History Books of the Year

1. We don't know ourselves

by Fintan O'Toole

€27.99

The #1 Irish Times bestseller WINNER of the An Post Irish Book Awards 'A clear-eyed, myth-dispelling masterpiece' Marian Keyes 'Sweeping, authoritative and profoundly intelligent' Colm Tóibìn, Guardian 'With the pace and twists of an enthralling novel' Irish Times 'Evocative, moving, funny and furious' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times 'An enthralling, panoramic book' Patrick Radden Keefe 'A book that will remain important for a very long time' An Post Irish Book Award We Don't Know Ourselves is a very personal vision of recent Irish history from the year of O'Toole's birth, 1958, down to the present. Ireland has changed almost out of recognition during those decades, and Fintan O'Toole's life coincides with that arc of transformation. The book is a brilliant interweaving of memories (though this is emphatically not a memoir) and engrossing social and historical narrative. This was the era of Eamon de Valera, Jack Lynch, Charles Haughey and John Charles McQuaid, of sectarian civil war in the North and the Pope's triumphant visit in 1979, but also of those who began to speak out against the ruling consensus - feminists, advocates for the rights of children, gay men and women coming out of the shadows. We Don't Know Ourselves is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand modern Ireland.

2. Haughey

by Gary Murphy

€22.99 €27.99

With exclusive access to the Haughey archives, Gary Murphy presents a reassessment of Charles Haughey's life and legacy.   Saint or sinner? He was the most talented and influential politician of his generation, and his presence still looms over the Irish body politic, yet the very roots of his success - his charisma, his intelligence, his ruthlessness, his secrecy - have rendered almost impossible any objective evaluation of his life and work. He is, depending on whom you ask, either the great villain of Irish political life or the benevolent and forward-thinking saviour of a benighted nation.   That is, until now. Based on unfettered access to Haughey's personal archives, as well as extensive interviews with over 80 of his peers, rivals, confidantes and relatives, Haughey is a rich and nuanced portrait of a man of prodigious gifts, who, for all his flaws and many contradictions, came to define modern Ireland.   'A superbly balanced exploration of the life and politics of one of the most fascinating figures in 20th century Ireland.' Professor John Horgan   'An indispensable read for anyone with an interest in modern Irish history.' David McCullagh   'Offers much new detail - and not a few surprises - about the personality and career of a political titan who is still, in equal measure, revered and reviled in 21st century Ireland.' Conor Brady

3. The Dublin railway murder

by Thomas Morris

€17.99

A thrilling and perplexing investigation of a true Victorian crime at Dublin railway station. Dublin, November 1856: George Little, the chief cashier of the Broadstone railway terminus, is found dead, lying in a pool of blood beneath his desk. He has been savagely beaten, his head almost severed; there is no sign of a murder weapon, and the office door is locked, apparently from the inside. Thousands of pounds in gold and silver are left untouched at the scene of the crime. Augustus Guy, Ireland's most experienced detective, teams up with Dublin's leading lawyer to investigate the murder. But the mystery defies all explanation, and two celebrated sleuths sent by Scotland Yard soon return to London, baffled. Five suspects are arrested then released, with every step of the salacious case followed by the press, clamouring for answers. But then a local woman comes forward, claiming to know the murderer....

4. Between two hells

by Diarmaid Ferriter

€20.99 €28.00

In December 1921, five months after a truce between the IRA and British Crown Forces, Sinn Féin negotiators signed a compromise treaty with representatives of the British government. It created the Irish Free State, a self-governing dominion within the British empire, for the twenty-six counties of southern Ireland. Its terms generated turmoil within the republican movement and the country and in June 1922 Ireland collapsed into a cruel civil war, ripping Sinn Féin, the IRA and its female wing Cumann na mBan, local communities and families asunder. While the body count suggests it was far less devastating than some other European civil wars, it had a harrowing impact on the small island and cast a long shadow, socially, economically and politically, which included both public rows and recriminations and deep, often private traumas. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, the two parties that grew out of the rival factions, have dominated Irish governance since the civil war era but it was only in 2020 - almost a century after the conflict - that the two could see their way to officially sharing power. Drawing on many previously unpublished sources and newly released archival material, one of Ireland's most renowned historians lays bare the course and impact of the war, the lives it cost, the reputations it forged, the fate of its survivors and how this tragedy shaped modern Ireland.

5. Keep calm and trust the science

by Luke A. J. O'Neill

€13.99 €16.99

Take a front row seat with Professor Luke O'Neill on a high-octane year. Luke has become one of the most well-known and trusted voices of Ireland's COVID-19 pandemic. A world-renowned immunologist, he was thrust into the spotlight as we struggled to make sense of a crisis that saw the country grind to a halt. In these compelling diaries, Luke reveals what life was like behind the scenes as he endeavoured to keep calm and trust that the science would save us. Set against a national backdrop of banana-bread baking, TikTok dancing and outdoor bingo, as well as the devastation to life and livelihood suffered by many, Luke's lockdown diaries reveal the highs and lows of work at the cutting edge of science in his Trinity College lab along with how he coped personally with the pressures of public life. Shot through with the natural positivity and humour that have made Luke a home-grown hero, Keep Calm and Trust the Science is an unputdownable account of one of the most dramatic years in Irish history from one of its key players.

6. The Bostonian

by Larry Donnelly

€17.99 €22.99

AMERICAN OR IRISH, Republican or Democrat: many people are one or the other, but Larry Donnelly has been all of them. Born into an Irish-American political dynasty, Larry was destined for a successful career in politics from the start. Having completed law school, he entered the ‘family business’ and involved himself in political life, experiencing everything from town hall meetings to the highest offices. Years later, his career brought him to Galway, his ancestral home county, and love kept him in Ireland. Now a highly respected commentator, Larry’s unique insight into the influence of Ireland on American politics, his reflections on growing up in Boston, hisviews from both sides of the house, as well as his take on the current state of his homeland, make for a fascinating read. At a time when American politics has never been more divided, Donnelly offers a unique Irish-American perspective in his memoir of life in a political family.

7. Principles for dealing with the changing world order

by Ray Dalio

€21.99 €35.00

From legendary investor Ray Dalio, author of the international bestseller Principles , who has spent half a century studying global economies and markets, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order examines history's most turbulent economic and political periods to reveal why the times ahead will likely be radically different from those we've experienced in our lifetimes - but similar to those that have happened many times before. A few years ago, Ray Dalio noticed a confluence of political and economic conditions he hadn't encountered before. They included huge debts and zero or near-zero interest rates that led to massive printing of money in the world's three major reserve currencies; big political and social conflicts within countries, especially the US, due to the largest wealth, political and values disparities in more than 100 years; and the rising of a world power (China) to challenge the existing world power (US) and the existing world order. The last time that this confluence occurred was between 1930 and 1945. This realisation sent Dalio on a search for the repeating patterns and cause/effect relationships underlying all major changes in wealth and power over the last 500 years. In this remarkable and timely addition to his Principles series, Dalio brings readers along for his study of the major empires - including the Dutch, the British and the American - putting into perspective the 'Big Cycle' that has driven the successes and failures of all the world's major countries throughout history. Dalio reveals the timeless and universal forces behind these shifts and uses them to look into the future, offering practical principles for positioning oneself for what's ahead.

8. The last Irish question

by Glenn Patterson

€23.80

A view of the south of Ireland - political, social, geographical - through the eyes of a liberal northern protestant being asked to rejoin it. 'A pleasure to read, forensically and wittily observed, incisively mixing memoir, reportage and analysis'Daily Mail 'He has a light touch, a way of glancing off things and leaving our perception of them changed. He can dazzle. He tells a good story'Irish Times The reunification of Ireland, which seemed in 1998 to have been pushed over the far horizon as an aspiration, has returned with a vengeance. Brexit calls into question the British commitment to Northern Ireland and threatens its economy. There has been a surge in support for Sinn Fein south of the border. This is a dangerous and divisive issue, and will become more so if Sinn Fein enters the government of the Republic, as seems inevitable in the next couple of years. They are pushing relentlessly, as only that cult-like party knows how, for a poll on the future of the border. In The Last Irish Question Glenn Patterson views the south through the eyes of a liberal northern protestant, travelling the entire country and looking at this place he is being asked to join and which his people have spent a very long time shunning. Most of the south is terra incognita to them (as it is to many people who live in Dublin). There have been countless books describing and travelling through Ulster, but never a book like this that turns its gaze the other way: a journey of discovery through the south by a sceptical northerner. The attitudes Patterson exposes in those rural and small town areas outside Dublin will probably come as a shock to many Irish readers. Patterson is a witty, brilliant observer and this will be a highly enjoyable as well as alarmingly topical book.

9. Soldiers

by Max Hastings

€23.80

'A gripping new collection from Max Hastings that puts you at the heart of the battle ... Compelling' Daily Mail'An unmissable read' Sunday TimesSoldiers is a very personal gathering of sparkling, gripping tales by many writers, about men and women who have borne arms, reflecting bestselling historian Max Hastings's lifetime of studying war. It rings the changes through the centuries, between the heroic, tragic and comic; the famous and the humble. The nearly 350 stories illustrate vividly what it is like to fight in wars, to live and die as a warrior, from Greek and Roman times through to recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.Here you will meet Jewish heroes of the Bible, Rome's captain of the gate, Queen Boudicca, Joan of Arc, Cromwell, Wellington, Napoleon's marshals, Ulysses S. Grant, George S. Patton and the modern SAS. There are tales of great writers who served in uniform including Cobbett and Tolstoy, Edward Gibbon and Siegfried Sassoon, Marcel Proust and Evelyn Waugh, George Orwell and George MacDonald Fraser. Here are also stories of the female 'abosi' fighters of Dahomey and heroic ambulance drivers of World War I, together with the new-age women soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The stories reflect a change of mood towards warfare through the ages: though nations and movements continue to inflict terrible violence upon each other, most of humankind has retreated from the old notion of war as a sport or pastime, to acknowledge it as the supreme tragedy.This is a book to inspire in turn fascination, excitement, horror, amazement, occasionally laughter. Max Hastings mingles respect for the courage of those who fight with compassion for those who become their victims, above all civilians, and especially in the twenty-first century, which some are already calling 'the Post-Heroic Age'.

10. The green & white house

by Lynne Kelleher

€16.99 €25.20

'Carefully researched and excellently written . . . a wonderful account of the special relationship between Ireland and the USA.' BERTIE AHERN 'Anybody with an interest in Irish-American politics and personalities will want to read The Green and White House.' DICK SPRING Intimate, complex, long-lasting: the links between Ireland and US presidents extend much further and deeper than JFK. From Andrew Jackson in 1829 to Woodrow Wilson in 1913 and Joe Biden in 2021, Ireland's sway in the White House is hugely significant. Handwritten letters, weatherworn tombstones, shipping records and even an old desk unlock the ancestral secrets of 23 presidents. Spanning the centuries from covered wagons to the American Revolution, the birth of the Irish Republic to JFK's heady glamour, The Green and White House takes in political machinations and the firebrands who pushed for freedom, justice and peace for Ireland. For centuries, Irish emigrants crossed the Atlantic by boat, but an intense diplomatic bromance has seen American commanders-in-chief returning to remote Irish villages via Air Force One and armoured limousines. Incredible stories spring from these presidential visits. High-tech phones are installed in an ancient cemetery while an Aran cardigan is treated like a hostile device. Anti-personnel nets produce a bumper catch of salmon, but a Secret Service gun is lost then found amid a jubilant crowd. Each homecoming - always conducted with a twinkle in the eye - turns local people into international media darlings. But this transatlantic courtship, forged over the unearthed mysteries of sprawling family trees, has secured Ireland an annual invite to the White House - something no other nation can rival. THE GREEN AND WHITE HOUSE takes a wry look at the special relationship one tiny nation shares with the world's greatest superpower.

11. Old Ireland In Colour 2

by John G. Breslin

€17.99 €24.95

In Old Ireland in Colour 2, the much-anticipated sequel to their beloved bestseller, John Breslin and Sarah-Anne Buckley have dug even deeper into Ireland’s historical archives to uncover captivating photographic gems to bring to life using a unique blend of cutting-edge technology, historical research and expert colourisation. Old Ireland in Colour 2 celebrates more of the rich history of Ireland and the Irish from all walks of life and from all four provinces, as well as the Irish abroad, throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the chaos of the Civil War to the simple beauty of the islands, from the iconic to the domestic, there is something new and inspiring to be gleaned from every single page.

12. The Colour of Ireland

by Rob Cross

€18.99 €28.00

With introductions by Diarmaid Ferriter and Donal Fallon ’THE COLOUR OF IRELAND: County by County 1860-1960 spans more than a hundred years throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and brings history to life using contemporary photographs as the basis for full-colour digital renditions. Rob Cross breathes new life, immediacy and human connection back into these breath taking black and white photographs, bringing out the minute detail in each image and using careful historical research to determine the colours of every object in every photo. These images show incredible detail and a richness and depth that has not been seen before, bringing the people and places of an Ireland long gone back to life. With its beautifully restored images, THE COLOUR OF IRELAND presents over 150 magnificent photographs of Irish life covering all 32 counties, the beauties of the Green Isle and capturing Ireland's people and its most picturesque villages, townlands, and the fast-emerging cities of Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, and Waterford City. The book also captures photos of Ireland's most turbulent times from the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War featuring some of the titans of Irish political life such as Michael Collins, Éamon de Valera, Arthur Griffith, and James Connolly. This magnificent collection of images of Ireland is both a fascinating social history and an astonishing technical achievement. And it’s an essential book for anyone who loves Ireland and Irish history.

13. In Hinde-sight

by Paul Kelly

€17.99 €19.99

Despite the famously uncooperative Irish weather, John Hinde's postcards of Ireland featured bright sunshine and blue skies, a country seemingly peopled entirely with redheads, happy donkeys carrying turf, and charming cottages that appeared to grow upward from the earth itself. Cars and sweaters were in primary colours, and scarlet rhododendrons sprang up in the unlikeliest of places.   John Hinde had a clear vision: 'We need to be uplifted rather than depressed. To me pictures should always convey a positive, good feeling, something which makes people happy, which makes them smile, which makes them appreciate some tenderness.'   In these postcards, the world is a sunnier, less complicated and more colourful place. Join Paul Kelly as he returns to John Hinde's Ireland on a photographic pilgrimage, capturing some places that have changed forever, and some that are just the same.