These days we hear a great deal about the decline of the classics, especially from those of a traditionalist and conservative outlook. And certainly the literature of the Greeks and Romans provided for centuries models of all kinds: of nobility, and authoritarian rule, of lyric poetry and epic, of morality and courage. In the last…

The World of Books by the Books Editor Any one of my generation who was taught from an early age by the good nuns will have somewhere tucked away in the back attic of their memories Hilaire Belloc’s poem Courtesy. Those ineffable lines: Of Courtesy it is much less Than Courage of Heart or Holiness.…

Living Words: A booklet for renewal of the Holy Spirit by Michael Hurley (Messenger Publications, €4.95) This booklet is the accompaniment as a sort of ‘workbook’ to Michael Hurley’s Inspiring Faith Communities. A programme of Evangelisation (Messenger Publications, €12.95/£11.95) This, in essence, is a prayer book for daily use. It consists of a collection of scripture passages…

At the turn of the year The Irish Catholic, along with other long-established national newspapers, has customarily devoted space to items from the year end release of state documents from 30 years ago by our National Archives in Bishop Street, Dublin. This usually ran to a mini-supplement of six pages. But this year, because of the…

The Irish Polish Society Yearbook ed. Jaroslaw Plachecki , vol. VII 2020 (see contact details below for ordering a copy) Over the last couple of decades the Polish community has established a strong presence in Ireland – both commercially and socially. The many areas of life and history the two nations have in common are…

Paddy Cole: King of the Swingers by Paddy Cole with Tom Gilmore. Foreword by John McColgan (O’Brien Press, €19.99/ebook €9.99) It is amazing how ‘the little bit of religion’ creeps into strange places sometimes. These are the music-making memories of a leading figure in the music scene since the 1950s. Paddy Cole is a great tale…

What is your Business? Memories of life, especially from my 23 years missionary work in Sierra Leone, West Africa by Fr Willie Kingston, CSSp (CRM Publications/Spiritan Heritage and Archives, Kimmage Manor, Dublin, €20.00/€30.00 postage paid) Daniel Murphy in his magisterial A History of Irish Emigrant & Missionary Education, published in 2001, describes the significant contribution made…

Peace Smiles: Rediscovering Thomas Merton by Bishop Fintan Monahan (Veritas Publications, €9.99/£9.12) Anthony Redmond It is very clear that Bishop Fintan Monaghan is an ardent admirer and devotee of Thomas Merton and his writings. Dr Monahan, of course, is Bishop of Killaloe, based in Ennis, Co. Clare, and could be said to speak from the heart…

The Powerful and the Damned: Private Diaries in Turbulent Times by Lionel Barber (W. H. Allen, £25.00 / €20.25) Over Christmas, I read the book with the above arresting title. It is by Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times for the past 15 years, who has just retired. It is a gallop through the last…

No Complaints: A Memoir of Life in Rural Ireland and in the Irish Public Service by Maurice O’Connell; edited by J. Anthony Gaughan (Kingdom Books, €15.00) Ciaran Casey Former ministers for finance have demonstrated a welcome readiness to publish memoirs in recent years. We now have offerings from five of the seven office-holders from the period…