Ulysses: a reader’s odyssey by Daniel Mulhall (New Island Books, €15.95) This book is a delightful, chatty introduction to the wonderful world of James Joyce’s Ulysses. It is written by Daniel Mulhall, an Irish diplomat for more than 40 years and now Ireland’s ambassador to the United States of America. In the prologue to his…

Anthony Redmond My Theology: Personal Idealism by Keith Ward (Darton, Longmann & Todd, (£8.99 / €12.59) Keith Ward was Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University. He is an ordained priest in the Church of England. He has written over 20 books on various aspects of philosophy and theology and is regarded as an important…

Haughey by Gary Murphy (Gill Books, €27.99/£25.99) The distinguished philosopher, Sir Anthony Kenny, wrote apropos of an encounter with Charles J. Haughey that “on no other occasion in my life has anyone, with a straight face, told me so many lies that he knew were lies, and that he knew I knew were lies”. Many…

On Dangerous Ground: A Memoir of the Irish Revolution by Máire Comerford Hilary Dully (The Lilliput Press, Dublin, €20.00) This is a fascinating diary written by a republican ‘true believer’. From 1916 until her death in 1982, Máire Comerford was totally committed to the struggle for independence as understood by many of those elected to…

by the books editor The World of Books The public fracas down in Ennistymon, Co. Clare over the erection of a statue representing the Púca of folklore has attracted a deal of amused comment around the country. Certainly the affair focused the attention of the nation on aspects of our own modern Irish culture which…

Desmond Egan Apathy Is out: Selected Poems of Seán Ó Ríordáin with translations by Greg Delanty (Bloodaxe/ClóIar-Chonnacht, £12.99/€15.00) Seán Ó Ríordáin (1916-1977) was arguably the finest Irish-language poet of modern times. Soon after starting to work as a clerk in Cork city, he was diagnosed with TB (which had killed his father). It dogged him…

An exhibition curated by Niamh MacNally at the National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square, to January 31, 2022 Print Gallery | Admission free (book your free entry ticket in advance) The National Gallery’s remarkable holding of watercolours by the English genius Joseph Mallord William Turner is shown only in January. In 1900, at the very end…

Frank Litton The Tyranny of Merit. What’s become of the Common Good? by Michael J. Sandel (Penguin Random House, €25.00/£20.00) Oh let us love our occupations, bless the squire and his relations, live upon our daily rations, and always know our proper stations, so the servants were taught to sing. Democracy put paid to that. Aristocratic…

Changing of the Guard: Jack Marrinan’s battle to modernise An Garda Síochána by Tim Doyle (Currach Books, €20.00 / £17.99) In the 1950s a revolt was stirring in the lower ranks of An Garda. Although a much sought after permanent job, especially in rural Ireland, working conditions were tough, especially for the younger members who…

Prison Journal: vol. 2 The State Court Rejects the Appeal by George Pell (Ignatius Press, £14.50 / $19.95) The context in which this journal (one of three) was written is a sobering morality tale. Cardinal George Pell was born in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, on June 8, 1941. He was educated at the Loreto convent school…