Political Stocking-fillers
Deaglán de Bréadún
Political wonks, nerds and anoraks have an embarrassment of riches to choose from this Christmas in terms of books on the economic crisis and other related matters.
Can I put in a mention for two beautifully-written memoirs with strong political content by former colleagues on this newspaper, James Downey (In My Own Time, Gill and Macmillan) and Dennis Kennedy (Square Peg, Nonsuch Publishing).
Both were – and Downey still is – covering politics at home and abroad for many years and their respective volumes provide a remarkable insight into the Irish scene, Anglo-Irish relations, EU matters, office politics at the paper and other, more personal topics.
Downey’s recollections of growing up in Leitrim under the shadow of mass emigration are searing at times and deserve to be expanded into a second book - I have told him that myself. Kennedy came from a Northern Protestant background, which gave him a unique perspective on society in the Republic.
For more recent politics, there is, of course, Pat Leahy’s Showtime which has won universal praise. Then there’s Fintan O’Toole’s insightful Ship of Fools not to mention other very impressive books by Shane Ross (The Bankers), Matt Cooper (Who Really Runs Ireland), David Murphy and Martina Devlin (Banksters), Jim Power (Picking up the Pieces), David McWilliams (Follow the Money), to name but a few.
Kevin Rafter has a very interesting book out on Fine Gael – potentially the main ruling party after the next election (Fine Gael: Party at the Crossroads). Anyone trying to understand Bertie Ahern’s finances and the political ramifications thereof should read Michael Clifford and Shane Coleman’s The Drumcondra Mafia. Secrecy of another kind is explored in Brian Hanley and Scott Millar’s The Lost Revolution, a remarkable history of the Workers’ Party and the Official IRA.
Good luck with the last-minute shopping and Nollaig faoi shéan daoibh go léir (Happy Christmas to you all.)
1:52 pm
I must get this book. I grew up in Roscommon where emigration peaked in terms of numbers in the 60’s and 70’s. I too emigrated in late 60’s, to ply my intellectual skills. I was and am very lucky. I held a very senior post for a number of years and am now retired.
Comment by p.richardsI am unable to describe the amount of misery among the emigrant Irish that I have seen. Given the choice I would have stayed in Ireland. & now I seethe with anger when I hear the press in Ireland describing the budget as an emigration budget. Cowen attempting to get 3000 visas for the US.
It’s the only European Nation that has to resort to mass emigration. Why, after over 80years of republicanism is Ireland dependant on foreign countries to feed their people? It’s not just this year, what about the 30’s 40’s 50’s 60’s & 70’s. And yet we have a government, where the head earns more than the president of USA, we have a president who earns like wise. Total reform of the system and its politicians needs to be undertaken