Books – Page 6 – Slugger O'Toole

When the Saints go Marching – On the Trail of Columbanus by Barry Sloan: Book Review

Gladys Ganiel on March 3, 2016, 11:03 am

| Readers 725

Last November marked the 1400th anniversary of the death of Saint Columbanus, the Ulster monk whose missions on the continent have made him the patron saint of all those who now seek to build a united Europe. This anniversary was marked in various ways on the island of Ireland and in Europe, including a joint BBC/RTE documentary titled ‘Mary McAleese and the Man who Saved Europe.’ The Mary McAleese documentary gave some flavour of the sights and sounds of the …

Where the River Bends – Considering Forgiveness in the Lives of Prisoners by Michael McRay, Book Review

Gladys Ganiel on February 26, 2016, 4:18 pm

| Readers 986

What do we do with uncomfortable stories? Uncomfortable stories about ourselves? Uncomfortable stories about our ‘enemies’ or rivals? Or uncomfortable stories about people we may never think about at all – like prisoners. In Where the River Bends: Considering Forgiveness in the Lives of Prisoners (Cascade Books, 2016), Michael McRay takes us behind the walls of prisons in Tennessee to hear the uncomfortable stories of the men and women there. These are the uncomfortable stories of what they did to …

Review – The Truth Commissioner – can he deliver truth, healing and closure?

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 9, 2016, 9:05 am

| Readers 1889

The Truth Commissioner had its world première screening in front of a paying audience in the Queen’s Film Theatre on Monday 1 February as part of their Made in Britain season. The adaptation of David Park’s award winning book (reviewed) examines some of the complexity of the legacy issues Northern Ireland has yet to fully grasp. Henry Stanfield is a serial peace-builder, a career diplomat who flies in to heal wounds and build bridges in conflicted regions of the world. …

Captured by a Vision at the 4 Corners Festival – Rev Ken Newell at St Patrick’s Catholic Church

Gladys Ganiel on February 3, 2016, 3:38 pm

| Readers 1047

Rev Ken Newell, former minister at Fitzroy Presbyterian in Belfast, is well-known for both his evangelical and his ecumenical convictions. While some – mainly evangelical Christians – are convinced that a Christian can’t be both evangelical and ecumenical, Newell challenged that conviction over the course of his long ministry at Fitzroy, in part through his deep friendship with the late Fr Gerry Reynolds of Clonard Monastery. Given Newell’s ecumenical convictions, it may be hard for some to imagine his 18-year-old …

“Perhaps it’s best to simply regard Gerry’s book as the political equivalent of an ageing hardman action star taking a role in The Expendables…”

Pete Baker on January 23, 2016, 4:03 pm

| Readers 1066

The Guardian’s Marina Hyde on the “exciting publishing news”, the terms may be used advisedly, of the forth-coming publication of Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams’ Little Book of Calm Little Book of Tweets. From the Guardian article Enormous congratulations to Gerry Adams, who is formally elevated to irony’s army council. The Sinn Féin president is the subject of exciting publishing news, with the forthcoming release of a collected volume of tweets and selfies. According to the party bookshop’s blurb, “this …

The Writing on the Wall (Stuart Borthwick) – gable wall imagery & the history it portrays

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on December 19, 2015, 12:01 am

| Readers 412

VIVID PICTURES from gable walls across Northern Ireland accompanied by intriguing notes and laid out in chronological order to map out how local history has been illustrated over the years.

‘Long on material for jeremiads like this’: John Andrew Fredrick’s ‘The King of Good Intentions II’: Book Review

John L. Murphy on December 11, 2015, 10:46 pm

| Readers 296

A fresh novel about the travails of a struggling musician on L.A.’s indie-rock fringe, this sequel to The King of Good Intentions continues the story of John and his jangle-pop band, The Weird Sisters. Likely at least semi-autobiographical, narrated after all by John with frequent asides to us, this takes up the tale on the 5th of April, 1994, the day Kurt Cobain died. While only Raleigh, the new drummer, feels bereft by this news as the band ends its …

Nourishing Reading for the Season: Pádraig Ó Tuama’s ‘In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World’

Gladys Ganiel on December 8, 2015, 8:38 am

| Readers 299

Whether you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for a reflective, spiritual friend – or wanting to take some time out to nourish yourself this Advent season – the latest book by Pádraig Ó Tuama, In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World (Hodder & Stoughton 2015) is an ideal aid to contemplation. Just to be clear – the book isn’t aimed specifically at the Advent season. Rather, it is a book for all seasons. The warm (and wounded) …

An Insight into Belfast’s and Europe’s Past: Rest and Be Thankful by Fr Daniel Cummings – Book Review

Gladys Ganiel on November 18, 2015, 9:27 am

| Readers 583

The autobiography of a Redemptorist missionary might not be at the top of everyone’s reading list, but a new book by the late Fr Daniel Cummings should appeal to a much broader audience than might be expected. Rest and be Thankful: Autobiography of a Belfast Missionary – Daniel Cummings C.Ss.R, was published this year and launched at Clonard Monastery in July. The book chronicles the varied and fascinating childhood and religious career of Fr Cummings (1907-1977). It includes descriptions of …

Politics and Peace in Northern Ireland by David Mitchell – Book Review & Launch 5 November

Gladys Ganiel on October 30, 2015, 3:59 pm

| Readers 895

While the Northern Ireland peace process is considered an outstanding success internationally, those who observe its politics day by day know that it hasn’t all been ‘happily ever after.’ Yes, we’re all grateful that violence has by and large ceased. But the implementation of the 1998 peace agreement has been fraught and 17 years on, many citizens have grown apathetic about politics. A new book by David Mitchell, assistant professor at the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin at …

Gulwali Passarlay’s tortuous journey aged 12 as a refugee escaping Afghanistan #BelFest

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 29, 2015, 9:37 pm

| Readers 432

GULWALI PASSARLAY moved the discourse about refugees away from statistics and gave it a human face at tonight’s annual Amnesty NI lecture at Belfast International Arts Festival as he described his 7000 mile 12 month journey through 10 countries aged 10 to escape Afghanistan.

Carál Ní Chuilín on arts equality and QUB ICRH’s #VoicesForTheVoiceless reflection on culture and resistance

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on October 15, 2015, 11:53 pm

| Readers 2689

VOICES FOR THE VOICELESS was part of QUB’s Celebration of the Arts and Humanities festival. Culture minister Carál Ní Chuilín spoke about her vision for equality in arts provision, followed by contributions from Anandi Ramamurthy, Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaigh and Ken Fero with his film ‘Burn’.

Election Notebook (Nick Robinson) – a humble & honest recollection of #ge2015 – and a reminder that NI politics don’t matter at a UK national level

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on July 13, 2015, 6:14 pm

| Readers 1155

Nick Robinson’s premise was to document the twelve month run up to the May 2015’s General Election. Between the Scottish independence referendum, UKIP’s rise and wobbles, and early polling that couldn’t predict the next government at Westminster, it was sure to be volatile period on which to report. The diary format of Election Notebook: The Inside Story Of The Battle Over Britain’s Future And My Personal Battle To Report It reveals that the BBC’s political editor inhabits an ever-revolving hamster …

Belfast: Toward a City Without Walls by Vicky Cosstick — Book Review

Gladys Ganiel on July 5, 2015, 9:41 am

| Readers 1136

In certain parts of Belfast, walls dominate the landscape – as well as the consciousness – of those who live and work around them. A new book by Vicky Cosstick, Belfast: Toward a City Without Walls, explores the history, significance and most daringly, the future, of these walls, highlighting the efforts of some citizens of the city to transform the conflict that produced them. Cosstick, who lives in London and Ireland, is a journalist who has also worked as an …

The Contested Identities of Ulster Protestants, edited by Burgess and Mulvenna – Book Review

Gladys Ganiel on May 17, 2015, 9:13 am

| Readers 2964

Edited academic collections are often technical and specialized – appealing to academics, but offering little to other readers interested in the topic. The Contested Identities of Ulster Protestants (Palgrave 2015), edited by Thomas Paul Burgess (UCC) and Gareth Mulvenna (Queen’s) is an exception to this trend, as it draws in an eclectic range of contributors from academia and beyond. (Unfortunately, the book carries an academic price tag – £68 – which places it beyond the ‘reasonable’ price range for most.) …

Same-Sex Marriage Referendum in the Republic: Review of ‘Who Owns Marriage?’

Gladys Ganiel on May 7, 2015, 4:35 pm

| Readers 843

As the date for the Republic’s same-sex marriage referendum draws closer (22 May), various parties have weighed in on the debate. Unsurprisingly, official representatives of the four largest Christian churches are opposed to same-sex marriage, and have urged the faithful to vote ‘no.’ At the same time, Christian activist groups like ‘Faith in Marriage Equality’ have supported a ‘yes’ vote, and theologians like Prof Linda Hogan, Vice Provost of Trinity College, have argued that there is a Christian case to …

Danny Morrison’s “West Belfast”: a coming of age novel set against the backdrop of a city in conflict

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on April 8, 2015, 4:35 pm

| Readers 1684

I grew up hearing Danny Morrison’s name on the radio at breakfast time as Sinn Féin’s Director of Publicity. More recently I’ve known him as chair of Féile an Phobail and spotted his attendance at many of the festival’s events in St Mary’s and the annual West Belfast Talks Back debate. But I’d never realised he was an author until his book (re)launch earlier this year at the end of January. Spread over a decade, West Belfast is a coming …

Review of Mary T. Malone’s “The Elephant in the Church: A Woman’s Tract for our Times”

Gladys Ganiel on March 8, 2015, 9:18 am

| Readers 300

The Elephant in the Church: A Woman’s Tract for Our Times (Columba 2014), the latest book by Mary T. Malone, is a passionately-argued, historically-grounded plea for women to have equal voices and positions in the Catholic Church. Malone retired home to Ireland in 1997 after teaching almost 40 years in Canada in Toronto’s St Augustine Seminary, and the University of St Jerome’s, the Catholic College on the campus of the University of Waterloo. She is previously the author of a …

Review: From Protest to Pragmatism: The Unionist Government and North-South Relations from 1959-72 (David McCann)

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on February 28, 2015, 12:53 pm

| Readers 954

From Protest to Pragmatism charts the ups and downs in north-south relations as well cross-border cooperation as political capital ebbed and flowed in the Northern Ireland’s unionist government between 1959 and 1972. David McCann [Ed – name sounds familiar?] has worked his way through government archives in Belfast, Cork, Dublin and London, along with newspapers, Hansard, interviews and documentaries to piece together what at times feels like an all male soap opera set in Belfast and Dublin, with a long …

Paul Burgess’ first novel re-humanises a Belfast still hardened by past and ongoing sacrifices

Mick Fealty on February 9, 2015, 2:49 pm

| Readers 796

So when an academic emails you and asks you to consider reviewing his debut novel, it’s time for a stiff drop of Paddy isn’t it? Either that or carry on wading through the few dozen ‘biteens’ of Twitter outrage that come through each day. When Paul Burgess sent me his email flyer for White Church, Black Mountain, I only bought in after I saw the flier for The Contested Identities of Ulster Protestants, which sets out to explore ‘…the least fashionable community in Western Europe’. The line – first used …