5 comments about The Fields Of Athenry: A Journey Through Irish History.

1. I recently came across this book ,published in 2001,and what a wonderful surprise it is. There were two things that drew me to this book when I saw it. First,I spent an afternoon at my son in law's uncle's home a few years ago. He is a senior farmer who still farms ,lives in thatched roof cottage about 3 miles from the site of Moyden Castle .Smack dab in the middle of the Fields of Athenry, and one can see a similar castle from his front door,a mile or so away.It is one of my most memorable ,of many,memories of Ireland.The second reason is that the song "The Fields of Athenry" is one of my favorites. It was composed by Pete St.John,and has been recorder by thousands. It ranks right up there with "Danny Boy".My favorite version is by Paddy Reilly. A search on the web has much interesting things including the music and lyrics.
   
   By lonely prison walls
   I heard a young girl calling
   Michael,they have taken you away
   For stealing Trevelyn's corn
   So the young might see the morn.
   Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.
   
   Low lie the Fields of Athenry,
   Where once we saw the small free birds fly.
   Our love was on the wing,
   We had dreams and songs to sing.
   It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
   
   Roy has done a masterful job in taking his experiences of nearly 40 years of finding an abandoned castle,built in 1550,obtaining ownership and restoring it to livable conditions. while telling of all his experiences,love of Ireland,its people and its cultures;he at the same time, outlines the history of Ireland and particularly that around Athenry and Galway.He is a gifted writer and while combining these two different themes;he is able to keep them separated. It is little wonder that he has done such a teriffic job with his book,when you consider most books like this are done with only a few years experience, Roy put over 40 years of his heart and soul into this book;and it shows.
   When one lives in a country like Canada where our history is only a couple of hundred years old,history really doesnt't have much to do with our daily lives or even our culture.However,with Ireland,one cannot get away from the tumultuous history this country has gone through for literaslly thousands of years. No matter where you go in Ireland ,history is right there before your eyes.For example ,a few years ago ,I spent a week in Galway,and yes ,watched the "Sun Go Down On Galway Bay".One rainy morning,not fit for man or beast,I took a stroll in an ancient graveyard in the middle og Galway. To my amazement I ran into a wonderful old gent who is on the restoration committee and he showed me a plaque dedicated to about 200 sailors who were shipwreked off the coast.They were from the Spanish Armada, and the British murdered them all and buried them in a common pit in this graveyard.There had been a monastary and a church on this site which the British had destroyed. The monks were likewise killed and the spot where they had been buried had been used for a dump for a couple of hundred years.They were in the process of restoring that too. Within a few meters there was the latgest Celtic Cross ever made. It was made for the World's Fair in Chicago,and after it was brought back here and installed as a famous family's memorial.A few minutes walk away, I visited a still functioning church which was visited by none less than Christopher Columbus ,looking for information before his trip to the new world. Amnother few minutes away is a monument commemorating the visit here by President John F Kennedy. Also nearby ,is a window where Judge Lynch had his son's sentence for murder carried out,by hanging. Yes,he has been remembered for this with the term Lynching or Lynch Mob.
   If you want a knowledgeable insight into Irish History and Culture;you'd do well with finding and reaing this excellent book.



2. I appreciate James Roy's style of writing in which the past is so cleanly entwined with the present. This book takes the reader on a short journey through Ireland's tumultuous history and brings it all to life in the lives and characters of the real people of Galway. I was looking for a book that would not gloss over Ireland like a tourist guide and I found one in The Fields of Athenry. I am looking forward to reading Mr. Roy's other works! Now if I could just come up with enough money to buy me a castle... :-)



3. I fail to see why the author bothered with his project- be it the "castle" or the book- given his low regard for the people and the place in general. I'd spent a fair amount of time in the area while growing up, and can tell you that the area has a charm that was utterly lost on the author. Don't waste your money, there are a myriad of books vastly superior to this one to be had. Just pick one at random and you'd have a better than even chance of it.



4. 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.




5. This author has an extrodinary talent, though he say's he's not Irish, to weave a tale of some of the most telling lore of Irish history with his ambitious effort (and the amusing stories that go with it)of restoring an ancient Castle in a town seemingly forgotten by history. All of Irelands real charactors of history are here and Mr. Roy does an excellent job of bringing them to our midst again, sometimes no matter how tragic or enlightening that may be. An excellent read from a very studied author.

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2 comments about Endangered Lighthouses: The Plight of 50 American Lights and the Efforts Being Made to Save Them.

1. Like many less noticable forms of architecture, lighthouses are structures that are rarely appreciated until they're no longer around anymore. (The same can be said about Mail Pouch barns and covered bridges.) Tim Harrison and Ray Jones do a great job of raising awareness of the plight of many threatened lighthouses, and of the efforts currently being undertaken to keep them from disappearing forever. This is a nice companion volume to Lost Lighthouses with great pictures and historical data.



2. Living on the east coast, I guess I always assumed that lighthouses were only built along the ocean coasts. This book corrected that impression as it featured lighthouses throughout the United States in places such as Michigan, Ohio, and the Hudson River area.

   The authors/photographers showed endangered lighthouses, ruined ones, and some that have been restored. Time, tide, and erosion have wreaked terrible damage upon these buildings.

   I found the concise history of each of the featured lighthouses to be very interesting and informative. The photos were wonderful, especially the ones of the moving of the Hatteras Light in North Carolina.

   This book provides a good reminder of how important these structures were to the American way of life, and for this reason, why they should be preserved or rescued.

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1 comments about Exploring Lost Hawaii: Places of Power, History, Mystery & Magic.

1. Crowe takes us beyond the usual genre by sharing not only the beauty, but also the history and magic of Hawaii. A must for anyone taking a trip to the Islands...beautiful photographs.

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1 comments about Picturing the Past: South Dakota's Historic Places (Historical Preservation Series).

1. The third volume of the South Dakota State Historical Press 'Historical Preservation' series, "Picturing The Past" is a compilation of seventy-eight vividly dramatic, black-and-white photographs of various buildings and places taken by professional photographer Scott Myers and which are provided with historical context by Jay D. Vogt and Stephen C. Rogers. Showcasing the architecture and scenes tangible associated with life on the Great Plains, "Picturing The Past" is a welcome memorial and tribute to an American yesteryear of hard work, high hopes, and pioneering history. Indeed, "Picturing The Past" is so well done that it could readily serve as a template for similar photographic studies for other American regional history projects.