MARY CONWAY revels in a powerful reminder that human lives are not defined by physical perfection
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A view unhindered by sectarian blinkers
MICHEAL MAC AONGHUSA recommends a retelling of Irish history from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century in the broader context of Europe
CROMWELLIAN SAVAGERY: Massacre at Drogheda in 1649 by Henry Doyle
[Wikimedia Commons]
PAUL DONOVAN recommends the fine performances in this account of the pre-war meeting between the US president and the British king
TECLYN AROD relishes an intimate celebration of jazz improvisation that mixes local and national musicians
The missing sister, the vengeful WAG, cruise ship claustrophobia, and reanimated Avengers
Three great releases of lost concerts by Duke Ellington Orchestra, John Taylor & Stan Sulzman, and Joe Henderson
To rescue Kahlo from the clutches of the corporate art market, we need to acknowledge the overt and covert political dimensions of the work, demands GAVIN O’TOOLE
Ireland: A Social History. From the Celts to the Foundation of Unionism and Republicanism
by Jerry Shanahan
(Self-published) £8.99
MUCH left-wing literature in the 21st century seems to suggest that history began in 1848 or, at the earliest, in 1789.
This unmarxist view tends towards a blinkered understanding of the roots of modern society and the development of capitalism and imperialism. Therefore, this work by Jerry Shanahan is to be welcomed.
He challenges the dominant approach of Irish professional historians in the 20th century who followed the pre-eminent English history institutes in pursuing a “value-free” interpretation of history.
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