The Fields Of Athenry: A Journey Through Irish History |
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The Fields Of Athenry: A Journey Through Irish History
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by James Charles Roy
Sales Rank: 489343
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$0.79
At Amazon
on 6-21-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Hard Cover with 344 pages
Published by: Basic Books February 15, 2001
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0813338603
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0813338606
Book Dimensions:
9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
Weighs: 1.2 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
This is a book within a book. One book comprises the tale of how the author bought a crumbling tower in Moyode, County Galway, and eventually restored it. The second book is a history of Ireland, and of the local community in particular. Roy purchased Moyode Castle in 1969 for a mere œ800, but as he lives in Boston, he took his time refurbishing. Along the way, as he relates the tale of the castle, we are introduced to all who have rambled the local territory through its history, from the blatantly sexual Celts of earliest times to the Normans of the 11th century ("illiterate savages"), to the followers of Cromwell who took his saying, "To hell or Connaught," to heart, and up to the Black & Tans of 1921. Roy's portrait of Ireland is somewhat dated since it is set in the 1980s and early '90s, before the Irish economic miracle, known as the "Celtic Tiger," fully blossomed. But it does highlight many things that have changed in Ireland over the last twenty years: the declining influence of the Catholic Church, the demise of pub life and the oral tradition ("The death of old Ireland will be completed in the next twenty years or so by the television set"), and the increasing influence of the EEC. But the element of the story that will tickle most readers is Roy's daily give-and-take with barmen, workmen and farmers. His struggles with builders become legend ("In Ireland, if you don't watch it you can be skinned alive"); his encounter with tinkers, Irish gypsies now known as "itinerants," will amaze the uninitiated; and his battles bargaining for stone walls and slate roofs are all thoroughly amusing. Readers will find Roy (Islands of Storm; etc.) and this book the way the ancient Romans viewed the Celts: "high spirited and quick to battle, but otherwise straightforward and not of evil character."
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Twenty years ago, Roy (Vanished Kingdom) bought and began renovating a crumbling medieval tower in Moyode, Galway. Since then, he has traveled back and forth between Newburyport, MA, and Moyode, working on the tower and experiencing firsthand the changes in modern Ireland. Here he presents a brisk canter through Irish history, roaming from medieval to current times. He has done his homework, as evidenced by his endnotes, and his writing is polished and often amusing, but the narrative is best when he describes his ongoing struggle to shore up a medieval tower without modernizing it. He needn't have bothered with certain areas, e.g., the Easter Rebellion, as Irish history has no shortage of chroniclers. Recommended for public libraries and as an alternate choice for academic collections. Robert Moore, Itworld.com, Southboro, MA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Reader Reviews
Mr. Roy's work is really two books in one -- a history of Ireland and its relationship with its Englsih invaders, and the personal story of how he bought a castle and restored it. Mr. Roy weaves the two stories together in alternating chapters, and does so with great skill. The Irish history is sound, concise, and informative -- Mr. Roy explains how the Norman invaders became co-opted by their Irish subjects and how running through the whole complicated skein of Irish history is the story of the great, but quarrelsome Irish families -- The O'Connors, O'Briens, Burkes, and Fitzgeralds. This focus provides a great deal of clarity to understanding the history of the Island. The story of Moyode Castle (Roy's personal story)is also fascinating, especially in detailing how the Irish accept this "foreigner" among them and how Mr. Roy comes to know and appreciate the local Irish culture. The book has many amusing tales of his encounters, although it is a little wistful, because he realizes that the Ireland he celebrates is gradually being lost to history. Well worth reading, particularly if you are looking to travel in rural Ireland, or ever hoped to buy a castle.
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The Fields Of Athenry: A Journey Through Irish History
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Price: $0.79
Updated on 6-21-2008.
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