Reviews

This is a translation of one of the best-known Greek Tragedies, Medea, by the tragedian Euripides. Here it has been translated to Irish by Simon Ó Faoláin with illustrations from artist Dómhnal Ó Bric and published by Coiscéim. 

August 1936 and there is civil war in Spain, where teenage Alejo (14) lives with his family. They are forced to flee from their home to seek refuge as Franco’s forces strengthen with support from Mussolini and Hitler. From the beginning of this journey, they are hit with every imaginable hardship and we get to know Alejo and appreciate his brave personality. 

Although Róise Ní Bhaoill has been writing poetry for a long time, this is her first published collection. It is a comprehensive, generous collection with over sixty poems. She is a renowned and celebrated writer and her collection of short stories, Imram agus Scéalta Eile, won the An Post award for Irish language book of the year in 2023. Rann na Feirste and Béal Feirste are the two ‘fearsaids’ or fords that are mentioned in the title: the former being the author’s birthplace and the latter being where she has lived for over twenty years. These two places certainly influence this collection, but there are many other themes addressed also. 

While there were six books in the original Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the content of those books has now been condensed into three books in this Irish language edition which has been translated by Seanán Ó Coistín.

This is the fourth detective story from the series by Anna Heussaff where we meet with two main characters Aoife Nic Dhiarmada and Garda Réamonn Seoighe. It follows on from Bás Tobann (2004), Buille Marfach (2010) and Scáil an Phríosúin (2015). While all the stories feature the same two main characters and the same two locations of Dublin and the Beara Peninsula, they can be read as stand-alone books as well.

Children will themselves be ‘buzzing’ after this gorgeous, lively and entertaining read! We go on a journey around the garden with Billí Beach, the busiest bee in the country as he travels from flower to flower collecting nectar to bring to the beehive.

This is the first of four books in the graphic novel series from the original French version Bergéres Guerriéres. The story is set in a small village where, ten years ago, all the men from the village were sent away to fight in the Great War. There hasn’t been a trace or tiding of them since and the village must be protected from external forces. As a result, the community sets up a Special Order of the women and girls who have been left behind to train them up to fight and protect the village.

While poet Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha has had many poems published over the years in publications such as Comhar, Feasta, Éigse Éireann, ANEAS and The Waxed Lemon, this is her first published poetry collection. It is also the first poetry collection to be published by Barzaz. It is a hefty collection and is divided into two sections: ‘Solas Geimhridh’ (21 poems) and ‘Dánta Eile’ (54 poems). It is physically and visually a beautiful publication with its black hard cover and yellow ribbon bookmark. The white silhouette of half a bare tree comes out from the spine of the book and there is a gold foil moon (or is it the sun?) gleaming next to it.