Seán McMahon Bücher

A vivid and affectionate celebration of the history, culture and mythology of Ireland.

The Bell literary journal was founded by Sean O'Faolain and Peadar O'Donnell in 1940, and edited by O'Faolain until 1946, then by O'Donnell to 1954. Its index of writers reads like a dictionary of famous authors, some of whom were writers of stature at the time, while others were beginners, many of whom went on to become famous. This book presents the flavour of The Bell in its heyday. Writers featured Patrick Kavanagh, Eric Cross, Flann O'Brien, Frank O'Connor, Bryan McMahon, Brendan Behan, Louis McNeice, Monk Gibbon, Roger McHugh, Denis Johnston, Mary Lavin, Micheál Mac Laimmóir, Sean O'Faolain, and others. There a bibliographical note on each of the thirty-nine writers included in this selection.

Let love and friendship reign! is the motto of the famous Irish Claddagh ring. This lovely token of fealty - a ring in gold or silver comprising two hands surrounding a heart and surmounted by a crown - takes its name from the Claddagh, an ancient fishing village that is now part of Galway city. The earliest surviving examples are from about 1700 but it is known that the rings were popular much earlier than this. Tradition has it that in the Claddagh these rings were handed down from mother to daughter. Now the Claddagh ring is a sought-after piece of jewellery and a symbol of romance the world over.

Ireland is often in the news; since the IRA ceasefire in the autumn of 1994, whe has become the focus of worldwide attention. Only now can one sense an international recognition of the complexity of Irish problems and the beginnings of understanding. The answer to Ireland's difficulties lies in the future, but that future cannot be understood without reference to the past when the seeds of trouble were sown. This concise account gives the history of Ireland since the earliest times. The heroes and villains are there, the former perhaps not so heroic, the others less evil than tradition has painted them. Based upon up-to-date research, the book covers fights and famines, country and town, Protestants and Catholics, Rome Rule and Home Rule, Church and state, and brings the account right up to the autumn of 1995 and the end of the first year of peace in Northern Ireland. Sean McMahon is the author of "The Best from the Bell", "A Book of Irish Quotations", "Rich and Rare" and "The Homes of Donegal".