The Irish Countrywomen's Association Book of Crafts


Book Description

Nothing compares with the pleasure and satisfaction of making something yourself, and for years the Irish Countrywomen's Association has been at the forefront of Irish craft. This beautiful book is an inspiring collection of projects from ICA members that introduce traditional Irish crafts in a fresh, modern way. From making your own jewellery and embroidered cushions, to crochet hats and handmade Christmas decorations, 'The ICA Book of Craft' contains 40 practical projects to inspire you to have a go. Many of the ideas are simple enough to be tackled by beginners; some are more of a labour of love. Try your hand at a cosy scarf, beautiful Aran jumper or delicate lace collar, or add finishing touches to your home with redwork embroidery, fabric covered boxes or seasonal decorations. Collected from ICA members around the country and captured in beautiful, atmospheric photographs, the projects in this book show you how to make jewellery, soft furnishings, clothing and festive decorations with a personal touch and a home-made flavour.




Textiles, Community and Controversy


Book Description

Taking a major textile artwork, The Knitting Map, as a central case study, this book interrogates the social, philosophical and critical issues surrounding contemporary textile art today. It explores gestures of community and controversy manifest in contemporary textile art practices, as both process and object. Created by more than 2,000 knitters from 22 different countries, who were mostly working-class women, The Knitting Map became the subject of national controversy in Ireland. Exploring the creation of this multi-modal artwork as a key moment in Irish art history, Textiles, Community and Controversy locates the work within a context of feminist arts practice, including the work of Judy Chicago, Faith Ringold and the Guerilla Girls. Bringing together leading art critics and textile scholars, including Lucy Lippard, Jessica Hemmings and Joanne Turney, the collection explores key issues in textile practice from gender, class and nation to technology and performance.




The Irish Countrywomen's Association Cookbook


Book Description

Whether you are looking for a comforting soup, a family meal or something sweet, the beauty of this book is that you know the recipe will work. There are over 100 delicious recipes for everything from Spring Nettle Soup and Dublin Coddle to Crusted Rack of Lamb with Orange and Olive Salad, together with 'How To' sections on baking, making preserves and cooking potatoes as well as cooking for a crowd and within a budget. This cookbook will also prove an invaluable resource for the next generation of home-makers, those novice cooks still building up confidence in the kitchen who might call home for that foolproof recipe. Think of The ICA Cookbook as akin to having not just your own mammy on speed dial but rather a whole host of mammies and grannies from all over the country, each sharing their own words of wisdom and precious firsthand experiences.




"Craft, Space and Interior Design, 1855?005 "


Book Description

Constructed space is defined by its shape, by the materials with which it is enclosed and by the objects that are placed within or decorate its exterior or interior. The interaction of these crafted objects or decorated surfaces with space provides viewers or inhabitants with visual clues about the environment as well as visual cues about decorum: viewers can know what kind of behaviour is expected and what the space means. Furnishings and dress, textile panels and clay pots, stained glass and gesso panels, all defined as craft or decorative art, give architectural space, defined as high art, its character: without craft, architecture is empty and devoid of meaning. This engaging collection of essays presents the first sustained exploration of the relationship of craft to architectural spaces. The book unravels the complex ways in which craft controls, manipulates, organises and defines space, to highlight how the relationship between craft and space can be understood as a form of communication between related parts that combine to form a unified whole.




Women and the Irish Nation


Book Description

At the turn of the twentieth century women played a key role in debates about the nature of the Irish nation. Examining women's participation in nationalist and rural reform groups, this book is an important contribution to our understanding of Irish identity in the prelude to revolution and how it was shaped by women.




The Irish Women’s Movement


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the emergence, consolidation and development of the Irish women's movement, as a social movement, in the course of the twentieth century. It seek to address several lacunae in Irish studies by illuminating the processes through which the movement and, in particular, networks of constituent organisations, came to fruition as agencies of social change. The central argument advanced is that when viewed historically, the Irish women's movement is characterised by its interconnectedness and continuity: the central tensions, themes and organising strategies of the movement connects diverse organisations and constituencies, over time and space. This book will be essential reading for those interested in Irish studies, sociology, history, women's studies, and politics.




The Encyclopaedia of Ireland


Book Description

The Encyclopaedia of Ireland contains a full A-Z listing of over 5500 articles on all things Irish, past and present, written by experts in the various fields. All the text has been specially commissioned and written for the Encyclopaedia. From the Mesolithic Age to the 21st century, this reference covers subjects as diverse as: biography, education, art and architecture, topography, sport, literature, history and politics, military, commerce and law, folklore, natural history, science, religion, transport, engineering, diet, food and drink, music and many more.




The Princeton History of Modern Ireland


Book Description

An accessible and innovative look at Irish history by some of today's most exciting historians of Ireland This book brings together some of today's most exciting scholars of Irish history to chart the pivotal events in the history of modern Ireland while providing fresh perspectives on topics ranging from colonialism and nationalism to political violence, famine, emigration, and feminism. The Princeton History of Modern Ireland takes readers from the Tudor conquest in the sixteenth century to the contemporary boom and bust of the Celtic Tiger, exploring key political developments as well as major social and cultural movements. Contributors describe how the experiences of empire and diaspora have determined Ireland’s position in the wider world and analyze them alongside domestic changes ranging from the Irish language to the economy. They trace the literary and intellectual history of Ireland from Jonathan Swift to Seamus Heaney and look at important shifts in ideology and belief, delving into subjects such as religion, gender, and Fenianism. Presenting the latest cutting-edge scholarship by a new generation of historians of Ireland, The Princeton History of Modern Ireland features narrative chapters on Irish history followed by thematic chapters on key topics. The book highlights the global reach of the Irish experience as well as commonalities shared across Europe, and brings vividly to life an Irish past shaped by conquest, plantation, assimilation, revolution, and partition.







That Neutral Island


Book Description

Where previous histories of Ireland in the war years have focused on high politics, That Neutral Island mines deeper layers of experience. Stories, letters, and diaries illuminate this small country as it suffered rationing, censorship, the threat of invasion, and a strange detachment from the war.