Ireland S Arctic Siege Of 1947
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Ireland's Arctic Siege of 1947
Author: Kevin C. Kearns
language: en
Publisher: Gill & Macmillan Ltd
Release Date: 2011-10-21
On 19 January 1947 Ireland was invaded by a freakish anticyclonic weather phenomenon unleashed from the depths of Siberia. Its prolonged two-month grip entombed the country in snow and ice. This arctic siege brought freezing temperatures of 7° Fahrenheit -14°C, a piercing east wind reaching 60-70 m.p.h., five major blizzards, and snowdrifts of 12 to 20 feet-some topping 50. Cars, buses, houses and entire villages were buried, leaving scores of passengers and inhabitants marooned. Roads were blocked, telephone and electricity lines felled and towns and farms isolated as food and fuel dwindled. Tragically this happened amidst the worst fuel crisis in Ireland's history. People were forced to strip wood from their homes, and nearly half of all Dubliners were burning furniture to survive. Severe food shortages and a virulent influenza epidemic weakened people. By 19 February 1947 Dublin's death rate had more than doubled as the poor and elderly succumbed to hunger, cold and illness. Kevin C. Kearns presents a graphic account of what was regarded as a near-biblical calamity of blizzards, freezing, hunger, floods, and threatened famine-so imperilling, wrote one newspaper, that it seemed almost as if the wrath of God was directed against Ireland. It is a vivid tale of suffering and courage, death and survival, of human resilience and real heroism, poignantly authenticated by the oral testimony of those who lived through the arctic siege.
Dublin since 1922
Dublin Since 1922 tells the story of Ireland's capital city since independence. Richly illustrated throughout, it unfolds around hundreds of dates in the city's history, beginning with the founding of the Irish state - when Dublin had the worst slums in Europe - and ending in the last days of the Celtic Tiger. Through major events, Carey charts nearly a century of the capital's history, from the Civil War, the Eucharistic Congress and President Kennedy's visit, to the 1986 earthquake, the Stardust disaster and the changing faces of the St Patrick's Day parade. Brought to life are the figures who have shaped the city's identity - from Archbishop McQuaid to Tony Gregory, from Luke Kelly to Maeve Binchy - and the daily life of its people, through the books they read, the way they move around the city, the music they listen to, the crimes they commit and the unique experiences they have of simply being in the city of Dublin. A captivating celebration of people and place, this book makes essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how the character of a city - and its inhabitants - is shaped.
A Century of Service
In February 1919, 20 nurses and midwives meeting in Dublin to discuss their poor working conditions took a historic decision to establish a trade union - the first of its kind in the world. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) now numbers 40,000 and is Ireland's largest nurse and midwife representative association. This book examines the heady social and economic backdrop that gave birth to the INMO, putting names and faces to the founders and delving into the challenges they encountered. It details the Organisation's conservative middle years and its recent emergence as one of the most vocal protagonists for nurses, midwives and patients in Ireland, while also exploring the vast and varied service that the Organisation provides to its members. The prospect of a nurses' or midwives' strike always raises concerns for patient welfare, and the book looks closely at how the INMO has negotiated this tension, most especially during the 1999 national nurses' strike - one of the largest strikes in Irish history. A Century of Service is brought to life by a fascinating series of in-depth interviews with the INMO's members and leaders in a story of an organisation that with talent, tact and tenacity is delivering despite the odds.