Pope Francis in Ireland: Commemorative Souvenir by Mags Gargan and the staff of The Irish Catholic (Columba Books, €24.99) Pope Francis in Ireland  (Veritas, €4.99) Joy of Love, a family perspective by Gráinne Doherty (Veritas, €7.99) The recent congress and the visit of Pope Francis, despite what was mooted in advance by critics, passed off very well. Certainly…

Following the Pink Ribbon Path by Mary Redmond Ussher (Columba Books, €14.99) This book reminded me in a way of Markings, Dag Hammarskjöld’s only book.  Hammarskjöld described his book as “a sort of White Book concerning my talks with myself – and with God”. Both have the same commonplace book structure of the author’s thoughts mingled with…

Plagiarism was the last thing on my mind when, in the winter of 1986, I received a phone call from my friend Fr Michéal O’Doherty. He was then a curate in my native Listowel, while I had a similar appointment in Dublin. He said he had just read a novel entitled Noon-Day by an author named Robert…

Jamie Cooks Italy by Jamie Oliver (Michael Joseph / Penguin, £26.00) Jamie Oliver is perhaps one of the most popular TV chefs of the moment. But he has moved from the costly ingredients and exotic notions to helping ordinary families make the most of what they can afford to cook at home, or have to eat at…

The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World by Bart D. Ehrman (One World, £20.00) Recently we have had several histories of early and medieval Christianity written from a very traditional Catholic point of view. These have in their way been very reassuring, but perhaps only by passing over darker passages in the…

Spoilt Rotten: Memoirs of Jack McKenna by Jack McKenna (North Kerry Literary Trust, €15.00; contact St. Johns Arts & Heritage Centre, The Square, Listowel, Co. Kerry; tel: 068-22566) This autobiography, by a novice author as old as the century,  is a valuable local history written from an urban perspective. For many years the author was in charge…

Soldiering Against Subversion: The Irish Defence Forces and internal security during the Troubles, 1969-1998 by Dan Harvey (Merrion Press, €19.99) Joe 
Carroll   The role of the Defence Forces (the army, naval service, and air corps) in ensuring that the Troubles in Northern Ireland did not spill over into the Republic and undermine the stability of the…

How to Defend the Faith Without Raising your Voice: Civil responses to Catholic hot-button issues by Michael Kelly and 
Austen Ivereigh (Columba Press, €14.99) A couple of generations ago, one could have safely assumed that most Irish people shared a set of common values. Even if one didn’t necessarily fully subscribe to the Catholic worldview, the culture was…

Curious Creatures:  Frans Post & Brazil exhibition curated by Niamh MacNally, National Gallery of Ireland, continues to December 9, 2018 Curious Creatures: Frans Post & Brazil catalogue edited by Niamh MacNally (NGI, €9.95) Frans Post: Animals in Brazil  by Alexander de Bruin (Riks Museum, Amsterdam, €19.95)   When Europeans first intruded into South America their view…

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward (Simon and Schuster,  €19.99) Peter
 Hegarty   Fear, the revealing account of Trump’s time in the White House to date, Woodward’s 19th book since All the President’s Men, describes an “emotionally overwrought, mercurial, and unpredictable leader” and his chaotic administration, in which Woodward has excellent contacts. His book rests firmly…