Portrait Of Ireland

A large format version of the popular Dorling Kindersley Travel Guide series features meticulously detailed three-dimensional and cutaway illustrations of popular landmarks and sites throughout Ireland, along with fascinating travel information, full-color photography, and detailed captions.

For centuries, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, or viceroy, was the representative of the British monarch in Ireland. For almost every viceroy who served at Dublin Castle there was also a vicereine; a wife who served with him. Once prominent in Irish life, the vicereines and their legacies are now almost entirely overlooked. This book sets out to recapture their lost stories by exploring the portraits and personal objects they left behind. Opulently dressed and elegantly posed, the women who gaze out from these paintings were often as dynamic, bold and influential as their husbands during their time at the apex of Irish society. They were activists, artists and aid workers; international campaigns to prevent famine in Ireland, the design of interiors, the popularisation of Irish fabrics at the royal courts of Europe and the development of hospitals were just some of their now overlooked achievements. Featuring critical essays by leading experts, analytical readings of key artworks and objects, and stunning colour portraits of the protagonists themselves, Vicereines of Ireland uncovers the considerable contributions these women behind the throne made to the social and cultural life o

"This perceptive and highly readable book is primarily about the Republic and how it has changed profoundly over the past forty years, as a traditional rural-based society has adapted to a wider modern world. Once so enclosed, the Irish are now committed Europeans and have gained much from Europe. They have banished their old poverty, modernized their economy and lifestyles - but are they losing the old 'Irish' values? On this the nation is split, as a powerful Catholic Church sees its authority contested and social change leads to moral confusion." "Ardagh has talked with President Mary Robinson, Gay Byrne, the king of Irish TV, Eamonn Casey, the disgraced ex-Bishop of Galway, and countless others. His book ranges widely, from the Dublin slums to the fate of the small Mayo farms; it takes in the changing role of women, the young novelists, the music revival, the fight for the Irish language, the new-style emigrants, the creaking political system." "The long chapter on the North gives an upbeat picture of the patient grass-roots efforts at reconciliation, and of how a resilient people continue normal life in the shadow of the ongoing conflict. The logic of history may well lead to a united Ireland - but not by any means yet."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A New Day Dawning describes the political and cultural ferment that gripped Ireland the last time a century turned. Based on contemporary books and newspaper sources, and copiously illustrated with photographs from the period, this book offers insights into the conditions that prevailed in the Ireland of 1900. There is an account of the crimes that captured public attention at a time when urban and rural poverty were rife, the emigrant ship remained a common experience, and the workhouse often provided a last refuge for the poor and for the old. Individual chapters look at how people lived in 1900. Irish nationalism, how important Irish unionism was to the people, the dawn of Irish literature in the new century, and a look at Ireland as part of the fin de siecle world. A final chapter asseses Ireland's advancement over the last century.

Beginning in the early 17th century and continuing to the present day, the city of Dublin has built up a portrait collection that is unique on the island of Ireland in terms of range and diversity, and is brilliantly expressive of the political aspirations and realities that have informed its creation. The collection contains 66 works in oil-on-canvas and 8 statues in bronze and marble. This book contains a catalogue of the entire collection with an introduction placing it within the broader context of civic imagery and regalia, giving due regard to ceremony, heraldry, dress and accoutrements of office.

Starting with a discussion of what makes a portrait particular to one country or region, Fintan Cullen explores the contradictions within existing definitions of national art.