Stevenson looks at the history of the Gaelic fringe of Ireland and Scotland in the seventeenth century with a refreshingly unromantic eye. Gone are the quaint stories of Highland laddies, and villanous Cromwellians. Stevenson's "Highland Warrior" is thick with intrigue. Alasdair Mac Colla emerges from these pages looking super-human, but certainly not heroic in the conventional sense. However, in the fallen world of the seventeenth century, Mac Colla and his sidekick Manus Ruadh O'Cahan may be the closest one might ever get to heroic figures. They are, at least, extremely interesting individuals. This is a magnificent book, and it is a must read for any student of Irish or Scottish history.

Famed designer Sybil Connolly has edited a magnificent collection of ancestral Irish homes in "In an Irish House." Each of the homes shown herein has stories told in first person by their current occupants, most of whom are the fifth, eighth, twelfth, or even the ninety-sixth generations of their families to live in the home--yes, the O'Conors of the home called Clonalis in County Roscommon are the ninety-sixth generation of O'Conors to live in the area (they trace their lineage back to 75 A.D.!).

This book shows us magnificent architectural detail, ranging from Gothick to Italianate to Palladian and beyond; extraordinary oil paintings ranging from portraits of Queen Elizabeth I to local landscapes done by artists like Reynolds and Gainsborough; sumptuous furniture (including the only known extant set of Chippendale furniture still in private hands on p. 125); and lush grounds surrounded by craggy mountains, fast-running streams, and handsome mature trees. A family member from each of the homes tells the story of the home, from its architectural background and significance in the history of the country, to its quirks and oddities which are there to delight the current family. Each of the residents even provides several recipes, ranging from the elegant to the purely simple.

"In an Irish House" is a delight for anyone who loves the architecture of castles and other grand homes, and a treat for anyone who just likes to take a peek into the homes of people who really know how to live!

This is not a how-to book. However it does show close-ups of people in the process of doing crafts. There are also pictures of tools used in the various crafts. The photographs are mostly black and white with a small color section (125). There are 440 illustrations. There are columns of information to go with each craft. Crafts coved include textiles, stonework, woodwork, (Willow, rush and straw), lather, metalwork, pottery, glassware, candle making, fly-tying, and rural life. Makes a good coffee table book.

I've been to Ireland twice and when I go I never have a hotel reservation, a set itinerary or a care in the world. I immerse myself in the culture and people of Ireland and go where the locals/journey takes me.

Before I go I like to read about similar journeys through the greatest country on the planet. Mr. Wilson has captured what it's like to travel through the countryside, cities and coastal villages of Ireland. It's not just the scenery that endears people to the emerald isle... it's the people, their sense of humor, outlook on life and how they spend their day.

If you want a book that puts you in the middle of an Irish pub with a "three-pint-buzz", listening to traditional music with perma-grin on your face... then grab Mr. Wilson's tale of his Irish Journey. A great read for the plane ride over.

This is a lovely coffee table book full of beautiful pictures depicting the old and traditional crafts that began in Ireland. Each chapter is rich with the history of a different craft along with an artisan that keeps up the tradition in today's world. This book is a great way to introduce yourself to traditional Irish crafts you may have not known still existed in today's world, such as making a thatched roof for a cottage. Anyone who is interested in the textile crafts and the traditonal ways of how they are done will also enjoy this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in these topics.

As a graduate of political geography living in Belfast, I have often been bored by books on the political situation in Northern Ireland. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and even though I have finished my course I find myself picking it up again for inspiration. BUY IT!! AND KEEP IT FOREVER!!!!

I enjoyed this book very much. It was very clear and coherent. It explained the who, the why, and the how in such a way that one was able to follow all the shifts in terminology from the south to the north. It also clearly described the source and aftermath of the decisions made regarding Irish rights and privileges. I loved it. A definite must read for anyone who wants to get the facts straight.

Wilson's take on the early Irish immigrants to America is both thought provoking and important. Some of his points are a little strong: I'm not certain that the United Irishmen can be seen as a primary reason for the downfall of the Federalist Party. Still, he backs up his assertions with reasonable facts, and in so doing certainly opens debate on the matter. He does a fine job of showing both the radical nature of these immigrants as well as their scattered geographic nature (Denis Driscol, who became editor of the Augusta [Georgia] Chronicle is a perfect example of both). Wilson's book also emphasizes the Irishness of the United Irishmen, a point which should not be overlooked, given how the Dissenters in Ireland were appropriated by the establishment after 1798, and how modern America wants to emphasize the "Scots-Irishness" of the Dissenters. Wilson reveals these men as truly IRISH in thought and action.

Flannery is the young Irish girl who made international news at the age of 16, when her high-school science fair project - a new cryptographic system which she had developed during a high school work term - was featured on the front page of the Times. I think much of this book contains some fairly heavy math, although it's difficult for me to tell. (I have a Master's degree in this very subject, so I was already familiar with everything she discussed, but others may find it heavy going.)

However, IMO, Chapter 2 alone is worth the price of the book, as it contains a list of Sarah's favourite math puzzles and gives invaluable insight into how her father, a mathematics professor, managed to instil such a phenomenal love of math and science in his children.

If you have young children, and you want to inspire them to be successful later in life, you really owe it to yourself - if not to your kids - to read this book.

See also "Math Power: How to Help Your Child Love Math, Even If You Don't" by Patricia Clark Kenschaft (unfortunately, this book is out of print, but it would be an excellent companion book to this one)

Prior to my daughters graduation and a vacation planned to Hawaii I picked this book up to read on the plane; not realizing how this book is about a father-daughter relationship. Sarah tells a fascinating story on how she was drawn to the topic of public key cryptography. There is some basic introductory mathematics that explains the mechanism behind public key crytography but nothing overly complicated. Sarah provides the point of view from a young adults perspective in very clear way. You soon realize that she has a solid understanding of the concepts involved. Great family photos of Mom,Dad and the kids helps get a better feel for her family life; this idea had to come from Dad. After reading this book all parents may want to consider having a blackboard installed in the kitchen. I await the next book hopefully written by her Dad on mathematical puzzles.

A young Irishwoman's account of the mathematical studies that made her Young Scientist of the Year. Flannery, now a first-year student at Cambridge, grew up solving logic puzzles posed by her father, a math teacher (and her collaborator here). In the beginning chapters, she offers the reader a selection of those brainteasers, many of which depend on mathematical reasoning. So when her high school science teacher recruited her to enter Ireland's Young Scientist competition, Sarah's father steered her toward a project with a strong math basis: cryptography, the encoding and decoding of messages. This once-cumbersome process is now handled by sophisticated computer programs based on number theory-especially the factoring of very large numbers. Sarah decided to concentrate on the programming aspect, to give herself hands-on experience with the computer work. But first she had to learn the relevant mathematics. To bring the reader up to speed, the authors step back from Sarah's story to present the mathematical foundations of modern cryptology: prime numbers, factoring, and other arcana of number theory. This section is in many ways the meat of the story, accessible to anyone not totally allergic to equations. As Sarah learned the math, she spotted an alternative to the standard RSA algorithm on which modern cryptology is based, and soon her project turned into an exposition of her new method-which in time won her honors as Young Scientist of the Year not only in Ireland, but in all of Europe. The latter chapters tell of the competitions, her preparation and her bouts of nerves, her genuine surprise at winning, and the sometimes-exasperating aftermath as the media discovered her and turned her (for a while, at least) into a celebrity. A charming story, well worth slogging through the heavy loads of math