Local History: A palatial, castellated mansion built primarily for a beloved wife (an Irish Taj Mahal?), a refuge for Benedictine nuns exiled from Ypres by war and a posh school for girls . . . these three main phases in the 140-year existence of Kylemore Castle and Abbey form the basis for History of Kylemore Castle and Abbey, a detailed history of the place now known throughout the world.
The mansion, which took four years to build, was commissioned by a wealthy, philantropic English doctor and businessman, Mitchell Henry, who had bought 15,000 acres locally in Connemara for shooting and fishing, but essentially as a fitting home for his beautiful young wife.
Henry's philanthropy, especially in the care of his 125 tenants, also found expression in his roles as Home Rule MP, agriculturist and humanitarian. But when his fortunes changed in the late 1890s, Kylemore was eventually bought by the Duke of Manchester. He rarely visited the place, which was heavily mortgaged, and it was taken over by a London banker and speculator.
This phase in Kylemore's colourful story forms the major part of this thoroughly researched and expertly written book. The other two phases, its purchase and restructuring as a Benedictine Abbey and a girls' school, are equally and lovingly dealt with. More recently the restoration of the Gothic church and the walled garden have added to Kylemore's "aura of peace and tranquillity" lauded by the knowledgeable author in her epilogue. The book is profusely illustrated and foot-noted.
Local history with attitude - that, perhaps, is the most appropriate description that can be applied to The Lough Gowna Valley: a big (560 pages) history of the lake district cradled between counties Cavan and Longford. It is, by any standards, an extraordinary, comprehensive and provocative work which took years to compile and which undoubtedly contains every scrap of information available about the valley. But it is also a highly opinionated work, laced with discursive and distracting digressions into fields other than local history.
While there may be nothing in the rubric of the writing of such history that forbids opinions, these are normally confined to the subject in hand. In Columb's case, his opinions range far and wide: 13 pages about "The Troubles", three more about imperialism and various other snipe-shots at local politicians, national figures and even international events. There is a compentent local history buried in this tome, but one needs forbearance to mine the rich vein that lies within.
One can invariably expect interesting material and high standards in the journals of the Meath Society, and this year's volume is no exception to the rule, with subjects as diverse as the battle of Ashbourne in 1916, the 54 Meath "Wild Geese" housed in Les Invalides in Paris and the Jacobite Thomas Nugent of Delvin. There are 14 articles and numerous book reviews from a panel of Meath historians and academics - one of whom, Chris Corlett of Duchas, provides the "lost" text of an early Radio Éireann broadcast from Tara in 1937. The journal has something of interest for every Meath person and can be ordered from Oliver Ward, Nobber, Co Meath
Few Dubliners will be unfamiliar with the wooded expanse that is St Anne's Park on the city's northern boundaries. Most of those will remember it specifically for its magnificent rose garden. The park and garden have now got the history book they deserve, an attractive and readable volume produced in association with Dublin City Council.
The author of St Anne's: The Story of a Guinness Estate is particularly suited to the task of recording the story of St Anne's since she grew up in Clontarf, has been for 15 years an active member of Raheny Heritage Society and won a diploma in local history for research into the land acquisitions that eventually materialised into the Guinness estate and St Anne's. Ireland's first millionaire, Benjamin Lee Guinness, left St Anne's to his eldest son Arthur Edward, and it is mainly to the latter that the estate owes its expansion and development.
Dublin Corporation acquired the place in 1936, but the magnificent manor house, whose beauty and fine contents are evident in many of the book's rare photographs, was destroyed by fire in 1943. There is a wealth of fascinating detail in this superb (albeit costly) history. It merits a wide readership - and not just among visitors to St Anne's.
Carrowmenagh: History of a Donegal Village and Townland is a reprint of a brief collection of written and oral records of Carrowmenagh first published in 2001. It does not purport to be a full history of the place, but rather comprises short chapters on the Famine, the 1881 evictions, Griffiths valuations, the local RIC, volunteers, the Garda, LDF, football teams, school classes and such. With numerous photographs, this is a valuable, if short, compendium of local lore.
Richard Roche is a local historian, writer and journalist
History of Kylemore Castle and Abbey. By Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill
Kylemore Abbey Publications, €25.
The Lough Gowna Valley. By Frank Columb, Gasan Academic Publishing Company, Oxford, no price given.
Ríocht na Midhe, Vol. XIV. Editor Séamus Mac Gabhann, Meath Archaeological and Historical Society, no price given.
St Anne's: The Story of a Guinness Estate. By Joan Ussher Sharkey, Woodfield Press, €18.50.
Carrowmenagh: History of a Donegal Village and Townland. By John A. McLaughlin. Published by author. €9.