While recently browsing through a shelf of books politely described as “the great unread” section in Carndonagh CS library, a very well-read colleague discovered what might be considered the find of the century (as far as Carndonagh Community School library is concerned anyway!)
In amongst the tattered textbooks and mishandled novels was found an inconspicuous little volume entitled “Phases of Irish History” by Eoin MacNeill.
A first edition printed in 1919, the book itself appears unremarkable and would understandably be overlooked by the average reader and…ahem…librarian! While the age of the book does not immediately draw attention (we have a number of books from the 1800s), the year of its publication, when considering the author, is particularly significant. On 21st January 1919, the First Dáil (the unofficial Government of Ireland, in which MacNeill himself was a Minister) met in Dublin to approve a Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom. On the same day, violent events elsewhere in the country signalled the beginning of the Irish War of Independence against the Crown. The subject of the book is ancient Irish history, but the book itself is in effect a snapshot of its time; a time when the author was an integral part of what would become the defining moments of our country's long and tormented evolution.
While the find may be worth something in the region of €500 to a collector (possibly a lot more in 2019!), it is invaluable to the school library collection; it’s a little piece of our history that we are honoured to have. Who knows what little gems may be hiding among the overlooked textbooks in your school...
I think history is very important and the own history is much more important.
ReplyDeleteYour summary ist very good(better than Wikipedia).
You are a good writer!
Well done, that's it!
Simon Brenner
10a