THIS year (1996) should be a momentous one for Irish writing and publishing, what with L'Imaginaire Irlandais showcasing both all over France and the Frankfurt Book Fair being an Irish presentation devoted to - hopefully - all that is good about the Irish book trade. But more about that at a later date.
For the moment, the following is a glance through the spring and early summer catalogues, with Gill & Macmillan, the leading non fiction house, providing such gems as Simply Delicious Meals in Minutes by the indefatigable Darina Allen (February, £7.99), wherein every single recipe can be on the table in half an hour or less; The Best of Irish Cooking by Rosemary Moon (March, £7.99), an imaginative selection of over 200 traditional and contemporary recipes; and Irish Family Food by Ruth Isabel Ross (March, £4.99), more recipes, only this time "honest to God grub like your granny used to cook".
In the historical field you can buy and peruse In Time of War by Robert Fisk (March, £14.99), a superbly researched and documented account of Ireland's role in the 1939-45 war; Dublin Burning by W.I. Brennan Whitemore (March, £9.99), a clear eyed memoir of the Easter Rising by an actual participant; and In Great Haste: The Letters of Michael Collins and Kitty Kiernan edited by Leon O'Broi and revised and extended by Cian O hEigerataigh.
There will also be a history of Castleknock College entitled Nos Autem: Castleknock College and Its Times, under the general editorship of James Murphy (April, £30); a reissue of A.N. Jeffares. W B. Yeats: Man and Poet (March, £12.99), which concentrates on Yeats's own writings set within the framework of his life; Irish Haunted Houses by Peter Underwood (March, £7.99), which deals with, among others, Antrim Castle, the Shelbourne Hotel and the Department of Education haunted by an array of martyred teachers, no doubt; and Buntu's Foclora (April, £7.99), a new and revised edition to enthrall a new generation of Irish language learners.
From Marino books one can try Earning Your Living from Home by Patricia O'Reilly (Jan, £8.99), which is a manual for the aspiring home based entrepreneur; Kids' Day Out by Bridog Ni Bhuachalla (Feb, £7.99), which promises to take the headache out of entertaining the kids; The Kincora Scandal by Chris Moore (March, £6.99), exposing political cover up and intrigue in Ulster; and a novel, Passion Fruit, by Caroline D'Arcy (April, £5.99), about three sisters who share a house in Dublin.
From Mercier we have Botany Bay by Con Costello (Jan, £8.99), the story of the 45,000 Irish convicts transported to Australia between 1791 and 1853; Murder Most Irish (Feb, £9.99), being an anthology of mystery and intrigue by various authors; and two by Sean McMahon: A Short History of Ireland (Feb, £8.99) and A Light in the Dark (April, £6.99), a history of the Irish monks who travelled Europe as pilgrims for Christ from the 6th to the 12th centuries.
A note from Peter Fallon of the Gallery Press provides the following: on February 6th, to coincide with its world premiere at the Gate, Gallery will publish Derek Mahon's Racine's Phaedra, while the same author's Selected Prose, edited by Terence Brown, will follow in the spring. Books of poetry scheduled for around the same time are Sean Dunne's last poems: Time and the Island; Selected and New Poems by Medbh McGuckian; The Devil Himself by John Hughes; and Kerry Slides by Paul Muldoon.
New Island Books are up and running with Divorcing Ireland by Emily O'Reilly, a study of the "No" Campaign in the divorce referendum; The Kilfrnora Teaboy, being the work and times of Paul Durcan, edited by Colm Toibin; Beyond Common Measure, the life and poems of Davoran Hanna; and two collections of short stories: By Salt Water by Angela Bourke and Freak Nights by Ciaran Folan. There will also be a selection of new poems by Francis Stuart entitled Arrow of Anguish.
From Town House comes an autobiography of John Hume: Politics, Peace and Reconciliation (£17.99/£12.99); and fiction: Alva by Rose Doyle (April, £14.99), a contemporary tale of the eponymous heroine's hotel being turned into a film set; The Good Life, an Inspector Matt Minogue mystery by John Brady (May, £14.99); and the paperback edition of Fergus Linehan's highly regarded novel Under the Durian Tree (July, £6.99).
In February Brandon Books will republish two Walter Macken classics: God Made Sunday & Other Stories and Green Hills & Other Stories; in March the paperback edition of Francis J. Costello's The Life and Death of Terence MacSwiney; in April two novels, one about Michael Collins called Break the Green Bough by Padraic Farrell, and the second, a story of love and intrigue by Brian Leyden entitled Death and Plenty.
From Wolfhound in February we have the classic fiction reissue of Benedict Kiely's hilarious Dogs Enjoy the Morning (£6.99) and a study of three popular Irish novelists of the early part of the century, Canon Sheehan, Joseph Guinam and Gerald O'Donovan, called Priestly Fictions, by Catherine Candy (£12.99); and in March the Letters of Liam O'Flaherty edited by A.A. Kelly (£35.00), an autobiography by Irish American journalist Pete Hamill called A Drinking Life - 20 weeks on the US bestseller lists - (£8.99), and a novel by award winning childrens' writer John Wood called Angels at Medenham.
The O'Brien Press list includes A Pocket History of Ulster by Brian Barton (£4.99), Crosaire 2 by Derek Crozier (£4.99), more cryptic crosswords from the man who has been providing them for this paper for the last 50 years, and Inishmurray by Patrick Heraughty - (£7.99), a chronicle of the island's history and archaeological remains, as well as the lifestyle of the people in modern times. For children there is the long awaited final book in the Children of the Famine trilogy by Marita Collins McKenna entitled Fields of Home (£6.99).
Dedalus Press in March will bring out number 11 of the poetry magazine Tracks, with sections of religious poetry, three American poets, and a special feature on John Montague. There will also be poetry collections by Pat Boran - The Shape of Water (£5.95/£8.95); Eva Bourke - Spring in Henry Street (£5.95/£8.95); and Macdara Woods - Selected Poems (£7.95/£10.95).
From Attic Press look for I Call to the Eye of the Mind, a memoir by Sara Hyland, who went to work for Lily Yeats in 1908 in the embroidery workshop that was to become the Cuala industry, and Women Creating Women by Patricia Boyle Haberstroh, an examination of the lives and work of Irish Women poets by a distinguished American academic. In the Bright Sparks series for teenagers there will be After the Famine by Colette McCormack, a sequel to Mary Anne's Famine where our heroine comes to terms with life in New York, and Rocket Girl by Caroline Barry, a sci-fi adventure.
Finally, Poolbeg Press seems to be concentrating on fiction for the early part of the new year and a selection from their list includes Survival by Heather Ingman (£5.99), a contemporary tale set in England, Germany and Ireland; The Longest Fraud by Maggie Gibson (£4.99), a thriller featuring off beat private eye Grace de Rossa; and Emigrant Dreams by Mary Rose Callaghan (£5.99), a novel set on an American college campus, with attendant dollops of love, lust, sex and murder.