Fuel
By Seán O'Brien
Penguin Sandycove, €20
Hard as nails, Seán O'Brien had a warrior-like commitment that made him a joy to watch and play with. His autobiography follows a wearyingly predictable format, but O'Brien's engaging frankness comes through as he speaks about his childhood distress at the breakdown of his parents' relationship and his love of a night out. Fiercely loyal to his home place, Carlow's first rugby international was at one stage the world's best wing-forward, but his style of play takes a terrible physical toll, and there are times when "the Tullow Tank" (as the New Zealand media christened him) is running on empty. Smart, good-humoured, hard-working and utterly devoid of notions, O'Brien remains a man you'd want beside you in a tight corner – and in the corner of the snug. – John O'Donnell
Different and the Same: A Folk History of the Protestants of Independent Ireland
By Deirdre Nuttall
Eastwood/Wordwell, €25
There's much written by and about the Protestant elites in Ireland – landlords and lawyers, poets and politicians – mainly because they left a documentary trail. This meticulously researched and elegantly written book goes in a different direction, examining "ordinary" Protestants in the independent State. Through a series of interviews and questionnaires, Nuttall excavates and exposes the lives of those whose voices have not been heard. Poor and working-class Protestants, shopkeepers, farmers, teachers and businesspeople all feature here. The trials posed by the Ne Temere decree and stories of origin, loyalty and identity, culture and feeling are set within a comprehensive contextualisation. Sometimes unhappy, often marginalised in the early years, southern Protestants had to reinvent themselves, and this book is a revelation in chronicling their journeys towards citizenship and acceptance. – Ian D'Alton
The Kindness of Strangers: How a Selfish Ape Invented a New Moral Code
By Michael E McCullough
Oneworld
If you are looking for a book to massage your ego, stop now. This is not a flattering read. McCullough investigates the uniquely human capacity for kindness to strangers. The author takes a more broad view of kindness than we might have expected from the title. His investigations focus more on how societies have evolved to care for their most vulnerable populations, than why that friendly stranger loaned you her umbrella on a wet Wednesday. By weaving together evolutionary psychology, history, philosophy and scientific research, McCullough postulates that kindness has evolved amongst humankind, not ultimately because we are "kind", but because being kind serves our own best interests. – Brigid O'Dea
