1. "The Lightning Tree," by P. J. CURTIS, Bandon, ISBN 0-86322-347-8, h/b. "At the southern edge of the Burren region of north County Clare, in a sheltered, compact, whitewashed house, the central character of this popular author's story lived. Mariah ' the oldest, wisest and most feared woman in the whole of the Burren' (we are not giving her surname) died at the age of ninety-six in 1954. P. J. was then ten years old and familiar with the sight of his elderly neighbour 'snoozing in her whitethorn armchair,' resembling a life-sized carving, 'until, that is, she awoke and her bright, sloe-black eyes transformed her features utterly.' A lifetime later, P. J. tells Mariah's story as she might have told it and in a fashion which might please her ... a most charming biographical book." 2. "The Fertile Rock: Seasons in the Burren," by Carsten KRIEGER, Collins Press, ISBN 0-905172-02-8, h/b. "Carsten Krieger grew up in southern Germany, moving to live in Co. Clare in 2001 and this is his first book. It is a most handsome production, lavishly illustrated by his fine photographs carefully and informatively captioned, the result of three working days each week for three years, spent in the Burren in Clare. Normally domineering Leamaneth Castle looks positively welcoming against a bright summer sky. Magnificently horned goats roam the steep limestone cliffs as though their feet were made of some magical glue. The familiar and delightful Burren flora gleam like precious jewels on Mr. Kreiger's pages. Worth every cent." 3. "The Museums of Ireland: A Celebration," The Liffey Press, ISBN 1-904148-88-3, p/b. "This guidebook attracts attention for the sheer specialisation it displays. Eighty museums and galleries are listed and described - amongst them the National Gallery of Ireland, the Sheelin Irish Lace Museum, Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane, the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, the Chester Beatty Art Museum and Library, the Museum of the Master Saddler, the Hunt Museum, the four branches of the National Museum (Archaeology, Decorative Arts, Natural History and Country Life) and the Model Railway Museum - with all the details of the location, background, the important collections and objects, opening hours, admission fees, special programmes or educational course appropriate to each one. To quote Walter PHELAN, the owner of the Irish Fly Fishing and Game Shooting Museum in Portlaoise (Queen's Co.) - 'Museums are the homes of objects of the past, reminding us where we came from, our traditions, cultures, hobbies and so on. We cannot proceed into the future without understanding the past.' Per review, "Beautifully and lavishly illustrated in full colour, this book celebrates the current diversity and high quality of Irish museums." 4. "There Might Be A Drop of Rain Yet," by Brendan LYNCH, Currach Press, ISBN 1-85607 937-6, p/b. "Brendan LYNCH escaped his authoritative, orthodox Irish life, to live the way he wanted, as a journalist and political activist in Britain. 'Then hey for boot and horse, lad/And round the world away/Young blood must have its course, lad/And every dog his day.' Years later, he came back to a changing Ireland when his mother became ill and needed the support of his presence. This delightful memoir traces the great changes he encountered in that part of Dublin which had been his youthful stamping ground - Grafton Street, Stephen's Green, Merrion Square, Baggot Street with Parson's iconic bookshop on the canal bridge and the verdant joys of home in Toomevara and boyhood holidays in Scarriff - as well as his gradual acceptance of his mother's diminishing grip on life ..."