first book, award-winning interior designer Mary McDonald inspires readers to combine old-fashioned elegance with the joy of fearless, exuberant decorating. Consistently ranked one of House Beautiful’s top 100 designers, L.A.-based Mary McDonald’s gorgeous, feminine interiors have graced the cover of every major design magazine. Dubbed the "decorating daredevil" by Domino magazine, McDonald began her career as a milliner and retains a sense of "couture chic" that inspires the look of her interiors, which are simultaneously timeless and of the moment. Her ability to combine bold patterns, chinoiserie, and Indian influences with contemporary lines and an impeccable sense of color has made her one of the most sought-after interior designers working today. Now in her first book, as vibrant and whimsical as Mary and her work, McDonald explores the themes that inform her stylish yet playful sensibility. From her own refurbishment of Buster Keaton’s legendary villa to a stunning range of client projects, McDonald carefully details the colors, fabrics, and accessories she uses to seamlessly pull each look together. Exquisitely photographed, this vivid book is a must for anyone who loves sophisticated, ravishing interiors.
What makes the Irish unique? Why do over 70 million people worldwide embrace their Irish heritage? What does it mean to be Irish today? These and other questions are addressed in this fascinating new book.Being Irish gathers a diverse group of 100 people - including well-known actors, musicians, novelists, sportspeople, journalists, political and religious leaders, community activists, asylum seekers, students and others - each trying to give expression to that special something that is more or less recognizable as Irish. This is not a sociological study; it consists of highly personal responses to a question of identity.Twenty-one years ago, Paddy Logue compiled the original edition of Being Irish to better understand the recent changes Ireland had undergone. Now his daughter, Derry-based solicitor Marie-Claire Logue, takes up the challenge to take a fresh look at Irishness, this time against a backdrop of Covid-19, Brexit, economic insecurity, weakening influence of the Catholic Church and a rapidly changing Northern Ireland.The contributions come from the ranks of the famous and not so famous, people at the center of things and people at the margins, people who live in Ireland and those who live abroad, the Irish and not-Irish-but-interested. Some delve into their personal histories to give meaning to their identities; while others rely on storytelling, humour and lyricism to approach a tentative sense of self.Above all, the reflections in this volume show that we can be Irish by birth, Irish by ancestry, Irish by geography, Irish and British, Northern Irish, Irish by accident, Irish by necessity, Irish and European, Irish by association, Irish by culture, Irish by history, Irish and American and Irish by choice. The life stories contained herein are sure to illuminate and entertain.
‘A wonderful writer’ Hilary Mantel All of life is laid bare in Prosperity Drive. A woman falls and remembers a moment decades earlier that changed the course of her life. A failed priest teaches children to swim at the YMCA. A teenage girl takes a spanner to the car of the young man who has driven her home. A honeymoon in Venice goes disastrously wrong. A man is reunited with his first love in an airport departure lounge. All of the characters begin their journeys on Prosperity Drive, appear and disappear, bump into each other in chance encounters, and join up again through love, marriage or memory in this mesmerising book.
"One of the more important, courageous and insightful books on the Troubles, all the more so because of the southern angle. I predict that it will be remembered for a long time." – Ed Moloney, journalist and author It's August 1969 and Northern Ireland is burning. Catholics are marching for civil rights and loyalist attacks have brought the British army onto the streets to quell the riots. In the middle-class suburbs of south Dublin, the political atmosphere that is transforming the North finds an unlikely convert in law student Kieran Conway. Determined to play his part, he goes to London to join the IRA. Following his training, he participates in gun fights, bank raids and intelligence-gathering sorties in England, on the Irish border and in Derry, where he encounters the young Martin McGuinness. Arrested during a British Army raid on a safe house, he is imprisoned in Crumlin Road prison, where he participates in the successful hunger strike for political status. He is transferred to Long Kesh, where he becomes adjutant to the legendary Billy McKee. On his release, he reports back to the IRA and is appointed to its general headquarters staff, where he serves during the controversial ceasefire of 1975. Profoundly disillusioned by the dysfunction within the movement, he resigns in late 1975 and returns to university, although he rejoins the IRA in 1981 before eventually leaving for good in 1993. Southside Provisional provides candid portraits of the leading IRA figures of the 1970s, alongside detailed accounts of the politics, organisation, training and operational methods of the IRA. Throughout the story, Conway's personal journey from teenage middle-class Anglophile to committed IRA activist is set against the political and military developments of the 1970s. He is not afraid to address difficult issues such as the IRA bombing campaign and its response to the loyalist killing of nationalists. Honest, fearless and frank, Southside Provisional is a fascinating first-hand account of Conway's time within Ireland's most secretive and notorious organisation.
In this collection, one of Ireland's best-known political figures brings us new and selected stories of politics, of family, of love and of friendship. These are portraits of Ireland, and especially Belfast, old and new, in times of struggle and in times of peace, showing how our past is always part of our present. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny, always moving, these are stories of ordinary people captured with wit, with heart and with understanding. Introduction by Timothy O'Grady.
Kevin Gerard Barry (20 January 1902 - 1 November 1920) was an Irish republican paramilitary who was executed by the British Government during the Irish War of Independence. He was sentenced to death for his part in an attack upon a British Army supply lorry which resulted in the deaths of three British soldiers
Once upon a time, there was a quiltmaker whose quilts told wonderful stories. News of her talents spread far and wide, and she began sharing her secrets with others. Soon people asked her to write down her quiltmaking secrets, so she wrote books for all to enjoy. With this one in your hands, now you hold the secrets to making story quilts! You'll discover a treasure trove of ideas, exercises, tips, and techniques for unlocking your creativity. You'll also learn the importance of mood, composition, and drama in story quilts. So start making quilts that tell your own colorful stories--and live happily ever after!
'Loathed, loved, terrorist to some, brilliant political strategist to others - what do we make of Gerry Adams? Malachi O'Doherty, one of Northern Ireland's most fearless journalists and writers, has gone further than anyone else to disentangle it all in this impressively measured and stylishly written biography - an illuminating read.' - Professor Marianne Elliott How did Gerry Adams grow from a revolutionary street activist - in perpetual danger of arrest and assassination - into the leader of Sinn Féin, with intimate access to the British and Irish Prime Ministers and the US President? And how has he outlasted them all?Drawing on newly available intelligence and scores of exclusive interviews, Malachi O'Doherty's meticulously researched biography sheds light on the history of this extraordinary shape-shifter. O'Doherty grew up on a 1950s Belfast housing estate, behind IRA barricades in his teens, and witnessed the start of the Troubles first hand; he is uniquely placed to expose the real man behind the myths in this compelling study. O'Doherty's experience as a journalist - at the BBC, on Belfast's newspapers, as correspondent for the Scotsman during the peace process, and as a commentator on Northern Irish affairs for the New Statesman - informs this authoritative account of one of the world's most controversial politicians.