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Irish Blood, English Heart, Ulster Fry: Return Journeys to Ireland
by Annie CaulfieldAnnie Caulfield's early years were spent by the seaside in Ireland. However, the family shifted to Sixties London and soon she wasn't sure who she was - was she English, was she Irish, and if so, what kind of Irish? Watching the news of The Troubles, she was unable to recognise the country she'd left behind. On return journeys to visit her family over the last thirty years, she discovers how much The Troubles have caused weird and successful aspects of the country's life and history to be overlooked. Caulfield's background is religiously and politically mixed, giving her a unique and often astute perspective on The Troubles. This is an Irish emigrant's tale, asking whether you can ever really go back to your roots. If you were a punk rocker when others were on hunger strike, can you really put your hand on your heart and say 'my people'? If you get a headache and go home to watch Big Brother on 12th July, are you just too flippant to understand your own country? There are many books on the recent history of Northern Ireland, but none give such a funny insight into the lives of ordinary people as Annie Caulfield's affectionate portrait of 'Alternative Ulster'.
Irish Comedy Greats
by Liam McCannIreland has produced some of the world’s most popular comedians. This ebook explores the lives and professions of its finest exports, such as Jimmy O’Dea, Cork’s favourite son Niall Tóibín, Dublin-born Maureen Potter, Hal Roach who spent 26 of his 60 years in showbusiness performing at Jury’s Irish Cabaret and Frank Kelly, a comedian who graduated from a bit part in the original Italian Job to the outrageous Father Jack Hackett in Father Ted, a series that also introduced Dermot Morgan as the title character.
The Irish in the Resistance: The Untold Stories of the Ordinary Heroes Who Resisted Hitler
by John Morgan Clodagh Finn'You simply couldn't stand by with your arms folded.' These were the words of Samuel Beckett who famously returned to France from a holiday in Ireland when World War II broke out. His clandestine work against the Nazi occupation of Europe is well documented, but there were many other ordinary Irish people who joined the underground network. Some took up arms. Others gathered intelligence, sheltered fugitives, committed acts of sabotage or broke codes. This new history tells the stories of those forgotten Irish men and women. Discover Captain John Keany from Cork, who parachuted into occupied Italy to help the local Resistance; Margaret Kelly, the Dublin founder of the world-famous Bluebell Girls cabaret troupe in Paris, who hid her Jewish husband; and Catherine Crean, the Irish governess born on Moore Street, Dublin, who was sent to a concentration camp for helping Allied airmen in Belgium. These, and many more stories, span the course of World War II and remind us of the power of individuals to make a difference. 'An eye-opening account of how ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations helped to fight the Nazis' David McCullagh 'A truly important and groundbreaking book' Mary Kenny
The Irish Majors: The Story Behind The Victories Of Ireland's Top Golfers - Rory Mcilroy, Graeme Mcdowell, Darren Clarke And Pádraig Harrington
by Philip ReidWhen Pádraig Harrington won the Open Championship in 2007, he became only the second Irish golfer ever to win a Major, ending a drought which dated back to Fred Daly’s victory of 1947. But Harrington’s great achievement was more than the breaking of a hoodoo: it was the start of the most glorious period in the history of Irish golf. Harrington retained the coveted Claret Jug in 2008 and added the US PGA championship that same year. In 2010, Graeme McDowell had a breakthrough Major win in the US Open and was succeeded as champion in 2011 by the phenomenally talented Rory McIlroy. The remarkable run of Major champions from Ireland was continued that season when Darren Clarke claimed an emotional victory in the British Open to add his name to the list of great champions on the Claret Jug, and most recently by Rory McIlroy who in 2012 also struck gold in the US PGA. From Carnoustie to Royal Birkdale, Oakland Hills to Pebble Beach, and Congressional to Sandwich and Kiawah Island, The Irish Majors is the story of these great victories and of the background to Ireland’s golden generation of golfers. Philip Reid has the inside track on these wonderful Irish triumphs and he brings it all home in this celebratory book.
An Irish Navvy – The Diary of an Exile: The Diary Of An Exile
by Donall MacAmhlaighDIrish construction workers in post-war Britain are celebrated in song and story. Donall MacAmhlaigh kept a diary as he worked the sites, danced in the Irish halls, drank in Irish pubs and lived the life of the roving Irish navvy. Work was hard, dirty and dangerous, followed by pints in the Admiral Rodney, the Shamrock, the Cattle Market Tavern and others. Living conditions were basic at best. This vivid picture of an Irish navvy's life in England in the 1950s mirrors that of an entire generation who left Ireland without education or hope. Days without food or work, the hardships of work camps, lonesome partings after trips home, periods of intense isolation and bitter reflection were all part of the experience. • Also available: Hard Road to Klondike.
The Irish Paradox: How and Why We Are Such a Contradictory People
by Sean MoncrieffWhat does it mean to be Irish?‘We’ve been clever and stupid, principled and corrupt. We can be kind and cruel, guilty of dopey optimism and chronic fatalism. We’re friendly, but near impossible to get to know. We’re proud to be Irish but often crippled with self-loathing. We think we’re great, but not really. We find ourselves fascinating. Of course we do. We’re a paradox.’There’s something about Irish people, about the way their minds work. But what does it mean to be Irish?In his search for the key to the Irish psyche, Sean Moncrieff roams far and wide – from the pub to the dole queue, the laboratory to the pulpit. Packed with offbeat anecdotes, observations and intriguing detours into the murkier recesses of Irish history and culture, The Irish Paradox is a roadmap for those struggling to make sense of a country defined as much by its contradictions as its sense of community.
An Irish Passion for Justice: The Life of Rebel New York Attorney Paul O'Dwyer
by Robert Polner Michael TubridyAn Irish Passion for Justice reveals the life and work of Paul O'Dwyer, the Irish-born and quintessentially New York activist, politician, and lawyer who fought in the courts and at the barricades for the rights of the downtrodden and the marginalized throughout the 20th century.Robert Polner and Michael Tubridy recount O'Dwyer's legal crusades, political campaigns, and civic interactions, deftly describing how he cut a principled and progressive path through New York City's political machinery and America's reactionary Cold War landscape. Polner and Tubridy's dynamic, penetrating depiction showcases O'Dwyer's consistent left-wing politics and defense of accused Communists in the labor movement, which exposed him to sharp criticism within and beyond the Irish-American community. Even so, his fierce beliefs, loyalty to his brother William, who was the city's mayor after World War II, and influence in Irish-American circles also inspired respect and support. Recognized by his gentle brogue and white pompadour, he fought for the creation of Israel, organized Black voters during the Civil Rights movement, and denounced the Vietnam War as an insurgent Democratic candidate for US Senate. Finally, he enlisted future president Bill Clinton to bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. As the authors demonstrate, O'Dwyer was both a man of his time and a politician beyond his years.An Irish Passion for Justice tells an enthralling and inspiring New York immigrant story that uncovers how one person, shaped by history and community, can make a difference in the world by holding true to their ideals.
Irish Rugby - Top 50 Players: A Compilation of the Greatest Ever Irish Rugby Players
by Liam McCannIrish Rugby Player by Player is a compilation of the 50 greatest Irish rugby players in the sport’s history. Re-live the glorious careers of Jack Kyle and Brian O’Driscoll, examine Eric Elwood’s contribution to the game, and marvel at the genius of Simon Geoghegan and Keith Wood. Enjoy the careers of Irish stalwarts like Jeremy Davidson and Rory Best, and cast your mind back to the epic Lions tours that saw Tom Kiernan, Willie John McBride, Ollie Campbell (who writes a foreword for the book) and Mike Gibson become household names. The book also features the fans’ favourites including Tadhg Furlong, Peter Clohesy and Moss Keane as well as giving a nod to the future stars such as Jacob Stockdale who are part of a new generation who will surely dominate the game for years to come. Each entry lists the key facts, statistics and achievements that have helped the players join the game’s elite.
An Irish Voice: Chronicles Of Peace And Politics, 1994-1997
by Niall O'DowdHow a typical Irish emigrant rose to a position of influence at the highest levels of US and Irish politics. A remarkable firsthand account of an Irish emigrant who began as a part-time footballer and house-painter and became a journalist, author, founder and publisher of two newspapers, a magazine and website, as well as a leading advocate for immigration reform for the ‘illegal’ Irish in the United States. He played a pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process, securing a US visa for Gerry Adams in 1994 and acting as intermediary between the White House and Sinn Féin during a critical time in the peace negotiations. Niall O’Dowd has been described as: ‘the authentic voice of the Irish in America, who has more knowledge of this community than almost anyone else alive,’ by Jim Dwyer, New York Times and Pulitzer Prize winner.
An Irishman Abroad: Growing up with Unity and Division in an Anglo-Irish Family
by Tarka KingIn An Irishman Abroad, Tarka King recalls his feral youth on the periphery of the Anglo-Irish world, his brief UK public school education and a period of extensive travel, followed by a period of soldiering in the Middle East at the height of the Cold War before returning to Ireland.The book identifies the pre-Belfast Good Friday Agreement Ulster Canal project as a way of tackling historic regional socio-economic ills, with supporting opinions from wide range of contacts stretching from senior IRA hunger strikers through to dedicated hardline Unionists. King reflects on how he felt compelled to move to England due to the unrest in the early 1980s and how management of his farm and forests in 'no-man's-land' was not surrendered and his interest in pursuing the Ulster Canal restoration continues.
Iron Ambition: Lessons I've Learned from the Man Who Made Me a Champion
by Larry Sloman Mike TysonThe story of the relationship between the most devastating heavyweight boxer in history and the mentor who made him.When legendary boxing trainer Cus D'Amato saw thirteen-year-old Mike Tyson spar in the ring, he proclaimed 'That's the heavyweight champion of the world'. D'Amato played a huge role in Tyson's formative years, legally adopting him at age sixteen, and shaping him both physically and mentally after years of living in poverty. He would train the young boxer for several years, dying just months before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.In Iron Ambition, Tyson shares the life lessons that D'Amato passed down to him and reflects on how the trainer's words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring. The book also chronicles Cus's courageous fight against the mobsters who controlled boxing, revealing more than we've ever know about this singular cultural figure.
The Iron Duke: Bobby Windsor - The Life and Times of a Working-Class Rugby Hero
by Bobby Windsor Peter JacksonLions legend Bobby Windsor has enjoyed triumphs beyond the dreams of most international players but has also suffered personal tragedy. His rugby career as the best hooker in the British Isles during the second golden era of Welsh rugby in the 1970s is a turbulent tale of blood and thunder on the pitch. There are riotous incidents off the pitch, including unscheduled fights with professional boxers, revelations about illegal payments during the so-called amateur era and what Windsor did to upset the Establishment and become blackballed by one of the most famous clubs in the world.Windsor's irrepressible sense of humour comes shining through on every page, except when he gives chapter and verse on the personal crisis that drove him to plan suicide.The Iron Duke is the no-holds-barred, warts-and-all story of a working-class Welsh folk hero who rose from humble beginnings to become a permanent member of the greatest Lions team in the history of rugby union.
An Iron Girl in a Velvet Glove: The Life of Joan Rhodes
by Triona HoldenWith her hourglass figure and Marilyn Monroe looks, Joan Rhodes would leave audiences speechless as she bent steel bars with her teeth, ripped large phone books into quarters, and lifted two men at a time. But what she did was real. Joan had a superstrength, forged out of desperation to survive. Born into poverty in 1920s London and abandoned by her parents, Joan endured a spell in the workhouse and earned scraps busking on the streets. Despite the worst possible start, she made it to the top of her profession to rub sequined shoulders with the likes of Fred Astaire, Bob Hope and Sammy Davis Jnr. Joan's crowning glory was to perform for the Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle, and along the way she made lifelong friendships with Marlene Dietrich, Quentin Crisp and Dame Laura Knight, kindred spirits who lived as fearlessly as she did. Biographer Triona Holden met Joan in her later years. When Joan passed away, Triona set out to secure her beloved friend’s place in history. She appeared on the BBC TV show The Repair Shop to tell the strongwoman’s story, and sifted through archives to retrace her journey to stardom. Joan saw herself as a freak, but in truth she was a champion for the so-called fairer sex. At a time when women were still groomed for marriage and motherhood, An Iron Girl in a Velvet Glove tells the fascinating and tumultuous story of a woman who followed her own unique path.
The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher: From Grocer’s Daughter to Iron Lady
by John CampbellIn this abridged edition of John Campbell's two acclaimed volumes on Margaret Thatcher, we trace the life of Britain's only female Prime Minister, from her upbringing in Grantham to her unexpected challenge for leadership of the Conservative party to her eleven tumultuous years in Downing Street and her eventual removal from power. This is an extraordinary account of an extraordinary individual who changed the face of Britain; John Campbell portrays an ambitious and determined woman who started cautiously, grew in confidence after the Falklands War but became increasingly remote and domineering until she finally lost the trust of her colleagues.
Iron Lady: The Thatcher Years
by Andrew John Stephen BlakeAllowing you to uncover the woman behind the 'Iron Lady' image, 'Iron Lady: The Thatcher Years' takes a thorough at the life and times of Britain's longest-serving twentieth-century prime minister. As both the first woman to become leader of a European country and the first British premier to achieve re-election for three consecutive terms, Margaret Thatcher's has left behind a long and hugely important legacy. Reflecting on her life and character, from her early days growing up as the daughter of a Lincolnshire grocer, to her years as one of the most powerful and controversial of leaders, through to her iconographic status as an international statesman and thinker, this study is accompanied by a selection of quotes by and about this formidable woman.
The Iron Princess: Amalia Elisabeth And The Thirty Years War
by Tryntje HelfferichIn the bloodiest conflict Europe had ever experienced, Amalia Elisabeth fought to save her tiny German state, her Calvinist church, and her children’s inheritance. Tryntje Helfferich reveals how this embattled ruler used diplomacy to play the European powers against one another, while raising one of the continent’s most effective fighting forces.
The Iron Princess: Amalia Elisabeth And The Thirty Years War
by Tryntje HelfferichIn the bloodiest conflict Europe had ever experienced, Amalia Elisabeth fought to save her tiny German state, her Calvinist church, and her children’s inheritance. Tryntje Helfferich reveals how this embattled ruler used diplomacy to play the European powers against one another, while raising one of the continent’s most effective fighting forces.
Iron War: Two Incredible Athletes. One Epic Rivalry. The Greatest Race of All Time.
by Matt FitzgeraldLonglisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2012. On October 14, 1989, driven by one of the most intense and lasting two-man rivalries in any sport, a pair of generational talents at the height of their powers ran a race that redefined human limits. The battle between Dave Scott and Mark Allen at the 13th Hawaii Ironman stands as one of the most dramatic stories in the history of athletics. The two greatest athletes of triathlon's pioneering generation raced side by side, literally, for eight straight hours at breakneck speed before Allen finally tore away from his longtime nemesis with less than two miles left in the 140.6-mile event. His margin of victory was a scant 58 seconds. So intense was the drama, the race came to be known as 'Iron War' - the single most awe-inspiring sporting event ever witnessed. More than a compelling story, Iron War is a fascinating exploration of how Scott and Allen pushed themselves and each other - and what it takes for anyone to break through perceived limits. Much as Christopher McDougall added depth to Born to Run by tying in new research on the evolutionary origins of humans as runners, Iron War shows how new discoveries in neuroscience explain how some elite athletes are able to literally will their bodies to do things that should be beyond their capacities. The book weaves an examination of the anatomy of mental toughness into a gripping tale of athletic adventure. With its emotional and intellectual depth, Iron War is a captivating and thought-provoking portrait of the human will.
Irongran: How keeping fit taught me that growing older needn’t mean slowing down
by Edwina Brocklesby'If I can start to run at 50 and become the oldest British woman to complete an Ironman, everyone should realise it's never too late'At the age of 50, Eddie Brocklesby decided to run her first half marathon. Until that point, she'd done little running, and her exercise regime consisted of little more than chauffeuring her children to their own sports clubs. In common with so many people, any interest she'd shown in sport in her childhood had diminished as her adult life progressed, with spare time becoming ever more limited in the face of work and family commitments.After that event, and following the loss of her husband of thirty years to cancer, she completed a marathon. Now, 75 years old, the past twenty years has seen Eddie take part in marathons, triathlons and Ironman races across the globe and she has accrued many medals and awards.In Irongran, Eddie looks back on her life and explains just how she's managed to develop the energy to match the enthusiasm she's always had for an active lifestyle. She shares the difficulties she's experienced in her sporting endeavours, and explains how she's managed to overcome them. Eddie is passionate about the health and wellbeing of our ageing population and provides up to date research about why keeping active in later years is so important, along with guidance about how to remain full of life in your later years.
Ironside: The Authorised Biography of Field Marshal Lord Ironside
by Lord Edmund IronsideField Marshal Lord Ironside was a born commander and, besides being a gifted linguist, was mobilised as a subaltern for the Boer War to act as a secret agent and to streamline the peace process. After serving on the Western Front for most of the First World War he became C-in-C of the Expeditionary Force in North Russia and, being knighted and promoted to major general by the age of 39, went on to modernise staff training at Camberley and to champion mechanised and aerial warfare. His generalship was tested out in the Raj and, in 1939, on the day war was declared, he reached the top of the British Army leadership as CIGS. In that capacity he played a key role in developing strategy during the first months of the war, before helping to organise the defence of Calais to free up the British Expeditionary Force escape route to Dunkirk. After a final stint as C-in-C Home Forces, preparing to resist German invasion, he was given his baton and raised to the peerage. This first full authorised biography, written by his son, Edmund Ironside, and based upon the field marshal’s meticulously kept diaries covering more than fifty years, is the definitive account of the incredibly varied and long career of one of the most prolific military leaders of the twentieth century.
An Irrational Hatred of Everything: My Continuing Odyssey as a West Ham Fan 2003–2018
by Robert BanksFOREWORD BY PHIL PARKESAn Irrational Hatred of Luton author Robert Banks is back with his latest instalment in West Ham's journey through the football leagues to recount the past fifteen years of his life as a long-suffering Hammers fan.Picking up where he left off in 2003, Banks charts the varying fortunes of West Ham United alongside the mutable modern nature of the beautiful game in An Irrational Hatred of Everything. Cataloguing a stadium move, an Icelandic banking collapse, takeovers, hirings and firings as well as promotions and relegations, Banks follows West Ham's ups and downs in a refreshingly frank and humorous account of the club's recent history.Through an interconnected exploration of West Ham's progress and the important moments in his own life, Banks continues along the torturous road of detailing his tumultuous relationship with the club to show how much football can mean to the individual while providing sobering reminders that, at the end of the day, it's only a game.
An Irrational Hatred of Luton
by Robert BanksSomewhere in a parallel universe there is another Robert Banks, who is a season ticket holder at Manchester United and is a highly successful novel writer and adored by everyone in the world, regardless of footballing, religious or racial denomination. But is he happy? You bet the hell he is. But Robert Banks is not that man. Since childhood, he has been obsessed with West Ham United Football Club. A team of persistent and historical under-achievers. After all, the only thing West Ham ever brought home was the 1966 World Cup, but that doesn't count, apparently. Laugh out loud funny, and almost devastatingly poignant, AN IRRATIONAL HATRED OF LUTON is an odyssey through the world of a committed football supporter. A real-life Fever Pitch, and with a Hornby-esque deftness of tone, Banks' book shows how intricately in the life of a true fan, football interconnects with the everyday. Banks' friendships, relationships, work, emotions of joy and despair all take place against a backdrop of claret and blue. Then Saturday comes and he watches his team get thumped again. A compelling and hilarious journey into the nature of obsession.
The Irresistible Mr Wrong: The Six Mistresses Of Misfortune
by Jeremy ScottWhy do women go for bastards? Not all women certainly, but an identifiable number of them - including almost all heiresses - find themselves drawn to, even marrying, a thoroughgoing wrong'un who steals their money, cheats on them and sometimes beats them up. Why, to these educated, rational, rich and otherwise balanced young women, is Mr Wrong irresistible? What is it about him, what is it in them? In short, what is the nexus between wealth, celebrity, sex and self-destruction? The Irresistible Mr Wrong is the serial biography of five women who were all serially married to the same man: Porfirio Rubirosa. From the Jazz Age to the mid-sixties, through Café Society, Hitler's Berlin, occupied Paris and the post-war fleshpots of the Jet Set, Jeremy Scott charts the glamour and tragedy of the wives and mistresses of the ultimate playboy.
Irvine Welsh (Contemporary British Novelists)
by Aaron KellyIrvine Welsh's fiction has defined an era, and this first full-length study provides a sustained textual and contextual analysis of all his work, from 'Trainspotting' and 'The Acid House' to 'Glue' and 'Porno'. A detailed chronological survey also considers the appropriateness of cultural, postmodern and postcolonial theories to Welsh's incendiary fiction.Kelly gives a fascinating insight into the writer's formal and political ambitions, placing him in the context of the 'brat pack' which exploded onto the Scottish literary scene in the 1990s. He explores the social, class and political conditioning of Welsh's early life, and its impact on his motivations for writing.Clearly written and accessible, this will be a key resource for students and academics alike. Choose 'Irvine Welsh'!