IrishCentral books and culture - b5cc3275d518416eacb61d676e8d84d1

Chase Away the February Blues with Luscious Cooking, Engaging Book Discussion and Mary McSweeney’s Artistry (IrishCentral)

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:16:51 PST

- ICC Celebrity Chef Series: Monday, February 25th, 7:30 pm Master Irish Chef Brendan Cronin from Co Mayo and author ofCheffin’: from Potatoes to Caviar prepares his delicious “Irish Coffee Cake READ MORE

Irish Cultural Centre Partners with the Donegal County Council’s One Book One Community Reading Event This Winter (IrishCentral)

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:15:55 PST

Author Paula de Fougerolles The ICC’s 2013 Author Series kicks off on Thursday, January 17th at 7:30 pm as the Centre welcomes author Paula de Fougerolles for her media presentation on the Irish history, Celtic landscape, and Ionian archeology which inspired her to write her historical fiction series The Chronicles of Iona (Careswell Press, 2012) The first book in her series is called Exile and tells the story of how the exiled Irish abbot Columba makes his journey to Iona with a Scottish warlord READ MORE

Book Review - Liffey Rivers #1 by Brenna Briggs (IrishCentral)

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:45:44 PDT

How fun is a mystery set at an Irish dance competition?Liffey Rivers and the Mystery of the Sparkling Solo Dress Crown by Brenna Briggs, is the first book in a series about Liffey, a spunky, quirky girl who dreams of qualifying for an Irish dance solo dress, and eats spaghetti and meatballs the night before every competition Because of her overbearing personality, no one can anticipate what she will do nextThe author pulled me into two new worlds that, as a reader, I may never otherwise explore The first is the world of Irish dance READ MORE

Book Review - The Dancer in the Painted Mask by Rod Vick (IrishCentral)

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 01:03:52 PDT

The Dancer in the Painted Mask by Rod VickPhoto: Flickr user Beyond Elements"The sound of change would not be the harsh crack of a bullet, but the regal tap of an Irish dance shoe"~The Dancer in the Painted Mask by Rod VickFrom the back cover:No one can beat the Doppels Science has seen to that It's frustrating for fifteen-year-old Wynn Jameson to be a "norm" or "normal human" dancer in an age when Irish dancing is dominated by super clones READ MORE

Book Review and Interview - Heidi Will, author of "The Ghillie Girls" (IrishCentral)

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 08:47:03 PDT

Heidi Will is the author and illustrator of The Ghillie Girls: Irish Dance Pals, published in 2008 by Cinealta Press Will based her book on the experiences she and her friends had in Irish dance Visit Heidi Will online at wwwghilliegirls READ MORE

A look at books - Irish gems of short stories, novels and history (IrishCentral)

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 05:31:59 PDT

The Colours of ManBy Micheal O’ConghaileMichael O’Conghaile is already a famous short story writer in the Irish language, but this new collection of his most celebrated works translated into English will introduce him to a larger (and I am certain appreciative) new audienceA typical offering in this brilliantly funny collection of short stories is Death at a Funeral, where O’Conghaile illustrates just why he’s widely revered as an Irish language author O’Conghaile’s works illustrate what the poet WB READ MORE

Book Review: Aspects of the History of Irish Dancing by Dr. John Cullinane (IrishCentral)

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 12:01:06 PDT

Aspects of the History of Irish Dancingby Dr John CullinanDr John Cullinane’s book Aspects of the History of Irish Dancing is the first in a library of eight books that provide invaluable information about Irish dance history Because the Gaelic people passed down their history orally, very little is recorded concerning the roots of Irish dance READ MORE

A looks at books - Irish food and fiction (IrishCentral)

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:17:34 PDT

Call of the LarkBy Maura MulliganMaura Mulligan is perhaps best known to the Irish community in New York for her works as a dancer and actor at the Irish Arts Center, and as the founder of the Irish language school An Scoil GaeligeIn Call of the Lark, her atmospheric and heartfelt new memoir, she conjures an Ireland and a way of life that may be as irretrievably lost to us now as AtlantisStarting life as a servant girl in a big house in Ireland, Mulligan sailed to America at the tender age of 17 where she soon answered a higher calling, entering a Franciscan convent to become a nunIn the 1960s the reforms of Vatican II were only very slowly being implemented, and the preeminence of the Church in the life of the Irish was still paramount READ MORE

A look at books - Irish history and biographies (IrishCentral)

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 06:01:32 PDT

Oscar’s ShadowBy Eibhear WalshAfter his imprisonment and death, poet and dramatist Oscar Wilde continued to be a visible presence in popular culture in Ireland in a way that did not happen in England James Joyce had a lot to do with it He wisely read Wilde’s sexuality and his art as challenges to the dominant political and moral hegemony of the British Empire (bolstering his own fight with official Ireland in the process) For Ireland’s benighted writers Wilde became a standard bearer, a patron saint and a battering ram against officialdom in all its forms, which had the unintended effect of keeping him current, in a way that simply didn’t happen in Britain READ MORE

Book Review, Norah and The Irish Dresser series by Cynthia G. Neale - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 03:00:32 PDT

Norah by Cynthia G NealeNorah: The Making of an Irish-American Woman in 19th Century New York by Cynthia G Neale, tells of a young woman's struggle to understand how she fits into the new world in America, and what her home country of Ireland means to her Norah McCabe arrives in New York from Ireland at a tumultuous time READ MORE

Maeve Binchy reveals her tough schooldays in upcoming book essay (IrishCentral)

Mon, 28 May 2012 05:33:43 PDT

By: DARA KELLY

In what has been described as a "literary coup" by the Irish Independent, a group of inner-city students has persuaded author Maeve Binchy to write the introduction to their book of short stories, entitled 'Yet to Be Told.'

A look at books - Irish fiction and non-fiction literature to get your teeth in to (IrishCentral)

Fri, 18 May 2012 06:46:01 PDT

The ReckoningBy Jane CaseyJane Casey’s life looks like an audition for the role of first-rate crime writer Born and raised in Dublin, she graduated from Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin, and then worked in London for a time as a book editor until the urge to write her own works eventually became too strongMarrying a criminal barrister in London who specializes in prosecution, her husband’s day to day life is filled with police officers, criminals, reluctant witnesses, judges and juries – basically the entire stock and trade of a crime writers lifeSo if The Reckoning, her second thrilling tour of London’s back streets, is filled with the kind of illuminating details that ground it in reality you’ll know why READ MORE

Book review:"The Little Book of Inspiration for Irish Dancers" by Sean Connolly - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:12 PDT

The Little Book of Inspiration for Irish Dancersby Sean ConnollySean Connolly released The Little Book of Inspiration for Irish Dancers in February of 2012 Though he is not a dancer himself, Connolly touches the lives of many Irish dancers around the globe through inspiration and coachingIn the same vein as the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Connolly's new inspirational little book will encourage and lift any Irish dancer's heart With advice on practicing, goals, persistence and positive mental attitude, The Little Book of Inspiration for Irish Dancers is a must have for Irish dancers of all ages READ MORE

A look at books- Irish food and fiction (IrishCentral)

Fri, 04 May 2012 06:45:10 PDT

Painted With WordsBy Lara MarloweLara Marlowe is best known as a distinguished foreign correspondent for The Irish Times, but she is equally well known in Ireland for her writings on French art Painted With Words is her luminous new collection of essays on some of the world’s greatest painters“Painting is not done to decorate apartments,” wrote Pablo Picasso “It is an instrument of war against brutality and darkness READ MORE

A look at books - Irish cooking, history and fiction (IrishCentral)

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:15:08 PDT

Irish Traditional CookingBy Darina AllenCan you call yourself Irish if you don’t own at least two Irish cookery books by Darina Allen? Simply put no one else has ever assembled the classic Irish dishes with the range and scope and appreciation for Irish tradition that she hasIn Irish Traditional Cooking Allen has assembled over 300 recipes that are as wholesome and unpretentious and the books title Allen is a seasonal cook, which means she lists dishes that are in tune with the produce on offer year round, which makes this book an especially worthwhile purchase for discerning cooksThis is magical food, prepared and presented in simple step-by-step measures that won’t intimidate READ MORE

Look at books - Oscar Wilde, Irish history, and savage NYC fiction (IrishCentral)

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 05:15:20 PDT

More Lives Than One: The Remarkable Wilde Family Through the GenerationsBy Gerard HanberrySometimes your fate arrives in the form of a lover When Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890 his wife Constance noticed that many of their friends stopped speaking to them after it was publishedThen one day a young man turned up at the invitation of a friend, and Wilde discovered he had read the book nine times Flattered by his attentions, Wilde fell hard for Lord Alfred Douglas, the blond haired son of the Marquis of Queensbury READ MORE

Bandon went leprechaun crazy - wins the battle of the Leprechauns to enter Guinness Book of Records (IrishCentral)

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:06:59 PDT

By: PATRICK COUNIHAN

A County Cork town has won Ireland’s Leprechaun shoot-out and entered the Guinness Book of Records.

Top three new Irish books just in time for St. Patrick’s Day (IrishCentral)

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:04:35 PST

By: KERRY O'SHEA

Rich in its literary traditions, Ireland continues even today to both produce and inspire some of the best writing in the world. Writing for The Boston Globe, Katharine Whittemore, a proud Irish-American, names her top three newly released Irish books for your reading pleasure this St. Patrick’s Day season.

1. ‘On an Irish Island’ by Robert Kanigel (2012)

The title of this book references the Great Blasket Islands off the Western coast of County Kerry. Kanigel builds upon the previous work from authors John Millington Synge, Dylan Thomas and E.M. Forster and in turn creates a “bookish pedigree” before adding his own story to the mix.

Though the Internet may someday fail books never go out of style (IrishCentral)

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:45:20 PST

Books - the new InternetIt is no secret that I’m old school enough to wonder at times how long this Internet fad is going to last, and how long the world wide web is going to satisfy all our curiosity online and allow us to download music through our fingertipsFor me I still like taking up a book in my hand in a comfortable chair, or looking over a CD chock full of liner notes I dare say a number of you out there share that feeling The year 2011 has been another wonderful one for Irish music recordings, and even more satisfying a year for books being published on Irish traditional music READ MORE

Hidden Gems in Irelands rockpools? - a new book of Irish landscapes (IrishCentral)

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:50:07 PDT

Ireland is renowned for it's magnificent landscapes being blessed with a diversity not many countries can equal, but having just picked up Daragh Muldowney’s beautiful new book even I have had to do a double takeCalled "Jewellery Box - Irelands Hidden Gems" (I wish I could have taken credit for it) but am more than happy to endorse his excellent workDaragh spotted something (under his feet) no one else did and had the creative genius to expose it, in this wonderful selection of imagesInspired by Dulra (Irish for the natural elements) he spent the last summer exploring the miniature landscapes of Ireland's coastal rock pools READ MORE