Galway Advertiser 2003/2003_10_09/GA_09102003_E1_074.pdf 

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[entsl A review of books in the West of Ireland
EDITED B Y KERNAN ANDREWS

IGHTEEN GALWAY writers, Iar-Chonnachta Literary Award, first prize in the short story her journalism. In the under 16 b o t h a d u l t s a n d t e e n a g e r s , the 1974 Irish Life Literature category. Poet Louis de Paor story category Eoghain 0 have won 14 of the 50 awards Competition, which she won for (Oughterard) won first prize in hAinmhire won first prize and HOLIDAY READING I think is something we aspire t o rather than p r e s e n t e d a t t h e a n n u a l one of her plays, and the poetry, academic critic Geardid Daithi 6 Loideain came second. In the under 16 poetry category, Writers Week Denver (NUI, Galway) won na G a e i l g e Listowel achieve. Throughout the working year we often earmark one book we're O i r e a c h t a s Amanda Ni Loideain claimed definitely going to read during the holidays o r over t h e Christmas. Literary Awards 2003 held in competition, which she won for first prize for his writing on poetry. Dramatist Brian 6 first prize. For the school a selection of short stories. Somehow we never manage it. T h e book gets left behind, we spot Dublin on Tuesday. A prolific writer in Irish, Ni Baoill (Connemara) won a project, first prize went to The award winning writer something better or sexier at the airport, the holiday itself isn't conducive to reading, the book doesn't suit the holiday, for any one of a thousand Siobhan Ni Shuilleabhain, a 75- Shuilleabhain has published number of awards. He came Kevin 6 hEadhra, Coilleach, An r e a s o n s , t h e book is not r e a d a n d r e m a i n s g a t h e r i n g dnst on t h e year-old Galway city housewife three novels, has had a dozen joint first in the Short Story for Spideal. Oireachtas na Gaeilge who lives in Moyola Park, was plays performed on stage, nine Young People (10-12 years) bookshelf. Another hurdle in the path of successful holiday reading is the actual presented with the top Irish plays on radio, and three plays category. In the Aodh O Ruairc promotes the Irish language and selection of the books we intend to read. Marrying the book to the holiday language prize, a cheque for for television, as well as having Commemorative Competition culture through a wide ranging itself is a delicate operation as it is sometimes difficult to gauge the 4 , 0 0 0 , for her latest novel eight books for teenagers he came first in the New programme of events. The main Original Play for Children to Oireachtas programme for this published. atmosphere of the holiday before you experience i t One year for example I Aistiii. attempted to read Tom Pakenham's Scramble For Africa on a rather long A number of other first places Third Class category and first in year takes place in Tralee, Co Ni Shuilleabhain is a retired flight not a good idea. national teacher and has a in key award categories were the New Original Play for Kerry from October 30 to November 2. The whole problem was taken out of my hands this year however when number of other major Irish won by Galway writers. The Children six-10 years category. Kernan Andrews Ken Bruen decided to further my education into the field of modem detective language literary awards to her TG4 TV soap star Joe Steve 6 At junior level, Padhraichin fiction by bringing me in a bagful of books just six days before herself and credit including the 2000 C16 Neachtain (An Spidcal) won Ni Fhlalharta won an award for myself took off on a 12 day trip to Montreal and Quebec. Perfect hi fact so perfect that I had finished the first one before we ever left Having just read and totally enjoyed Jonathan King's debut novel The Blue Edge Of Midnight, I could not wait to get stuck into the follow up A Visible Darkness. It too, was enjoyable but it lacked the sharpness of its predecessor. Even with that it is a cracking good yarn and this author is definitely one to look out for. The next book was selected because of its format as it was the one that I would read on the flight out and had to fit into the pocket Jonathan Nasaw's The Girl He Admired was something of a disappointment The story line was too outlandish and one got the feeling that the author was trying to out-psycho Alfred Hitcnock. One of the more delightful aspects of the Bruen Course in Detective Fiction is that you get to travel. The next book took me to Australia where we meet the somewhat unusual private eye Jack Irish. At first I didn't particularly care Headford's population being halved by for this one but as I got further into it the style of writing and the story grew THREE NEW books published 1871. by the Four Courts Press this on me. There is greater depth in Peter Temples' White Dog than in the other Christopher Dillon Bellew and his month offer an insightful look two books already discussed and one feels that in his main character we may Galway Estates 1763 - 1826, by at t h e o p e r a t i o n s of t h r e e have another Maigret or Morse. Mountbellew native Joe Clarke, documents A G a l w a y landlord Next we travel to Sweden with day trips to South Africa. Henning Galway landlords during t h e Bellew's efforts to create a Utopian society eighteenth and nineteenth Mankell's The White Lioness featuring detective Kurt Wallander is a delight. within his estate against a backdrop of Hugely reminiscent of The Day Of The Jackal the action moves at pace with d u r i n g the G r e a t F a m i n e societal unrest and an economic turndown The books -- published by as many twists and turns as could be wished for. which culminated in residents attacking his MA students in local history at Moving back to Boston, we have an interesting urban-rural theme in crops in 1783. Maynooth, provide William Pandy's Mission Flats. Again full of twists and turns, the conclusion NUI, As the ever expanding population was stretches the imagination somewhat but the book is on the whole an enjoyable information not only on the faced with successive crop failures and read. The subtitle of Alan Watts Diamond Dogs tells it as a 'post modern social structure of the last two increasing rents, Bellew was eventually thriller'. I am not quite sure what that means but it is a definite change of pace centuries, but more specifically forced to admit the failure of his somewhat and has a most unusual storyline. Set in Nevada in the shadow of Las Vegas, it they detail the Great Famine and arrogant and short-sighted efforts to the effects of the disaster on rural tells of a complex father-son relationship and the tragedy that ensues. This is improve bis estate. the author's only book, apparently be has dropped completely and inexplicitly and urban populations in County OHN JOSEPH CONWEL! John Joseph Conwell's A Galway Galway. out of the limelight The book is somewhat surprising in its intensity. Jason Starr's Cold Caller takes us back to New York and lo a fifties style laconic cynicism. The mam character. Bill Moss, is as close to anti-hero of the existentialists as I ' v e read in a long time and there is a wonderful juxtaposition between self aggrandisement and seedy tragedy throughout the book. Again I feci this is a once off hot well worth the effort Robert Parker's Wmdomi waft is memorable only for its snappy talk and witty repartee but is. for the most pan. forgettable; the perfect read for the return flight when nothing is really going on. I k w m u there is one ace left in the pack and I finished the trip in Wyoming with CJ Box's Open Season, introducing game warden Joe Pickett I have already read the second book in this scries and enjoyed it hugely Open Season confirms this aBthor's ability. Here we are in the modem wild west, the only thing missing is the stagecoach robbery and the gunslinger. Finishing t h i s a s the p l a n e descended into S h a n n o n . I had g o o d rcas. fed I had a holiday well read. Des Senary
Headford. County Galway Landlord

A bookman's holiday

Galway Gaelic writers win in annual Oireachtas literary awards

Galway's landlords a n e w perspective

during the Great Famine relates

1775 - 1901 by Headford native Gerardine Candon charts the dramatic changes in the lives of citizens of the town -- and the surrounding rural hmteiiand. also owned by the St George family -- over more than a century. Despite a sometimes stormy relationship with the local press, the St Georges contributed much to improving the fabric of the town and living conditions of its poorest inhabitants. Headford also enjoyed a thriving commercial bfe during the period, thanks lo its pivotal position in the centre of the

county. However the town also suffered a massive decline in population during the period, with a 27 per cent drop in the town's inhabitants during the Famine, a trend which continued throughout the second half of the century and resulted in

the futile efforts of Ulick John de Burgh's efforts to weather the humanitarian disaster which gripped his Portumna-based estate, and the country as a whole, during the nineteenth century. De Burgh -- the first marquis of Clanricarde -- was ostensibly regarded as one of the emerging 'improving' landlords who worked tirelessly to further the economic, educational, and social circumstances of their tenants. However de Burgh's main emphasis for improvement lay on his personal property interests, much to the cost of those living on his estate.

UNA SINNOTT