St. Patrick's Day - Erin Go Bragh!

The celebration of St. Patrick's Day outside of Ireland is a clear indication of the Irish influence throughout the world. In the United States many cities and towns recognize March 17th with parades and parties to mark the holiday of Ireland's patron saint. Ireland has made a significant contribution to literature and the arts. Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and W.B. Yeats are amongst Ireland's most famous sons. More modern day writers include Roddy Doyle, Edna O'Brien and William Trevor. Irish musicians and filmmakers also abound.  Many of these Irish-themed books, films and CDs can be found in the library's Special Collection.

Books: Fiction

  • Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead (2003): An epic tapestry of mysticism that sweeps across decades and continents, this is an exhilarating adventure based on exhaustive research and newly emergent historic discoveries which paints a masterful portrait of the slave, soldier, lover, hero and saint that Patrick became
  • Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy (2001): Set in contemporary Ireland over a period of one year, the story focuses on Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, cooking school chums who achieve their dream of opening a catering business in Dublin
  • Ireland: A Novel by Frank Delaney (2005): This epic tale-within-a-tale is based on the history of Ireland which finds a traditional wandering storyteller revealing his life experiences to eight-year-old Ronan O'Mara
  • The Reconstructionist by Josephine Hart (2001): A London psychiatrist manages to bypass his own troubles by concentrating on those of his patients. When his family's ancestral home goes on the market, he buys the place and is forced to examine the events of his past
  • Tipperary by Frank Delaney (2007): With this follow-up to his acclaimed Ireland, Delaney has crafted another meticulously researched journey though his homeland. The focus this time is on Castle Tipperary, one of the "grand houses" of the Anglo-Irish. The struggles of Delaney's characters for survival mirror the history of Ireland during the colonial years from 1860 to 1922
  • Watermelon: A Novel by Marian Keyes (1998): After Claire gives birth to her first child, her husband, James, leaves her. Claire retires to her family in Dublin, where she slowly recovers from the experience, giving James a big surprise when he shows up again
  • The Banyan Tree by Christopher Nolan (2000): An extraordinary epic set in rural Ireland. Spans three generations of the O'Briens who own a small dairy farm in Westmeath
  • Wild Decembers by Edna O'Brien (2000): A tale of love, land feud, madness and murder set in the countryside of western Ireland
  • A Bit on the Side by William Trevor (2004): A collection of short fiction features 12 tales, including stories about a waiter who reveals his shocking life of crime to his ex-wife, the disintegration of a marriage following a terrible tragedy, and a middle-aged accountant who ends a love affair

Books: Biographies and Memoirs

  • St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography by Phillip Freeman (2004): In addition to this true-to-life story, the author includes the only two surviving letters that Patrick wrote in full translation, displaying the saint's powerful passion and candor. One was written to jealous British bishops in defense of his activities in Ireland and the other was a spirited condemnation of a ruthless warlord who killed some of his Irish followers
  • I'll Know It When I See It: A Daughter's Search for Home in Ireland by Alice Carey (2002): An Irish-American raised in Astoria, Queens, shares how her childhood took shape among Broadway's brightest after her mother became the maid of Great White Way producer Jean Dalrymple
  • Patrick, the Pilgrim Apostle of Ireland: Including St. Patrick's Confessio and Epistola by Maire De Paor (2002): Examines Patrick's spiritual journey and highly complex personality in the context of fifth-century Britain and Ireland, in light of most recent research
  • Damned to Fame by James Knowlsen (1996): A comprehensive, exhaustive, personal and most likely definitive biography of Samuel Beckett
  • Angela's Ashes (1996) and Tis (1999) by Frank McCourt: McCourt put Ireland back on the literary map with his wildly successful memoirs that trace his life from the heartwrenching times he spent in the slums of Ireland to his struggle for the American dream as an impoverished immigrant
  • Are You Somebody? The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman by Nuala O'Faolain (1998): A collection of columns Nuala O'Faolain originally wrote for the Irish Times, about her girlhood in 1940s and 1950s Dublin
  • 44, Dublin Made Me by Peter Sheridan (1999): In this funny and moving memoir, this theatre director fondly remembers his childhood in the 1960's Dublin, a period marked by the advent of television, the Beatles, and, especially, the death of his younger brother Frankie from a brain tumor

Books: Nonfiction

DVDs: Folklore and History

  • The Book of Kells: the work of angels? (2006, DVD): The Book of Kells' illuminated decoration and calligraphy adorning the Four Gospels have earned it the reputation as the most beautiful book in the world. This fascinating program tells the story of this magnificent masterpiece of Irish art
  • The Celts: rich traditions and ancient myths (2003, DVD): Follows the story of the Celts from their earliest roots through the flowering of their culture and their enduring heritage today
  • In search of ancient Ireland (2005, DVD): A look at the history and legends of ancient Ireland beginning in 2000 B.C., when Stone Age farmers built some of the largest and most spectacular Neolithic monuments in Europe, to 1167 A.D., when the Norman invasion placed Ireland under English control
  • The Irish country house (2005, DVD): Filmed in over forty locations across Ireland, this program examines the heritage of the Irish country house and charts its development from the earliest cliff-top castles and fortified houses to the great Palladian mansions
  • The Irish empire (2000, DVD): An exploration of the ups and downs of the Irish experience abroad - as seen by themselves and as they are perceived by others. Through diaries, letters, photographs, and compelling interviews, relive an exciting journey from the Great Famine to unprecedented worldwide influence
  • Irish legends (1993, DVD): A presentation of many of the stories of the Celtic gods of Britain whose origins are shrouded in mystery
  • Out of Ireland (1994, DVD): Examines the history of the seven million Irish who emigrated in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries including the causes of the exodus and the immigrant experience in the United States. Uses photographs, archival footage, manuscript material and interviews
  • Patrick (DVD, 2004): Narrated by Liam Neeson, this documents the life of St. Patrick with commentaries by the author Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes)
  • Saint Patrick: The Man, the Myth (DVD, 1996): Profiles the story of this saint who was kidnapped from Wales at 15, enslaved by a ruthless king for six years, and who returned to Ireland determined to convert the Irish to Christianity
  • St. Patrick: the Apostle of Ireland (2000, DVD): An emotionally moving and visually dramatic rendition of the life of Ireland's Patron Saint
  • St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin (2005, DVD): The story of 800-year-old St. Patrick's Cathedral, which has been witness to all the turbulence of Irish history down the centuries

DVDs & Videos: Feature Films

  • Agnes Browne (2000, Videocassette): Life is hard in the central Dublin neighborhood for the Browne family. And with the unexpected death of her husband in 1967, Agnes Browne and her seven children are thrown into emotional turmoil and financial crisis. Based on the novel, The Mammy, by Brendan O'Carroll. The film stars Angelica Huston
  • Angela's Ashes (2000, DVD): Born to Irish parents, McCourt endured a childhood of extreme poverty. He rose from humble beginnings to become a Pulitzer Prize winner. In Angela's Ashes, he recounts the heartbreaking stories and the soul-saving humor of his childhood. Based on the award-winning memoir by Frank McCourt
  • The boxer (1997, DVD): Former IRA member, Danny Flynn, is released from prison after 14 years determined to leave his violent past behind him in order to build a new life in his old home town
  • Circle of Friends (1995, DVD): Set in Ireland, this is the story of three girls who were friends when growing up. They are reunited in college, and renew their bonds
  • The Commitments (1992, DVD): An irresistible, comic drama overflowing and alive with passion, humor and music
  • Dancing at Lughnasa (1999, DVD): Examines the emotional lives of the five unmarried Mundy sisters in 1936 rural Ireland
  • Evelyn (2002, DVD and Videocassette): In 1950's Dublin, this is the true story of unemployed Desmond Doyle. He battles the courts to win back custody of his three children after they are sent to a Dublin orphanage when his wife leaves him and abandons their children
  • The field (1990, DVD):The "field" is a plot of land in rural Ireland, rented and tended by an old man. When the owner sells the land to an American developer, the old man decides to fight the change, regardless of the cost
  • Gangs of New York (2002, DVD): Nominated for ten Academy Awards, Martin Scorsese's impassioned epic is set on the meanest streets of New York, circa 1863, where a young man seeks revenge for his father's death amid the Civil War draft riots
  • In America (2002, DVD): A moving story about an Irish illegal immigrant family trying to adjust to life in New York City
  • Michael Collins (1997, DVD): Politically charged story of Irish rebel leader Collins who with charm, guts and idealistic fervor leads the fight against British rule in the teens and 20s
  • My Left Foot (1989, DVD): Exhilarating film with Day-Lewis in a tour de force as Christy Brown, feisty Irish artist-writer who was born with cerebral palsy
  • Once (2006, DVD): A Dublin busker and vacuum-cleaner repairman enters into a personal and musical relationship with a piano playing florist from Czechoslovakia. Together they work through their past loves, and reveal their budding love for one another, through their songs
  • The Quiet Man (1952, DVD): Blarney and bliss, mixed in equal proportions. John Wayne plays an American boxer who returns to the Emerald Isle, his native land
  • Random passage (2001, DVD): The story of a courageous woman's journey from servitude in Ireland to the harsh life of Outport Newfoundland
  • Ryan's Daughter (1997, DVD): Simple love story in western coastal Ireland, where young girl marries simple, plodding schoolteacher and has affair with British soldier stationed in town
  • The Secret of Roan Inish (1995, DVD): The magical tale of a girl whose search for her missing brother brings an Irish legend to life
  • Waking Ned Devine (1998, DVD): When local wag Jackie O'Shea discovers that one of his neighbors in the village of Tulaigh Mohr is a lottery winner, he sees a chance to share in the wealth

    Music CDs

    Music holds a special attraction for the Irish and the music of the Irish has traveled well throughout the world having a major influence on musical development in many areas of the world. Some of the artists found on compact discs in the Canton Public Library's collection include:

    DVDs & Videos: Music and Dance

    • Celtic thunder: the show (2008, DVD): Filmed live at the Helix, Dublin, Ireland in 2007; originally broadcast on television in 2008
    • From a whisper to a scream: the living history of Irish rock (2000, Videocassette): Three episodes trace the evolution of popular Irish music, from its humble beginnings in overcrowded dance halls and beat clubs, to the glittering venues where it is performed today. Artists include Van Morrison, Boomtown Rats, Coors, U2 and lots more
    • The Michael Flatley collection (2004, DVD): Two features present Michael Flatley in stage presentations of modern Irish dance and music. The third feature is a mix of Michael Flatley's greatest dances and autobiographical interviews with Michael Flatley
    • Riverdance (2008, DVD): Jean Butler and Colin Dunne are featured in this live performance
    • U2 Live at Red Rocks (1986, DVD): A concert by the Irish rock group, staged on a rainy Sunday in 1983 at Red Rocks, Colorado
    • U2 Rattle and Hum (1988, DVD): From the concert stage to visits to Harlem and Elvis Presley's Graceland, this concert film follows one of rock's most critically-acclaimed bands on their victorious 1987 tour of the States
    • Water from the well: the Chieftains live over Ireland (2001, DVD): The Chieftains with Ashley Mac Isaac, Altan, Van Morrison, Steve Cooney, Los Lobos recorded in Ireland in 1999

    Websites

    • The Irish Times: Originally launched by the Irish Times News Media Division in 1994, ireland.com is Ireland's leading website. It is the definitive brand of quality information and services for Ireland aimed at Irish Internet users
    • Government of Ireland: This website contains links to the civil and public services of the country
    • Detroit Irish: Information regarding events, organizations, music, dance and more in the Irish community of greater Detroit and Michigan can all be found here
Mar 13, 2010