A further tranche of the later writing of  Old IRA commander Ernie O'Malley, famed author of On Another Man's Wound, that classic of the troubled times in 1920s Ireland. In this project, however, his aim was to preserve the experiences of as wide a range of those involved in the war of independence and the…

This is an amusing jeux d'esprit from The Irish Catholic film critic Aubrey Malone. This anthology of ripe quotes of the joys of food is a feast of fun for those who are not over enamoured of diets of any kind.  Not a book for Weight Watchers, this tasty collection of bonnes bouches will delight…

Stefan Kornelius devotes much of this lively, detailed biography to Angela Merkel’s life in East Germany, the former German Domocratic Republic (established in the Russian zone after the war), exploring the influence that reviled but often poorly understood place had on her career, her personality, and her political outlook. State socialism, German-style, was repressive and…

John Quinn will already be a familiar figure to many readers, from both his days with RTÉ, but also his previous publications including the popular Goodnight Ballivor, I’ll Sleep in Trim. This new book is a collection of encounters with well known figures around the country in very different areas of life. They were asked…

by J. Anthony Gaughan Former Minister for Education Martin McGuinness once described Canon Patrick Marron as formidable, and so he is. This is clear from Fr Marron’s recollections of his life-long service in the Diocese of Clogher. Born in Carrickmacross in 1932, Marron was educated at the local Patrician Brothers’ school and later in St…

by Dervla Murphy Dervla Murphy’s account of a walk down Grafton Street would be worth reading. Since the 1960s, when she famously cycled full tilt from Lismore to India, she has been writing about her life and journeys, and has been justly acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest travel writers. On a Shoestring to…

We hear a great deal these days about the right to privacy. The European Court ruling on the matter of what can be carried by Google on the internet is only the latest point of controversy. Earlier claims that, for example, the police could not release the names of convicted criminals who had absconded or…

After retrieving his sister’s body from Berlin, an unnamed American expat grapples with  feelings of love, loss and guilt as he sifts through the pieces of his life while sitting in the Munich airport waiting to fly home. Written in a stream of consciousness style, with no chapter breaks, the narrative weaves in and out…

Divine Discontent: The Prophetic Voice of Thomas Merton by John Moses, foreword by Rowan Williams (Bloomsbury Continuum, €25.00 / £20.00 hb)

Old Church Street: A Memoir of Limerick by Críostóir Ó Floinn (Original Writing, €15.00 + p&p / £5.23 Kindle edition)