Founded in 1992, A. & A. Farmar publish mainly non-fiction books of Irish interest, including history, traveller, biography, business titles and food and drink. Book-lovers will appreciate our very high editorial, design and production standards, for which we have a well-established reputation. All the books listed here can be ordered directly from us, at a special discount—just click on 'Buy'.
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Cullenswood House: Old Ghosts and New Stories
Victoria White
In the heart of the Dublin suburb of Ranelagh lies the fine 18th-century building of Cullenswood House. Most famously it is where Patrick Pearse created his path-breaking educational experiment St Enda's; during the War of Independence the house became a safe house for the IRA. After a raid by the military, they claimed to have found dummy walls and secret doors, and a small room behind a wardrobe apparently used as an office. When this excitement was over Cullenswood House was let by the Pearse family as flats, and for sixty years or so a happy community of families lived there. In 1960 Senator Margaret Pearse, sister of Patrick, bequeathed the house to the State. A modern school was built in the grounds to accommodate Scoil Bhríde. By the mid-1980s the tenants had left, and the old house began to decay. Plans were on foot to demolish it. Ten years later, however, the house was still standing, and had became the basis of an exciting new venture, as a group of concerned parents, unable to get places for their children in Scoil Bhríde, decided to set up their own Irish-speaking school, to be called Lios na nÓg. The essays in this book cover the story of how Cullenswood House fared throughout the 20th century from Pearse's time to the present day, as the sensitively redeveloped house opens its doors to a new generation of pupils About the author Victoria White has 20 years’ experience as a writer and editor, including five years as Arts Editor of The Irish Times. € 20 160 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-13-1 Buy |
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Dublin Dissent
Steven Smyrl
'Sects and the City… A history of dissent, throwing light on the contribution of dissenting Protestants to the social, political and cultural life of Dublin but it is also an extraordinary reconstruction of the evolution of the city, building by building, street by street… The book is incredibly rich in detail about some practices now long forgotten… it is also a study of some extraordinary individuals… The Irish Times 'This is a fascinating book shedding new light on Protestantism in Ireland.' Books Ireland The religious radicalism of the Cromwellian period encouraged numerous Protestant dissenting sects to establish themselves for the first time in Dublin. Conviction, tenacity and skill (with occasional politic conformity) enabled many of these dissenting congregations to survive and flourish through the succeeding centuries. By carefully reconstructing the richly varied congregational histories of Dublin’s Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, Congregationalists, Lutherans, Moravians, Huguenots, and others, Steven Smyrl vividly illuminates this important but often under-estimated aspect of the life in Ireland’s capital. A major part of the book is the unique listings of the surviving records of each congregation, the extent of which will surprise academics and genealogists alike. About the author Steven C. Smyrl has worked as a professional genealogist for twenty years. Although he specialises in providing legal genealogy services to solicitors, his academic interest has focused on the history of Dublin’s Protestant dissenters and their congregations. He has spent many years searching out and cataloguing the surviving records for dissent in Dublin and this book represents the fruits of that research. € 40 378 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-15-5 Buy |
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I Used To Be Irish
Angeline Kearns Blain
Like so many Irish girls, 18-year-old Angeline Kearns saw her handsome GI as a rescuer from the grey skies of Ireland to the Hollywood-tinted USA. She flew happily away to the States in 1957—a bit scared, but blessing her luck. But she quickly learned that America was not Ireland. The cheerful family life she had known in Dublin’s Irishtown was a world away from her husband's sober Maine Protestant upbringing. Adapting to Cold War America, appearing to be the perfect wife, the happy shopper, the all-giving mom, became an endurance test. Then a childhood trauma came back to haunt her. Working her way out of her depression she went back to school and then to university (an opportunity, as she bitterly notes, not offered in de Valera’s Ireland) and began exploring a whole new life, personal and political. She, who used to be Irish, had become American. Over two million Irish women have gone to the US in search of liberty and happiness. In this sharply observed memoir Angeline Kearns Blain movingly evokes the culture shock, trauma and re-invention experienced by every immigrant. 'With earthy candour, Angeline Kearns Blain fearlessly explores the challenges of a new land. Her journey in search of the mythical American dream is told with humour and honesty, as she discovers both America and herself.' Dr Lisa McClain, Associate Professor of History and Director of Gender Studies, Boise State University. 'Her story is a compelling one . . . candid and pulls no punches' Books Ireland Angeline Kearns Blain was born in Dublin in 1938. She emigrated to the United States in the late 1950s, married and had three sons. After raising her family she enrolled in basic education classes, continuing to university where she earned an MA degree. She has been Adjunct Professor of Sociology and Women's Studies for twenty years at Boise State University, Boise Idaho. Her publications include Tactical Textiles: A Genealogy of the Boise Peace Quilt Project, articles on the peace movement and women, and Stealing Sunlight: Growing up in Irishtown. About the author Angeline Kearns Blain was born in Dublin city but moved to the USA to get married. She is Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Boise State University. € 14.99 280 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-05-6 Buy |
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Living With a Hearing Loss
Kenneth Edwards
When Kenneth Edwards found that he was losing his hearing he was devastated. How would he continue to run his business, answer the telephone, socialise with his friends and family? Gradually, he came to realise that though his hearing would never return there was much he could do to help himself. He got a hearing aid, adapted his house and working methods, and above all came to terms with his loss. In Living with a Hearing Loss, Kenneth Edwards shares all that he has learned over the years, with a wealth of practical hints and tips from how to choose a hearing aid to selecting the best place to sit in a restaurant, from coping at a party to finding a suitable alarm clock. Above all his positive approach to accepting this disability, and adapting accordingly, shows how to continue to lead a full and satisfying life. Topics covered include: facing up to hearing loss; getting a hearing test; choosing a hearing aid; learning to use a hearing aid; living with loss of hearing; adapting a new life; living with others; advice to those living with someone who is hard of hearing; helpful tips and useful information sources. The author is founder and first President of the Irish Hard of Hearing Association and was Director of the National Association for Deaf People (now called DeafHear). He edits the Irish Hard of Hearing Association in-house magazine Hearsay. About the author Kenneth Edwards, an architect and psychologist, has coped with hearing loss since 1967. He founded the Irish Hard of Hearing Association and is editor of its in-house magazine Hearsay. He represented the IHHA on the board of the association now called DeafHear. He had a weekly ten-minute slot on Live at Three for three years, and has published books on design. € 10 128 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-14-8 Buy |
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Ranelagh in Pictures
Susan Roundtree
'A very attractive visual history of an important suburb.' Books Ireland Until the 18th century, Ranelagh was a dangerous area outside the city walls, scene of a famous massacre in 1209. From the 1760s, it developed into the lively village we know today. Ranelagh in Pictures brings this story to life with street scenes of a century ago, well-loved shops, and famous Ranelagh residents from Patrick Pearse and Maureen O'Hara to Ken Doherty and Garret FitzGerald. About the author Susan Roundtree is is a senior architect with Dublin City Council. She has a special interest in architectural history and building conservation. Her research includes an architectural history of Mountpleasant Square (published in The Georgian Squares of Dublin, Four Courts Press) and a history of the use of clay brick in Ireland. She has been a resident of Ranelagh for 25 years. € 14.99 128 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-12-4 Buy |
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Terror and Discord: The Shemus Cartoons in the Freeman's Journal 1920-1924
Felix M. Larkin
"'Artistic bombs' by a brilliant cartoonist … The caricatures could be vicious. Lloyd George was always shown as a poisonous dwarf, Sir James Craig as a bloated buffoon and Sir Henry Wilson as a crazed officer who commanded the Grim Reaper. But they were always worth looking at -- sometimes moving, often hilarious." The Irish Times 'Artistic bombs’—that’s how the Shemus cartoons were described in Dáil Éireann in 1923. Published in the Freeman’s Journal between 1920 and 1924, they were remarkably hard-hitting comments on the events of that period. During the War of Independence, they targeted the increasingly brutal nature of British rule in Ireland. They later attacked the new government of Northern Ireland and the republicans who opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. The cartoonist was an Englishman, Ernest Forbes (1879–1962), who was later a successful artist in London and in his native Yorkshire. His work for the Freeman’s Journal gives an unusual angle on the history of this bitterly contested period. This selection of the best of the Shemus cartoons comes with a general introduction and explanatory notes on the individual cartoons. About the author Felix M. Larkin studied history at University College Dublin. Vice-chairman of the National Library of Ireland Society, he was a founder member of the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland (www.newspapersperiodicals.org). He has recently retired from the Irish public service. € 14.99 80 pp pb ISBN: 978-1-906353-17-9 Buy |
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Traveller
Nan Joyce, Anna Farmar
ORIGINAL EDITION NOW AVAILABLE! This moving autobiography has now become a classic. In it Nan Joyce tells of idyllic days on the road, camping in the countryside, of fireside story-telling, horse fairs and marriage customs. There were also evictions, illness, hunger and other troubles. This vivid memoir is laced with humour, charity and love of life. Available exclusively direct from A&A Farmar. About the authors Nan Joyce is a member of the Irish Traveller community and one of its best-known campaigners for Traveller rights Anna Farmar is editorial director of A&A Farmar € 10 120 pp pb Buy Reviews |
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Feed your child well
Valerie Kelly, Phyllis Farrell, Therese Dunne
"Full of handy tips… simple, clear and easy to follow." Irish Daily Star New edition includes a chapter on preventing obesity This commonsense, practical guide cuts through the maze of misleading information which bombards today's parents. Informed by the authors’ years of experience as pediatric dieticians in a major Dublin children’s hospital it provides reliable, practical and unbiased advice on everything from the basics of nutrition to shopping wisely, from dealing with food refusal to fads, allergies and anaemia. Absolutely the must-have for parents in Ireland. "Parents will be relieved to know that there is now a new commonsense guide about children's nutrition... This book provides reliable, unbiased advice on everything from nutrition to shopping wisely, from dealing with food refusal to allergies and anaemia." |
A&A Farmar's World — Does Mama know?
A father was telling his daughter, aged about six, that she had a little sister, and was explaining how nice it all was. The child said it was delightful, and added: ‘Does Mama know? Let’s go and tell her.’ (Samuel Butler, Notebooks)