Neil Hegarty – författare

From mesolithic Ireland to the peace process, this little book covers all of the main historical and cultural events, places and figures in Irish history. A must for all lovers of Ireland and the Irish.An excellent, concise guide to how Ireland has come to be what it is today.Some key events, people, topics and places include: Monastic Ireland, Vikings and NormansThe Irish language, the Book of KellsPatrick, Colm Cille, Brian Boru, Granuaile (Grace O’Malley)Colonial Ireland, EmigrationRebellion, Famine and PartitionThe Troubles, Good Friday Agreement and BrexitA helpful index is found at the back of the book.Beautifully produced, Collins Little Book of Irish History is a treasure in itself and makes a perfect gift for any Ireland enthusiast.

Sir David Frost was the only person to have met and interviewed every British Prime Minister since Harold Wilson as well as seven Presidents of the United States. With unparalleled, authorised access to David’s family and friends, in this book Neil Hegarty documents how he became the most successful TV host in the world, his work defining the mood of the moment.Frost didn’t just report the news, he made the news.

In Waking Up In Dublin, Neil Hegarty takes readers on a personal tour of Dublin''s multifaceted music scene, talking to performers and promoters in areas as diverse as modern rock, traditional folk, classical, avant-garde, jazz, cabaret and choral music. Candid and insightful interviews with leading industry figures like Glen Hansard of The Frames, folk musician Cormac Breatnach, cabaret singer Camille O''Sullivan and Horslips legend Barry Devlin are mixed with essential travel information for music fans.Includes: Full-colour maps of the city centre and larger Dublin area ''Top 5'' lists, with maps, of live venues for rock, traditional folk, classical, jazz and more ''Essential Dublin Discs,'' as provided by the musicians themselves Mini-bios on bands like The Frames, Planxty, and The Crash Ensemble Over fifty black and white photos Whether you''re visiting Dublin or a native to the city, Waking Up In Dublin will help you discover countless Irish musical treats – and understand why this city continues to influence music around the world.

The Secret History of Our Streets explores six roads spread across inner London - from Camberwell, Holland Park and Islington to Shoreditch, Deptford and Bermondsey - through the experiences of the people who lived there. Stories of poverty and violence, faith, love and hope, this is an intimate examination of our capital and the changing lives of its inhabitants. The history of over a hundred years of social change, this is the untold history of the sreets beneath our feet.You'll never look at your own street the same way again.

The history of Ireland has traditionally focused on the localized struggles of religious conflict, territoriality and the fight for Home Rule. But from the early Catholic missions into Europe to the embrace of the euro, the real story of Ireland has played out on the larger international stage.Story of Ireland presents this new take on Irish history, challenging the narrative that has been told for generations and drawing fresh conclusions about the way the Irish have lived. Revisiting the major turning points in Irish history, Neil Hegarty re-examines the accepted stories, challenging long-held myths and looking not only at the dynamics of what happened in Ireland, but also at the role of events abroad. How did Europe's 16th century religious wars inform the incredible violence inflicted on the Irish by the Elizabethans? What was the impact of the French and American revolutions on the Irish nationalist movement? What were the consequences of Ireland's policy of neutrality during the Second World War? Story of Ireland sets out to answer these questions and more, rejecting the introspection that has often characterized Irish history.Accompanying a landmark series coproduced by the BBC and RTE, and with an introduction by series presenter, Fergal Keane, Story of Ireland is an epic account of Ireland's history for an entire new generation.

A haunting debut set in the harsh, beautiful landscape of Ireland''s north coast. Patrick Jackson lies on his deathbed in Derry and recalls a family history marked by secrecy and silence, and a striking absence of conventional pieties. He remembers the death of an eight-year-old girl, whose body was found on reclaimed land called Inch Levels on the shoreline of Lough Swilly. And he is visited by his beloved but troubled sister Margaret and by his despised brother-in-law Robert, and by Sarah, his hard, unchallengeable mother. Each of them could talk about events in the past that might explain the bleakness of their relationships, but leaving things unsaid has become a way of life. Guilt and memory beat against them, as shock waves from bombs in Derry travel down the river to shake the windows of those who have escaped the city.

'Striking... Hegarty has gifted us a vital book for our time. Bathed in light, seeped in colour; it is full of the act of being mortal – in a landscape that is – slowly, finally – finding what it means to be human' IRISH TIMES. A surprising and ambitious work of fiction centred on the art world, featuring an artist who has become an art thief, an obsessive curator and a specialist in major art thefts. Their stories intersect with the fate of a legendary work by a tragic Victorian woman artist who painted the picture as a kind of funeral dress, using the notoriously fragile distemper technique. At the heart of this moving and unusual novel is a strange painting by a woman who committed suicide rather than live with neglect and pain. Her final glowingly beautiful work was painted with a technique more usual for posters and banners, and not designed to last. She intended it as her shroud. It hangs in a Dublin gallery, and it is desired by a collector who is willing to pay to have it stolen. The thief is a disillusioned, corrupted London artist coping with tragic loss. The curator of the painting is a lonely gallerist whose life centres on her work. And the man charged with recovering the stolen painting is a gay man trapped in an abusive relationship. The lives of these three damaged people, each evoked with a calm, moving sympathy reminiscent of Michael Cunningham or David Park, come together around the hauntingly strange Victorian painting. Set in London, Dublin, Northern Ireland and various European capitals, The Jewel is a major new novel from an Irish writer coming into his own. 'Irish author Neil Hegarty proves again that he is one to watch... Hegarty writes with sharp intelligence, which coupled with his strong storytelling and well-defined characters, results in a gripping plot that also offers an affecting insight into how artifice permeates our lives' OBSERVER. 'Neil Hegarty's rich and intriguing second novel starts off in the realm of Victorian pastiche but ends up as a gripping present-day heist plot... [Hegarty] gives himself lots to juggle but manages with aplomb, setting the wounded trio at the book's heart on a grimly compelling collision course' DAILY MAIL.

Neil Hegarty's bestselling history of Ireland is a story crowded with the drama of complex characters, shifting allegiances and changing identities. Revisiting the major turning points in the Irish story, Hegarty looks not only at the dynamics of what happened in Ireland, but also at the role of events abroad. With a new afterword that covers the dramatic events of 2011 - including the multi-billion-euro international bailout of Ireland's economy, Fianna Fáil's electoral meltdown, and the first ever visit by a British sovereign to the Irish Republic - Story of Ireland is the history of a country shaped by and helping shape the world around it. Accompanying a landmark series coproduced by the BBC and RTE, and with an introduction by series presenter, Fergal Keane, Story of Ireland is an epic account of Ireland's history for an entire new generation.