Reprints of history books, whether local or general, possess an intrinsic value far exceeding their cover-price. They carry not just the lore contained in the original publication but also, very often, updated commentary and scholarly analysis which enhance the whole project.
So, while it is satisfying for the historian, antiquarian or book-collector to have a copy of the original publication, it is probably more beneficial to the general reader to have the reprinted, improved volume with its added information and analysis. Several recent publications fall into this category and are worthy of notice.
The Millers and the Mills of Ire- land of about 1850, compiled by William E. Hogg (published by the compiler, £24.99) is the paperback edition of a 1997 work which itself was a compilation of material put together in the mid-19th century in Griffith's Valuations, the Valuation Mill Books and Ordnance Survey memoirs. To these have been added a collection of some local mill histories, a list of surviving mills and some Memorials of Deeds concerning mills. For the technically-minded, there are brief descriptions of different types of mills and, finally, some monochrome photographs of mills and mill-houses. This is a comprehensive volume chiefly of interest to the local historian who should beware of many misprints in placenames and some omissions in the "survivors" list.
OF EQUAL interest to the local historian, if not to contemporary mining engineers, is Memoir of Localities of Minerals of Economic Importance and Metalliferous Mines in Ireland, by Grenville J.J. Colae (Mining Heritage Society of Ireland, £9.50). This is a limited facsimile edition of a 1922 original (though without the accompanying large, coloured map) supplemented by a short biographical memoir about the author by Patrick N. Wyse Jackson and by 32 illustrations. We know that Ireland has much more mineral wealth than the schoolbooks of the past taught us - there's no mention here, for instance, of the Navan zinc resources. But the general picture is of a country that made the most of its known mineral wealth from as far back as the Bronze Age.
FIRST published in 1896, The Story of an Irish Sept by N.C. Macnamara has now been reprinted by Clare local historian Martin Breen with an addition to its title, The Origin and History of the MacNamaras (published by M. Breen, no price given). This, too, is a facsimile reprint in hardback, with a beautiful colour jacket showing a few of the MacNamara castles and a brief introduction by Dr Peter Harbison, himself associated with the sept through marriage.
Dealing with the MacNamaras from about 400 AD to the start of the 20th century, the book has many of the quaint opinions of 19th-century historians and antiquarians but is valuable for the numerous references to original documents and primary sources, all diligently annotated. There are two lengthy pedigrees bringing the family down to the late 19th century and some new illustrations on glossy paper. MacNamaras everywhere will want to acquire a copy.
NOT quite a reprint but rather a compilation of accounts of Co Clare is The Stranger's Gaze - Travels in County Clare 1534-1950, edited by Brian O Dalaigh (Clasp Press, £19.95), another beautifully-produced book from the Clare Local Studies Project, which has been adopted by Clare County Council as its centenary project. The 370-page volume contains nearly 70 descriptions of Clare and its people by writers ranging from Connor O'Brien with his letter to Charles V in 1534, through The Diary of an English Sea Captain by William Penn in 1646, to Frank O'Connor's A Tour of Clare in 1950. Some of the accounts are being published for the first time. All throw a unique and fascinating light on Clare and its history and the whole is enhanced by nine colour and monochrome illustrations that capture the essence of the county's past. What a challenge CLASP throws out to other counties with this splendid collection.
Liam Swords's book of the Famine, In Their Own Words - The Famine in North Connacht 1845-1849 (Columba Press, £30) has already been praised so highly that it would be invidious of this reviewer to add any further commendation. The author has diligently assembled hitherto unavailable material from the National Archives to enable those who lived through the calamity to tell the terrible tale themselves. The extracts from the records have helpful marginal references, and within its 500 or so pages Father Swords includes nine lengthy appendices featuring subscription lists, records of public works and complete passenger lists of the "coffin-ships" that left Sligo for New York.
This is probably the best local history about the Famine yet written and will, incidentally, be of incalculable assistance to people researching their own family histories.
Richard Roche is the author of several books on local history