In a society born of conquest, beset with famines and plagues, and where the staples of life were everything from spies and corruption to witch trials and warfare, life in medieval Ireland was seldom dull. Witches, Spies and Stockholm Syndrome, Finbar Dwyer offers a unique portrait of life as it was lived in medieval Ireland. Against the backdrop of what was often a violent and chaotic period of history, Dwyer explores the personal stories of those whose recollections have been preserved, finding in them continual relevance and human interest.
"A brilliantly fun and informative read. Dominic Selwood has taken the juiciest bits of history from the past two thousand years and put them together in one marvellous volume. Selwood is a rare blend of insightful historian and thrilling writer. Cracking along at a breakneck pace reminiscent of Dan Brown,Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers is as perfect for the beach as it is for serious historical background reading." Claudia Gold author of The King's Mistress: The True and Scandalous Story of the Woman Who Stole the Heart of George I and Women Who Ruled: History's 50 Most Remarkable Women Spies, Sadists and Sorcerers unveils the history you were never taught at school. With a breath-taking sweep spanning Rome to the modern day, popular historian and author Dominic Selwood challenges the traditional version of some of the best-known events of the past. From ancient Christianity to the voyages of Columbus, and from the medieval Crusades to ISIS and the modern Middle East, this book debunks dozens of historical myths. You will learn that: – Magna Carta was an infamous failure in medieval times – Richard the Lionheart was a cruel and dreadful king – The Knights Templar were heretical, and have left a genuinely baffling mystery – The painter of the Turin Shroud was found in the 1300s – Christopher Columbus never saw America – The first computer coder was a woman, a century before Alan Turing – The man who unleashed mustard gas in the World War One trenches won the Nobel Prize for chemistry – One incredible Spanish spy saved D-Day ... and lots more. This book will challenge everything you think you know about history!
Arthur Kingsley Porter, (1883 1933) renowned American, Harvard professor and owner of Glenveagh Castle, vanished without trace from Inishbofin Island, Co. Donegal, in 1933. No trace of the professor was ever found. Over the decades stories of Porter's disappearance turned into legend. A strong swimmer and always fond of the outdoors, was it likely that Porter had been drowned by misadventure or was foul play involved? Perhaps Porter took off alone to pursue new adventures? By the late 1920s Porter and his wife Lucy possessed every asset that most mortals can only dream of. But was there a dark secret that led the enigmatic professor to jump from the rocks on that fateful morning? The truth about the secret inner world of Arthur Kingsley Porter has only recently been revealed. In a historical thriller set in Ireland, America and Europe in the 1920s and 30s, Lucy Costigan conjures up the world of Irish cultural and rural life, examines Porter s friendship with the literary figure AE and Irish society luminaries, and celebrates the raw beauty of Glenveagh and Donegal.
Early medieval Ireland is remembered as the "Land of Saints and Scholars," due to the distinctive devotion to Christian faith and learning that permeated its culture. As early as the seventh century, however, questions were raised about Irish orthodoxy, primarily concerning Easter observances. Yet heresy trials did not occur in Ireland until significantly later, long after allegations of Irish apostasy from Christianity had sanctioned the English invasion of Ireland. In The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish, Maeve Brigid Callan analyzes Ireland's medieval heresy trials, which all occurred in the volatile fourteenth century. These include the celebrated case of Alice Kyteler and her associates, prosecuted by Richard de Ledrede, bishop of Ossory, in 1324. This trial marks the dawn of the "devil-worshipping witch" in European prosecutions, with Ireland an unexpected birthplace.Callan divides Ireland’s heresy trials into three categories. In the first stand those of the Templars and Philip de Braybrook, whose trial derived from the Templars’, brought by their inquisitor against an old rival. Ledrede’s prosecutions, against Kyteler and other prominent Anglo-Irish colonists, constitute the second category. The trials of native Irishmen who fell victim to the sort of propaganda that justified the twelfth-century invasion and subsequent colonization of Ireland make up the third. Callan contends that Ireland’s trials resulted more from feuds than doctrinal deviance and reveal the range of relations between the English, the Irish, and the Anglo-Irish, and the church’s role in these relations; tensions within ecclesiastical hierarchy and between secular and spiritual authority; Ireland’s position within its broader European context; and political, cultural, ethnic, and gender concerns in the colony.
Early Iranians believed evil had to have a source outside of God, which led to the concept of an entity as powerful and utterly evil as God is potent and good. These two forces, good and evil, which have always vied for superiority, needed helpers in this struggle. According to the Zoroastrians, every entity had to take sides, from the cosmic level to the microcosmic self. One of the results of this battle was that certain humans were thought to side with evil. Who were these allies of that great Evil Spirit? Women were inordinately singled out. Male healers were forbidden to deal with female health disorders because of the fear of the polluting power of feminine blood. Female healers, midwives, and shamans were among those who were accused of collaborating with the Evil Spirit, because they healed women. Men who worked to prepare the dead were also suspected of secret evil. Evil even showed up as animals such as frogs, snakes, and bugs of all sorts, which scuttled to the command of their wicked masters. This first comprehensive study of the concept of evil in early Iran uncovers details of the Iranian struggle against witchcraft, sorcery, and other "evils," beginning with their earliest texts.
The clock is relentlessly ticking! Our world teeters on a knife-edge between a peaceful and prosperous future for all, and a dark winter of death and destruction that threatens to smother the light of civilization. Within 30 years, in the 2030 decade, six powerful 'drivers' will converge with unprecedented force in a statistical spike that could tear humanity apart and plunge the world into a new Dark Age. Depleted fuel supplies, massive population growth, poverty, global climate change, famine, growing water shortages and international lawlessness are on a crash course with potentially catastrophic consequences. In the face of both doomsaying and denial over the state of our world, Colin Mason cuts through the rhetoric and reams of conflicting data to muster the evidence to illustrate a broad picture of the world as it is, and our possible futures. Ultimately his message is clear; we must act decisively, collectively and immediately to alter the trajectory of humanity away from catastrophe. Offering over 100 priorities for immediate action, The 2030 Spike serves as a guidebook for humanity through the treacherous minefields and wastelands ahead to a bright, peaceful and prosperous future in which all humans have the opportunity to thrive and build a better civilization. This book is powerful and essential reading for all people concerned with the future of humanity and planet earth.
A long, long time ago… Fadó Fadó: More Tales of Lesser Known Irish History is the sequel to Fadó: Tales of Lesser Known Irish History (Matador, 2013). It reveals more episodes from Irish history throughout the ages. The Irish abroad are not neglected in this collection of tales, many of which are not widely known or have been long forgotten about. The author makes no attempt to heroise or demonise the figures, though some of the characters do not deserve the obscurity to which the passage of time has condemned them, while others are probably best forgotten. Their stories illustrate the rich tapestry that forms Irish history… Who was the walking gallows of Wicklow? What was it about a cave in Donegal that attracted visitors from all over Europe? What happened to the priest who evoked the ire of the Irish government? How did an Irish civil servant defy the Nazis at a time when appeasement was popular? Whose corpse in Galway created wonder and fear? Why did a Monaghan man eat his fellow convicts? And how did a Dublin woman try to assassinate Mussolini? Laid out in chapters long enough to cover what is important and still retain the reader’s interest, this book can be started from anywhere. Just like its prequel, Fadó Fadó is a must-have book for anyone interested in Irish history.
'One of the best fantasy book series of the past decade' TIME No masters. No limits. No regrets. Aelin Galathynius takes her place as queen in the fourth book of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. Celaena Sardothien has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return. Everyone Aelin loves has been taken from her. Everything she holds dear is in danger. But she has the heart of a queen - and that heart beats for vengeance. In this fourth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, no one will escape the queen's wrath.
Stand on any street in Dublin and one is confronted with history. Behind the façades of the ten buildings featured here is the story of Dublin, bringing to life key events and characters from the past. The buildings include: Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin's oldest church; Dublin Castle, the colonisers' castle; Trinity College Dublin, the first seat of learning; the Old Parliament House (Bank of Ireland); City Hall, the centre of civic life; Kilmainham Gaol, where leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were detained; St James' Gate Brewery, home of Guinness; the iconic GPO, the last great Georgian public building erected; the national theatre and 'cradle of Irish drama', the Abbey, and Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association and a cathedral of sport. These survive as tangible reminders of Dublin's past and help shape the city landscape today. Bringing together the stories of these landmark buildings takes us on a wonderful journey through the shifting social, political and cultural history of Ireland's capital.
