The Irish Department of Finance 1959-99, by Ciarán Casey (Institute of Public Administration, €35.00/£30.99). The Irish Department of Finance traces its beginning to the establishment of the Irish Free State in December 1922. It retained the work-practices and most of the personnel of its previous existence as an ancillary branch of the British Treasury. In…

Voices from a Torrid Time by Séamus Connellan (Carlow Advertiser and Printing, Carlow; no price stated) This is a remarkable pictorial history of the revolutionary period from 1916 to 1923, leading to the emergence of the new Irish state. In more than 130 illustrations the author focuses on the major events in those years with…

Life in Abundance: Attractiveness of the Catholic Way of Life, by Eamon Flanagan CM (Kolbe Publications, €10.00). This collection of essays and poems contains a large measure of wisdom and useful information. But this is not all for also at the outset the author provides an excellent reading-list for those who wish to pursue what…

Vatican Council Memories by Bishop Michael Smith (Veritas Publications, €19.99/£21.99) This is a fascinating inside account of the Second Vatican Council, arguably one of the most important events in the history of the Church in recent times. In 1959, soon after his election, Pope John XXIII announced his intention to convene an Ecumenical Council. In…

Ireland’s Hidden Medicine: An exploration of Irish indigenous medicine from legend and myth to the present day by Rosarie Kingston (Aeon Books, €19.99/£16.99) This book will be compelling reading for those interested in folk medicine, also known as indigenous or traditional medicine. Such ideas are an important part of our heritage, for some of these ideas…

Ireland’s Call: Navigating Brexit, by Stephen Collins (Red Stripe Press / Orpen Press, €19.99 / £19.99) This new book by the Irish Times political columnist is a splendid account of how Brexit was hatched and has become a matter of grave contention. One of the main sources for Stephen Collins’ book is the diary of…

Orpen at War: a novel by Patricia O’Reilly (The Liffey Press, €22.95/£19.95) This is an illustrated biographical novel featuring dozens of Sir William Orpen’s paintings and drawings largely of the Western front in the Great War, in which he was engaged as an official war artist. Orpen, even then recognised as one of Ireland’s most…

Ask A Historian: 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know by Greg Jenner Weidenfeld and Nicolson, €19.99/£16.99 This is a quirky book, but it could be very useful for one organising a pub-quiz. It records a history professor answering 50 questions from his students. The questions range across all the ages and even into…

Thirty-Two Words for Field: Lost Words of the Irish Landscape Manchán Magan (Gill Books, €19.99) To the country folk of Ireland even smallest piece of land is important, and today as in the past can give rise to bitter conflict. Witness J. B. Keane’s classic play The Field. This attitude often carries into the city.…

Thomas Meagher: Forgotten Father of Thomas Francis Meagher by Eugene Broderick (Irish Academic Press, €29.95/£27.99) Thomas Meagher was described by Daniel O’Connell as “one of the best men that ever lived”. Yet he is only generally remembered as the father of Thomas Francis Meagher, the Young Irelander and later a Brigadier General in the US…