American Gangsters


Book Description

Enter a world where money, muscle, and murder reign with three true crime books from the New York Times–bestselling author and Edgar Award finalist. Whitey’s Payback: In this collection of sixteen stories culled from his journalism career, author T. J. English reveals the violent world of crime with in-depth pieces on everything from old-school mobsters to corrupt federal agents—including the most feared gangster in Boston history (and secret FBI informant), James “Whitey” Bulger, who vanished for sixteen years before finally being brought to justice. “Hard-hitting reporting.” —Anthony Bruno, author of The Iceman The Westies: They were the gang even the Mafia thought twice about fighting—a gang of young, wild Irishmen led by cold-blooded Jimmy Coonan and his loyal gunman Mickey Featherstone who ruled Hell’s Kitchen with a bloody fist. Their savagery gave them power, but their quick rise would eventually lead to betrayal and their ultimate downfall in this tale of vengeance, ambition, and the last of the Irish Mob in New York. “A harrowing account of big city crime.” —Library Journal Born to Kill: This Edgar Award finalist chronicles the rise and fall of the infamous Born to Kill gang, a group of young Vietnamese men raised in the wasteland left by American bombs and napalm who came to New York’s Chinatown to make a new life, but instead brought death in their wake. Told from the perspective of one gang member who wanted more than a life of bloodshed and testified against his brethren, Born to Kill is a shocking account of the American Dream gone nightmarishly wrong. “Hard-hitting . . .torrid and fascinating.” —The Austin Chronicle




The Westies


Book Description

From a New York Times–bestselling author: A true story of Irish gangsters in Manhattan—“A harrowing account of big city crime” (Library Journal). It’s men like Jimmy Coonan and Mickey Featherstone who gave Hell’s Kitchen its name. In the mid-1970s, these two longtime friends take the reins of New York’s Irish mob, using brute force to give it hitherto unthinkable power. Jimmy, a charismatic sociopath, is the leader. Mickey, whose memories of Vietnam torture him daily, is his enforcer. Together they make brutality their trademark, butchering bodies or hurling them out the window. Under their reign, Hell’s Kitchen becomes a place where death literally rains from the sky. But when Mickey goes down for a murder he didn’t commit, he suspects his friend has sold him out. He returns the favor, breaking the underworld’s code of silence and testifying against his gang in open court. From one of the creators of NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street comes an incredible true story of what it means to survive in the world of organized crime, where murder is commonplace.




Liffeyside


Book Description

Raised in Ireland's troubled times, young Edward O'Shea is swept into a life of crime following in the footsteps of his militant father, Shamus, but when numerous unanswered questions lead to his personal rebellion again his father's political activities, he soon find himself in imminent danger.




Irish English as Represented in Film


Book Description

This study is the first of its kind to analyse the representation of Irish English in film. Using a corpus of 50 films, ranging from John Ford's The Informer (1935) to Lenny Abrahamson's Garage (2007), the author examines the extent to which Irish English grammatical, discourse and lexical features are present in the films and provides a qualitative analysis of the accents in these works. The authenticity of the language is called into question and discussed in relation to the phenomenon of the Stage Irishman.




Brevity Is the Soul


Book Description

When Ireland (along with much of the rest of the world) went into lockdown last spring, we scratched our heads and wondered what to do to help lift people's spirits.* We joined forces with Irish Pensions & Finance and ran a competition celebrating Irish people's love of a good story – and a good laugh. There were only two requirements: make it funny, and make it (fairly) short. We were overwhelmed by the response: we received hundreds of entries, from all over the island (and further afield), written by people from all walks of life. Comedian (and now bookseller) Kevin Gildea agreed to judge the entries. There could only be three winners (well four, in fact: the top prize was split between two outstanding stories) – but the entries were so good, we decided to gather the best of them into a book. And here they are – from the sublime to the ridiculous. Think Graham Norton's Big Red Chair to Samuel Beckett's humour – and all points in between. The result is: Wit from Lockdown Ireland. The contributors are Alan Brady, Sam Windrim, Fiona Whyte, Alan Howley, Noel Dillon-Daly, Eamonn Colfer, Mark Manning, Maria O'Rourke, Rebecca Kennedy, Shane McDonnell, Dan McKenna, Adrian Martin, Brendan Caldwell, A. J. McCallion, Gary Arkins, Steve Coronella, T. K. Vaughan, James Woods, David Butler, Sue Divin, Gabrielle Fogarty, Cathy Conlon, Declan Toohey, Gráinne Enright, Eamann Breen, Daniel O'Keeffe, Edward O'Neill, Cathal Holden, Rachel Fehily, Jim O'Meara, Darragh McManus, Dermot Lane, Anthony Kelly, Yvonne Roche-Harth, Steve Wade, Joseph Joyce, Keith Martin, John Anderson, Tony Clayton-Lea




The Men Will Talk to Me (Ernie O'Malley series Kerry)


Book Description

County Kerry saw many of the most vicious episodes in both the War of Independence and the Civil War. Many Republican survivors of these events were reluctant to speak about their experiences, even to their own family. However, they were willing to talk to Ernie O'Malley, who was the senior surviving Republican military commander from the period of those struggles. By transcribing O'Malley's notebooks, where he recorded these interviews, Cormac O'Malley and Tim Horgan have made available previously unpublished first-hand accounts of Kerry's role in the fight for independence. The interviews provide an unrivalled insight into this important period of Irish history, including controversial incidents such as the Ballyseedy massacre, the battle at Headford Junction and executions by the Free State forces.




Mulligan's


Book Description

Mulligan's is more than a Dublin pub; it is an Irish cultural phenomenon. It has a unique and colourful history, spanning over two hundred years. Mulligan's has hosted the famous - Judy Garland, Seamus Heaney, Con Houlihan, James Joyce, John F. Kennedy - and, indeed, the infamous - police arrested a kidnapper there. Quirkiness pervades its atmosphere. The ashes of a US tourist are interred in its clock. Barmen have seen ghosts on the premises. For decades, performers at the Theatre Royal thronged to Mulligan's, mingling with journalists from 'The Irish Press' who smoked, fumed and interviewed celebrities in it. This fascinating book captures the atmosphere and essence of an Irish institution, loved by both natives and tourists alike.




Memoirs of a Wonky-Eyed Man


Book Description

Jason Byrne is 17. He has his Leaving Cert under his belt but no idea what to do next. Who better to ask for advice than his dad, Paddy Byrne? There's a (very) short stint studying accountancy (he was asked to leave); a FÁS course with juvenile prisoners to become a waiter (his wonky eye was not an advantage); and a job in a lighting warehouse (it ended with a collapsed lung). But no matter the problem, Paddy is always there with a whiskey, a smoke and a wise word: 'Sure, that's life, son. Just don't tell your mother.' Follow Jason's hilarious journey to becoming one of Ireland's best-loved comedians in a laugh-out loud book that is a celebration of a generation, of life and of Jason's wonderful relationship with his dad, Paddy Byrne – the man who never gave a b*llix.




The Little Book of Gaelic Football


Book Description

Ireland's love affair with Gaelic Games in general, and Gaelic football in particular, has never dimmed. Through the lean days of hunger and emigration, through the champagne-mojito-flavoured years of the Celtic Tiger and onwards, Ireland's love affair for 'our games' has always endured. Fact-packed and light-hearted in style, this reliable reference book and a quirky guide reveals little-known facts about Gaelic football along with details of classic matches, statistical records, famous players, amusing anecdotes, and a general history. This can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about this ancient game.




A Dictionary of Hiberno-English


Book Description

The Dictionary of Hiberno-English is the leading reference book on Hiberno-English – the form of English commonly spoken in Ireland. It connects the spoken and the written language, and is a unique national dictionary that bears witness to Irish history, struggles and the creative identities found in Ireland. Reflecting the social, political, religious and financial changes of people's ever-evolving lives, it contains words and expressions not usually seen in a dictionary, such as 'kibosh', 'smithereens', 'Peggy's Leg', 'hames', 'yoke', 'blaa', 'banjax' and 'lubán'. It is a celebration of an irrepressible gift for the creative, expressive and reckless manipulation of the English language!