Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin
Twenty years ago Claire Tomalin wrote The invisible woman : the story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens, which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize (for biography), The NCR Book Award for Non-fiction, and the Hawthornden Prize. Now she has come out with her enjoyable and extensively researched full biography of Dickens. She is a marvellous biographer (she's previously written biographies of Austen, Shelley, Pepys, and Thomas Hardy), and with the Dickens book she has produced a fascinating and entertaining read.
Tomalin tells of the boy who had to go to work at the age of 12 because his father was in debtors' prison, the boy who attended a recital by his sister in front of royalty even though he was unable to perform, the adult who became a campaigner and social commentator, the man who let his wife know there were problems in their marriage by hiring a workman to partition their bedroom!
Corkonians will be a little disappointed that Tomalin doesn't mention his visit to Cork. Dickens arrived in Cork on Monday, August 30th, 1858, stayed at the Imperial hotel, and read at the Athenaeum (now the Opera House). During his stay he visited Blarney and kissed the Blarney Stone, which may account for some of his eloquence! Of his time in Cork, Dickens reflected:
'Cork was an immense success. We found upwards of a thousand stalls let, for the three readings. A great many people were turned away too on the last night'.
He is said to have based the character of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations on the tragic story of a bride from Rochestown, but there is no evidence to prove this.
Omissions aside, this is a superb biography of a great writer, and is highly recommended. It is available now at Cork City Libraries, in this, the bi-centenary of its subject's birth in 1812.
Review by Paul Cussen

Joking Apart by Donncha O’Callaghan
Corkman Donncha O'Callaghan was born in 1979, and began playing rugby at Highfield Rugby Club before going on to play with Christian Brothers College. It was this team that went on to win the Munster Schools Senior Cup in 1998, among the first of his many achievements on the rugby pitch - Two Magners League titles, two Heineken Cup medals with Munster, Triple Crowns, the Grand Slam in ‘09, and two Lions tours. These achievements are well known, as is his joker reputation in the squads he has played with. However as anyone who knows a good autobiography can tell you, the joker personality usually screens a lot more than an over developed sense of humour . 
‘Joking Apart’ is the product of a collaboration with Denis Walsh, who also worked on Ronan O’Gara’s book. And like Ronan’s, this book has a strong essence and sense of the man it is about. It is very funny (we might have expected that) but also brutally honest – at times searingly self critical – to a degree which I had not expected. It’s all here; the games, the relationships with other players, the work and commitment required, the impact coaches and management have had – especially Declan Kidney – and the huge battle he went through to get the starting jersey for Munster, and then Ireland. Only through this book have I come to fully appreciate not only the difficulty he faced in his early career, but also the level of commitment that is now required for all who dream of wearing a provincial jersey or the green of Ireland in the professional era.
This honesty and frankness is also brought to bear on his personal life. Donncha talks about the effect his father’s death had on the family – “You live with the hole in your life without the hole ever bring filled.” He describes the close bonds that it built between those left behind, the clear admiration he has for his mother, and the sacrifices she made to bring up a young family on her own. He discusses too about the effect his career has had on family and friends (the full extent of which is in what is said, how it is said and what is not said). He writes of his time with UNICEF as an ambassador, his marriage, and the birth of his first child last year. This is a truly interesting read for lots of reasons, and I highly recommend it.  ‘Joking Apart’ by Donncha O’Callaghan is available now to members at Cork City Libraries.
Review by Matthew Farrell.  

The Missing Postman by Fachtna Ó Drisceoil.
Stradbally, Co. Waterford, Christmas Day, 1929. A bicycle is found in the middle of the road, near The Five Crossroads cross. This is all that remains of local postman, Larry Griffin. There are no signs of a struggle and no clue as to why his bicycle is abandoned on this empty country road. No letters strewn across the road, no bulging bag of deliveries. He just vanished.
‘The story of the Missing Postman’ made headlines around Ireland and internationally. And just when it seemed that the tale could not get any stranger, no less than ten local people were arrested and charged with the murder of Postman Larry Griffin. Two Gardaí, the village publican, his wife and two children – even the local national school principle. The list of those charged reads like someone reading a list of all those of prominence in the village of Stradbally. But the court case collapsed when the states witness refused to testify! And without the remains of Larry Griffin ever being found, this mystery remained unsolved.
For over seventy years the truth behind this missing persons case have remained hidden. Numerous libel actions, taken by former defendants, further discouraged any enquiring minds. However now all those involved have passed on. The Gardaí files from the investigation and other state documents have recently been opened to the public, prompting Fachtna Ó Drisceoil’s book.
Fachtna’s book is well written and paced. The narrative rattles along through the substantial amount of statements and documents. His real accomplishment is in not allowing the documents over power the story, making ‘The Missing Postman’ at all times absorbing. Fachtna Ó Drisceoil’s ‘The missing Postman’ is available now at Cork City Libraries.

The last Irish plague : the great flu epidemic in Ireland, 1918-1919 by Caitriona Foley.
‘Plague’ is an aptly-chosen word in this title, as many at the time doubted that the Spanish flu was really flu at all. Then as now, it is hard to imagine any great danger accruing from flu…a few days in bed, a cough, at worst a visit to the doctor. The symptoms of the Spanish flu were painful and frightening, including bleeding from the ears, coughing blood, blackened skin, and a repulsive smell. Many died within a few days of presenting, and unlike other flu outbreaks, it was the young and strong who succumbed in greatest numbers. More than 20,000 died from Spanish flu in Ireland, and up to 800,000 were infected.
Foley trawls through local newspapers, the reports of the Boards of Guardians, private correspondence and parliamentary papers to construct a thoroughly-detailed account of an epidemic which touched rich and poor, urban and rural populations alike. In particular she portrays the heroic efforts of an overworked medical profession, doctors, nurses and nuns, as well as the charitable work of the lay middle classes who organised relief and collected to ensure the sick and poor had nourishing food. She explains how the flu ran its course against the backdrop of the Great Election of 1918, the return of thousands of soldiers from the Trenches, the internment of many nationalists, and the opening salvoes of the War of Independence, but it is in the accounts of individual patients’ experiences that she excels, and it is these stories that haunt the reader.  All in all, this is an excellent, accessible and moving study, and is available for loan at Cork City Libraries. 
Review by Tim O’Mahony

Seán Moylan: Rebel Leader by Aideen Carroll
This biography of Seán Moylan was written by his granddaughter, Aideen Carroll. Most famous for his role as O/C of the Cork IRA No. 2 Brigade during the Irish War of Independence, Moylan stood for election in 1932, serving as both a Fianna Fáil TD and later Minister until his death in 1957. This book begins with his early life, the death of his father and his first links with organisations such as the Gaelic League and the GAA. A considerable portion of the book is devoted to Moylan’s years in the IRA, and it is these chapters most compelling. As a guerrilla commander he was cautious with the lives of his men yet remarkably successful. He was arrested in 1921 and imprisoned on Spike Island. He fought for the anti-treaty forces during the Civil War. He later joined Fianna Fáil, serving as both a TD and Minister. Copies of this book are available for consultation in the Local Studies library or for loan from the Grand Parade Lending Department.

This story begins, not with Terence MacSwiney, but with another Lord Mayor of Cork, Tomás MacCurtain. On 20 March 1920, in the early hours of the morning, members of the Royal Irish Constabulary broke into MacCurtain’s home at 40 Thomas Davis Street in Blackpool and assassinated Cork’s Lord Mayor. Eight days later, Terence Macswiney was elected to replace him. By August of that year, he had been arrested by British forces. He was tried and sentenced to two years in a British jail. He died in Brixton Prison on 25 October 1920 following a 74-day hunger strike which attracted worldwide attention, and which incited demonstrations from Barcelona to Buenos Aires. This book is the story of MacSwiney’s hunger strike, skilfully told by author Hannigan, using archive material and eyewitness accounts. This book is now available in the Local Studies section of Cork City Libraries.

Cork's Hurling Story by Tim Horgan
Tim Horgan is a lifelong follower of hurling and the author of  a number of GAA books, including Christy Ring : Hurling's Greatest and the original Cork's Hurling Story published in 1976. Those not familiar with the first version will find this book to be  a massive treasure trove of the glory years of Cork hurling, covering in detail the beginings of of inter-county hurling in Cork, former greats such as Eudie Coughlan and Christy Ring, and great success stories such as the four-in-a-row achieved in the 1940s. However there is a substantial amount of new material here too. The three All-Ireland titles won between 1976 and 1978 are described over two chapters, while more recent decades are explored in the latter stages of the book. This is a wonderful guide to the history of hurling in Cork, and will be of interest to anyone who has an interest in the sport. The book is available now in the Lending and Local Studies departments of Cork City Libraries.