“Journey of an Academic High-flyer: A Woman’s Tale of Triumph and Tribulation
By Pat O’Connor
Available from Peter Lang, costing £25
The story chronicles a woman’s astounding 46-year-long journey in the academic world spanning Ireland and the United Kingdom. From starting her career as a mere contract research assistant, she breached the glass ceiling to become the first female sociology professor and faculty dean in Ireland. The book contains a brief overview of her personal background. Her first job at the ESRI as a research assistant ran into difficulty with the newly designated head, marking the start of an ongoing cycle of confrontations in a pursuit of success in a male-dominated academic sphere. Exhibiting traits of brilliance, courage, tenacity and even being difficult when required, she blazed a unique trail. Her personal tales, often filled with self-deprecation, sharp commentary and touches of biting humour, create an unforgettable narrative that resonates deeply.
Finnegans Wake: An Exploration of Ulster and Its Division
By Donal Manning
Available from Cork University Press, priced at €49
Donal Manning criticises Joyce scholars’ approach, arguing that they focus too much on Joyce’s nationalism stance, while ignoring unionism. Manning painstakingly piece apart the references towards Ulster in Finnegans Wake and strives to decipher them. He finds Joyce’s depiction of partition to be negative – a viewpoint reflecting not only his nationalist leanings, but his contempt of the habit of viewing foreigners as evil and of exclusion based on ethnicity, religion and politics. These are recurring themes throughout Finnegans Wake. The references to Ulster, being both distinct yet part of Ireland, allows Joyce to underscore such additional themes like the futility of violence, regardless of whether it’s British or Irish, and the misguided tendency to glorify this violence. Complicated and demanding in its conceptual scope, this interpretation remains captivating nonetheless.
Stripping Down the Zebras: An Anthology
Edited By Nessa O’Mahony
Available from Arlen House, priced at €20”
The Women’s Education Bureau writing group, established in 1987, has seen fresh contributions by 33 female authors featured in a collection of works. This valuable compilation includes not only poetry but also prose and drama. The quality of the content is remarkable, covering a wide array of themes such as an elderly mother’s decision to visit New York over moving into a care home, and the impact of dementia on women’s relationships. The poetry section presents works like I Had Red Shoes Once, a cleverly humorous piece on the bombing of a shoe store by people who cherished Ireland but disliked Pollocks Shoe Shop. Similarly, Voices from an Invasion (1956) encapsulates the sorrowful facets of the Hungarian revolution. Furthermore, novel excerpts offer intrigue, and a revealing familial perspective into the lives of female entrepreneurs in Ireland during the 19th century.