Patrick Hillery: the Official Biography by John Walsh

Dr Patrick Hillery, one of County Clare’s most famous sons, was not only a formidable politician, but also one of the most creative public figures in recent Irish history. In this official biography, John Walsh recounts both the personal life and the career of one of the major Irish politicians of the twentieth century. He describes his childhood in Miltown Malbay, his education there, in Rockwell and UCD, and his family life. Walsh details his rise through the political ranks from his first election to the Dáil in 1951, his time as Minister, European Commissioner and eventually his election as President in 1976. He also considers Dr Hillery’s impact on significant turning points in contemporary Irish history, including the arms crisis in 1970 and Ireland’s accession to the European Community. Hillery’s recollections of the most controversial events of his career, notably the Papal visit in 1979 and attempts by Charles J. Haughey to draw the presidency into party politics in the early 1980s, are analysed for the first time. The book is based on a number of in-depth interviews with Dr. Hillery and on unrestricted access to his private papers. The work provides a comprehensive and balanced portrayal of one of the most important figures in the development of contemporary Ireland. Patrick Hillery: the Official Biography by John Walsh was published by New Island in 2008.

Ennis Book Club Festival 2009

The Ennis Book Club Festival 2009, in association with Clare County Library, will take place in the County Clare capital from 6-8 March next. The festival programme will feature visits, readings, lectures and workshops by internationally acclaimed authors, along with drama, musical entertainment and chocolate tasting. Contributors include John Boyne, author of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas; Mark O’Halloran, award winning writer and actor; Salley Vickers, best selling British novelist and author of Miss Garnet’s Angel; John Breen, author of Alone It Stands; Jennifer Johnston, Booker Prize nominated writer; and Allan Guthrie, Scottish crime novelist. Other festival participants include Gerard Donovan; author of the Booker Prize nominated Schopenhauer's Telescope; Aifric Campbell, author of The Semantics of Murder; Órfhlaith Foyle, critically acclaimed poet and author of the debut novel Belios; Gerard Stembridge; novelist, film director, playwright and co-author of the satirical radio show Scrap Saturday; and travel writer Manchán Magan.

One of the highlights of the weekend will be the Sunday Symposium during which the theme of "Reading Politics" will be explored by journalist and political analyst Conor O’Clery, Public Relations consultant Terry Prone and Labour politician Michael D. Higgins. Elsewhere, journalist and broadcaster Kevin Myers and Maria Dickenson, head of book buying in Eason will host “10 books you should read”; Georgina Byrne, of South Dublin Libraries, will discuss e-books; author/TV producer Anna Heussaff will present a workshop on enriching your Book Club; broadcaster and author Denis Sampson will discuss his book on John McGahern, entitled Outstaring Nature’s Eye, and broadcaster and journalist Rachael English will chair an interview and reading session with John Boyne and Salley Vickers.

Poetry will also feature prominently at the festival. Winner of the Rooney prize for Irish Literature, Medbh McGuckian; founder member of Aosdána and winner of the Marten Toonder prize for Literature, Micheal O'Siadhail, awarded an Irish American Cultural Institute prize for poetry in 1982 and in 1998 the Marten Toonder prize for Literature; Dublin-based Russian poet, Anatoly Kudryavitsky; winner of the 2003 Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam, Kevin Higgins; and poet and dramatist Rita Ann Higgins, whose many accolades include the Peadar O’Donnell Award, will all delight and challenge their audiences during the Festival.

Meanwhile, students from Trinity College Dublin will stage an exclusive performance of “The Trial of Oscar Wilde” at Ennis Courthouse. The only other enactment of the trial, which led to Wilde’s public disgrace and two year imprisonment for acts of "gross indecency”, was held at Trinity College in April. The festival launch will include a "giant book club gathering" featuring a mass reading and discussion of “The book of Lost Things" by Irish novelist John Connolly. The festival presents a unique opportunity for book club members from Ireland and beyond to get together to share their joy of reading, to meet authors, to discuss books, and to have a weekend break with friends.

Tickets are on sale at Glór Box Office 00353 65 6843103 boxoffice@glor.ie. Further details on the festival at www.ennisbookclubfestival.com
email info@ennisbookclubfestival.com or contact 00353879723647 / 00353857758523. Click here for programme of events.

Most popular books in 2008

More than 440,000 books were borrowed from Clare County Library in 2008. So what are the people of Clare reading? Khaled Hosseini, Cecelia Ahern and Jodi Picoult each have 2 books on the list of the top ten fiction books issued from Clare libraries in 2008. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini has featured on the top ten list since 2006 and is joined this year by his A Thousand Splendid Suns, also set in Afghanistan. The Kite Runner – Hosseini’s first novel – was a word-of- mouth phenomenon which took the literary world by surprise and his second novel was eagerly awaited by his fans. All five of Cecelia Ahern’s books have made the top ten list since her first publication – PS, I Love You – in 2004. She published a new title The Gift just before Christmas – don’t be surprised to see that on the list next year. Cathy Kelly has featured on the top ten list of most borrowed fiction books from Clare County Library since 1999. She has not published a new novel since 2006 when Past Secrets was published yet she remains hugely popular. Deirdre Purcell is another Irish author who is consistently popular among Clare readers. Thriller writer James Patterson, who writes a number of books every year, is estimated to have sold more that 150 million books worldwide. He always features among the most popular male authors with readers in County Clare. American author Jodi Picoult is a newcomer to the top ten fiction list. Although her first novel was published in 1992, it’s only in recent years that her popularity has surged on this side of the Atlantic. She writes highly readable page-turners tackling hot issues such as teenage suicide and date rape.

Top ten most popular adult fiction books in 2008:
A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly
Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
Step on a Crack by James Patterson
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern
Tell Me Your Secret by Deirdre Purcell
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

The Official Driver Theory Test has topped the list of the top ten non-fiction books borrowed from Clare County Library branches since 2002. It was joined this year by Conor Faughnan’s Pass That Test as changes to the provisional licensing system were implemented. The non-fiction list is dominated by cookery books, all by celebrity chefs, including Rachel Allen and Neven Maguire. Maybe a sign that staying in really is the new going out. 2007 was the first year since 2001 that a book on house plans did not make the top ten list and 2008 saw a further decline in the popularity of these books reflecting the current economic situation. Irish biographies and autobiographies are always favourites among readers in County Clare. Following her death in May 2008, there was renewed interest in Nuala O’Faolain’s autobiography Are You Somebody? which reached fifth place on the list.

Top ten most popular adult non-fiction books in 2008:
Official Driver Theory Test
Pass That Test by Conor Faughnan
Rachel’s Food For Living by Rachel Allen
Rachel’s favourite Food at Home by Rachel Allen
Neven’s Real Food for Families by Neven Maguire
Are You Somebody? by Nuala O’Faolain
Jamie’s Dinners by Jamie Oliver
Avoca café Cookbook 2 by Hugh Arnold
Nigella express by Nigella Lawson
The Parish by Alice Taylor

Q & A by Vikas Swarup

"I have been arested. For winning a quiz show. They came for me last night, when even the stray dogs had gone off to sleep. They broke open my door, handcuffed me and marched me off to the waiting jeep with a flashing red light." So begins Vikas Swarup’s story about the orphaned, penniless waiter from Mumbai who answered thirteen questions correctly on a TV quiz show to win one billion rupees. The producers have him arrested, convinced that he has cheated his way to victory. In telling his life story to his lawyer, he explains, via flashbacks, how various events in his life provided him with the answers to the 13 questions. Fighting to stay alive and make a living in "Asia’s biggest slum... amid the modern skyscrapers and neon-lit shopping complexes", through Ram’s life story Swarup portrays the difficulties of life for the underprivileged in India. Gangsters kidnap and maim children to use as beggars; vain film stars flail against their fading celebrity; policemen line their pockets; gamblers fix cricket matches; pimps incarcerate their own sisters. But it is also a story about friendship and loyalty and the lengths that people are willing to go to for those they love. Q & A has been adapted for the big screen under the title Slumdog Millionaire. Directed by Danny Boyle, the movie is due to be released in Ireland this month. Q & A by Vikas Swarup was published by Black Swan in 2006.

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

Before Barack Obama became a politician he was, among other things, a writer. Dreams from My Father, written long before his election as President, is a refreshing, revealing portrait of a young man asking the big questions about identity and belonging. The son of a black African father and a white American mother, Obama recounts an emotional odyssey. He retraces the migration of his mother's family from Kansas to Hawaii, then to his childhood home in Indonesia. Finally he travels to Kenya, where he confronts the bitter truth of his father's life and at last reconciles his divided inheritance. The book illuminates not only Obama’s journey but also our universal desire to understand our history, and what makes us the people that we are. A recommended introduction to the man who is about to become the forty-fourth President of the United States.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart, the recently released film, is based on the first book of the Inkworld trilogy by Cornelia Funke. Twelve year old Meggie Folchart’s life changes dramatically when she realizes that her father, Mo, who works as a bookbinder has a rare gift. Mo can cause characters from books to live in the real world when he reads aloud. One such character, Dustfinger, comes to warn Mo that someone is searching for him and all three journey to Italy. Places and people feature strongly throughout the book as they run from the secrets of Mo’s past. A book with such colourful characters, and a brilliant story of nail-biting drama was quite rightfully destined for the big screen. Now that the film has whetted your appetite why not read all three books in the trilogy, Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath.

New Children’s Book Awards & more

Two new Children’s Book awards were launched in the past year. The Big Picture Campaign was aimed at promoting picture books and their illustrators. Art schools, teachers, libraries and literary festivals became involved in choosing ‘new’ picture book artists, all of whom were first published in or since the year 2000, to become the top ten illustrators in the field of Picture Book illustration today. Three of the best known authors who were included in the list of Top Ten Picture Book Illustrators are Oliver Jeffers, Emily Gravett and Mini Grey. Acclaimed children’s picture book author Shirley Hughes sums up the importance of this prize… “In an era in which we are bombarded by moving electronic imagery, looking at picture books is not only a vital part of learning to read but offers a lifelong pleasure in itself.”

The winners of the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize were announced in London on November the 13th. The winner of the Funniest Book for Children Aged Six and Under was The Witch’s Children go to School by Ursula Jones and the winner of the Funniest Book for Children Aged Seven to Fourteen was Mr. Gum and the Dancing Bear by Andy Stanton. Meanwhile Dublin author, Derek Landy, was chosen as the overall winner of the Red House Children’s Book Award, the only children’s book award voted for by children, for his book Skulduggery Pleasant, which will be released on film in 2010.

And in the coming year….

Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan is to be the next big children’s book if we are to heed the previews in the British Press. A story about a bunch of kids in a boarding school, "Andy Mulligan’s Ribblestrop is a hilarious and morally questionable tale about a disastrous school whose pupils can be counted on the fingers of one hand" The Independent. It is already long-listed for the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize 2009 along with The Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison, which is being marketed as a dark faerie fiction with a classic feel. A new series of Horrible Histories will be launched in 2009. The new editions will be called High Speed History and will feature historical tales in a comic-strip format. Terry Deary will be writing and recording the text for a new "Ruthless Romans" computer game planned for Nintendo DS and Wii and PCs. Look out for it in the gaming shops in 2009.

'Scéal Eile' photographic and sculptural installation

The Courthouse Gallery in Ennistymon presents 'Scéal Eile'- the first solo show of London-based Clare artist Valerie Driscoll from the 10th to the 29th January, with the opening reception on Saturday the 10th of January at 4pm. According to Driscoll, 'Scéal Eile' is an exhibition of photographic and sculptural installation that tells the story, as a courthouse might, of something that is hidden. The daily engaging in the private domestic procosses is played out in the gallery as home. Driscoll explores the dichotemy between domestic realities and public display. Phrases such as 'behind closed doors' and 'airing dirty laundry',she says add to the ambiguity as well as to the curiosity. The inherent hardship, banality and private experience of the Irish domestic situtation is exposed and shown to be infused with hope. A series of photographs entitled 'A few things around my father's kitchen' is an intimate portrait that reveals a quirky and private universe. Driscoll uses object and image to reveal experienced as well as created environments. Driscoll worked as a teacher in London for 10 years. She recently gave up teaching to persue a career in photographic art. Driscoll has exhibited in London at the Sassoon Gallery and Nolias Gallery. She also showed work at Isaacs in Cork City during the European City of Culture.

Clare County Library in the Community

In a new development during 2008, Clare County Library took a small section of its treasured material from the Local Studies Centre on tour to Day Care Centres around the county. A selection of Clare Champion newspapers from the 1950s and 1960s was transported to Day Care Centres in Miltown Malbay, Kilrush and Kilmaley where extracts were read and discussed, prompting lively discussion and evoking memories of times past. Old photographs, articles and other historical ephemera from the Local Studies Centre were also displayed and enjoyed.

Reminiscence is something we all do and the older we get the more likely we are to fall back on our memories. This activity, as well as being interesting and informative, can have a great therapeutic effect on people who suffer with memory loss of recent events. Tapping into a person’s past can not only reveal a rich seam of insight and wisdom, but it can be a real tonic for someone who has memory difficulties as a result of their condition. The benefits of this form of Reminiscence Therapy are now widely recognized and further library visits are planned over the coming months.

Clare County Library's Local Studies Centre is open to the public free of charge. It is a reference library and research centre dedicated to the collection of material on any aspect of County Clare and is located at the Manse on Harmony Row, beside the de Valera Public Library in Ennis. Books, journals, newspapers, photographs, maps and other valuable material relating to County Clare can be found here. The Centre also houses a collection of Irish interest material. For further information phone 065-6846271 or email mailbox@clarelibrary.ie

Books Into Movies

Having enjoyed a thriving relationship with the film industry in recent years, children’s book publishing may not be so lucky in the future as it is feared that the economic downturn may well see Hollywood cutting back on the number of book-based films. According to The Bookseller “interest in big fantasy films is on the wane.” These were the major block busters of recent years. It is strongly predicted that film interest will return to the Shrek type movie which appeals to parents as well as children. Recent book- based films include Inkheart based on Cornelia Funke’s book by the same name and Twilight based on Stephanie Meyer’s international bestseller.

New releases to look out for are Coraline by Neil Gaiman, author of this December’s hugely popular Graveyard Book, and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak in the Autumn of 2009. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, are both due to launch in Spring 2010. In the world of teenage books, Louise Rennison was crowned the Book People’s first ever Queen of Teen in September 2008. The movie Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging was released in July 2008 based on the first two books in The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series which have so far sold 1.7 million copies.