'We were twenty-eight men facing winter on a bleak barren beach of Elephant Island - there was a possibility of a fatal shortage of food - there was no hope of rescue - Plainly the thing to do was to take a boat to the nearest inhabited point.' Ernest Shackleton Ernest Shackleton from Kildare, the expedition leader, Frank Worsley, captain of the wrecked Endurance, second officer Tom Crean from Kerry, seaman Tim McCarthy from Cork, and two other crewmen sailed 800 miles in the James Caird, a 20-foot open boat, to bring help from the whaling station at Grytviken in South Georgia. They survived the horrendous boat journey and organised the rescue - not a life was lost. All of them were heroes.

Shackletons Boat Journey

History

Frank A. Worsley

World

The Collins Press

Shackleton

SMITH, MICHAEL

`It was the most providential escape yet. It will probably have the effect of making them think that I am even more mysterious than they believe me to be, and that is saying a good deal.' Michael Collins knew the power of his persona, and capitalised on what people wanted to believe. The image we have of him comes filtered through a sensational lens, exaggerated out of all proportion. We see what we have come to expect: `the man who won the war', the centre of a web of intelligence that `brought the British Empire to its knees'. He comes to us as a mixture of truth and lies, propaganda and misunderstanding. The willingness to see him as the sum of the Irish revolution, and in turn reduce him to a caricature of his many parts, clouds our view of both the man and the revolution. Drawing on archives in Ireland, Britain and the United States, the authors question our traditional assumptions about Collins. Was he the man of his age, or was he just luckier, more brazen, more written about and more photographed than the rest? Despite the pictures of him in uniform during the last weeks of his life, Collins saw very little of the actual fight. He was chiefly an organiser and a strategist. Should we remember him as a master of the mundane rather than the romantic figure of the blockbuster film? The eight thematic, highly illustrated chapters scrutinise different aspects of Collins' life: origins, work, war, politics, celebrity, beliefs, death and afterlives. Approaching him through the eyes of contemporaries and historians, friends and enemies, this provocative book reveals new insights, challenging what we think we know about him and, in turn, what we think we know about the Irish revolution.

Michael Collins

Dolan, Dr. Anne

Island light is magical. And none more so than Ireland's. Ireland's light floods the landscape, luring the senses with a restless presence. The water surrounding and carving through the island reflects back to us the ever-changing movement of the wind-blown clouds and light. Stop for a minute and the settings change: what was straight is bent, light is dark, still is in motion. It is as though an unseen hand directs the wind, the clouds, and the light to harness our attention. Ireland: A Luminous Beauty is a collection of stunning full-colour photographs by some of Ireland's finest landscape photographers with concise text blending history, myth, and a sense of place. Many of the photographs were taken in the early morning light or as the sun set. That hour after sunrise and before sunset, with the sun low in the sky, is known to photographers as the golden hour and favoured for its soft, diffused light. We take a journey through one of the most beautiful places in the world.From the ancient stone monuments of the Boyne Valley to the perilous stone steps of Skellig Michael; from the distinctive columns of the Giant's Causeway and the spectacularly sited Dunluce Castle ruins to lush, green countryside and fields of heather; from the limestone of the Burren to exuberant stretches of flowers and gardens; from a moody sea and crashing surf to massive stone cliffs battered by the relentless pounding of the waves, and from steely rivers to tranquil lakes, it's all here.We respond to this dramatic environment by transforming it into one that solidifies and enriches our sense of place. We have this instinct to create our own space, and have made an art of it. Through the ancient, natural, and cultivated landscapes, surrounded by history and legend, discover and celebrate the spirit of Ireland and its luminous beauty.

Ireland

Travel

Peter Harbison

Pictorial

Rory Gallagher is revered as one of the greatest guitarists. He bounded across the stage with the swagger of a rock star, but offstage he was a shy, unassuming man. There were no wild parties, no marriages and divorces. His short life shifted between the bright lights of his success and the darkness of personal struggle. Gallagher was a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and champion of blues music. His career began in an Irish showband, followed by four years as the central talent of Taste, one of the great Irish bands. He went on to even greater fame as a solo artist in the 1970s. His short life was dedicated to a steadfast musical vision, one that continues to burn brilliantly in rock history. Drawing on extensive interviews, Julian Vignoles casts new light on the familial, musical and other influences that inspired Gallagher, and on the complex personality that drove his career. He reassesses Gallagher's song writing, often overlooked because of his dexterity as a guitarist. Crucially, Vignoles shows how many songs speak eloquently - and poignantly - about the person who penned them. Meticulously researched, this portrait is the insightful biography that Rory Gallagher deserves, as revelatory for his legions of loyal fans as for curious rock and blues enthusiasts.

Rory Gallagher

Arts & Photography

Vignoles, Julian

Music

Migration is a way of life for most birds found in Ireland. Our nation sits with its back to the Old World and its face to the New World, so the variety of bird species reaching our shores is derived from two hemispheres. From across the planet, `our' birds come - to breed, stop off, or spend the winter. How these visitors reached our shores puzzled us for centuries. So how do birds navigate so successfully over enormous distances and make a return trip to the same nesting site each year? Modern tracking results are revealing journeys once thought impossible - such as sustained flight for days at a time. Feats of endurance are one thing but their homing ability is even more impressive. Most of the youngsters fly solo to faraway winter quarters they have never seen. The evidence - and some of the history behind its discovery - is pieced together in a simple way that brings a new coherence to the complex ways that birds navigate, the preparations they make before departure, and their decisions en route - such as when drifted off course by inclement weather. In a nutshell, birds' array of sense far exceeds our own. Rather than relying purely on the sun and the stars for guidance, birds make use of something we cannot sense - the Earth's magnetic field. Overall they integrate a range of global phenomena, including patterns of polarised light visible (to their specially tuned vision) in the sky. This spectacular book is a must for anyone who has ever wondered how and why these seemingly fragile creatures make such gruelling journeys.

To The Ends Of The Earth

Science & Math

McGeehan, Anthony

Biological Sciences

`I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They were built only to serve.' George Bernard Shaw Since ancient times, long before GPS, radio transmission or radar, lighthouses have served as beacons helping ships to navigate Ireland's sometimes treacherous waters. The earliest lights were simply bonfires built on hillsides; in the fifth century, St Dubhan established a brazier of burning wood or turf on the headland of Hy Kinsellagh (now known as Hook Head). Today, despite technological advances, these coastal icons continue to serve as crucial navigational aids for the maritime traffic of our island nation, from the smallest leisure crafts to cargo ships and trawlers. By day, they mark the way with their instantly recognisable appearances; at night, by the character of their signals. One flash every two seconds tells a sailor that they are near Valentia Island off the coast of Kerry. Four flashes every twenty seconds means that they are further north, approaching Loop Head in County Clare. As well as representing a unique part of our maritime history and built heritage, lighthouses are a powerful symbol of strength and resilience in times of darkness. This evokes an irresistible fascination with them in many people. Artist Roger O'Reilly grew up near the Boyne Estuary lighthouse in County Meath and ever since has associated a sense of peace and reassurance with the warm glow of lighthouse beacons. He has spent two years criss-crossing the country to draw dramatic portraits of these sentinels of our shores. Gathered in this extraordinary collection, each beloved landmark is accompanied by a wealth of practical and insightful information: history, location, elevation, signal and range. This spectacularly illustrated celebration of these architectural gems will be treasured by anyone who finds comfort, intrigue or excitement in the glimmer of a lighthouse through the darkness.

Lighthouses of Ireland

O'Reilly, Roger

River Liffey

Moriarty, Christopher

Europe

Crisis and Comeback

Moynihan, Michael

Ocean Fever: The Damian Foxall Story

Damian Foxall

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