Philosophy

FAVOURITE: I'm a big fan of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, who writing is light, sensitive, and positive. He seems to get to the core of key issues in an amazing way. Basically I've read every single book & theatre piece (albeit in french) since I came across him after my accident in 2003. I find them amazing. Some are available in english, I would recommend to anyone, from 15 years old onwards. Particular beautiful is the recent "Mozart", or Les évangiles, or Les Fleurs du Coran. The world would be better place if he was more widely read... please *do* read him..

Irish Culture

FAVOURITE: 'Ireland' by Frank Delaney: This is a storyteller version of Irish myths, history. Its a brilliant read for teens and above. Simply magic. Also available in French. I also recommend the Audiobook version, which allows you to Listen to the Autor himself reading it - ideal if you do alot of driving for example.

The Irish Time "Year Book" provides an interesting extact of Irish news articles, and is published each autumn. The 2005 and 2004 editions were certainly a good read.

Celtic (pagan) holidays

World Politics

The following dates from 2002/3:

Independent Media Centre

Justification for the Gulf War (sort of humorous)

Focal Point: Publishers of works of recent History by David Irving and other authors. Irvine offers several interesting books free online, such as Hitler's War, Churchill's War, The Trail of the Fox. It certainly gave me a fresh perspective on WWII events. 
I'd recommend buying the paper copies, since the books are very big and come with interesting photos.

by William Blum:
- A "must read" book: Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower
(I read it in French: L'état Voyou, ISBN 9 782841 900756. This French version is quite new, including events up to the end of 2001)
"The American Empire: To the American mind, these words sound like an oxymoron. Suggesting to Americans that their country has a compelling lust for political, economic and military hegemony over the rest of the world, divorced from any moral considerations, is akin to telling them of one's UFO abduction - except that they're more likely to believe the abduction story. William Blum has compiled evidence that will make believers of such sceptics. In 'Rogue State', he shows that 'close encounters' between the United States and alien nations have demonstrably been of the cruellest kind."
- Concerning September 11
- Needless slaughter, useful terror (A-bombs dropped on Japan in WWII)

Antrax follow-up: this was an eye opener for me. The whole thing was done by a U.S. Defense Scientist?
www.fas.org/bwc/news/anthraxreport.htm  
www.ctnow.com/news/specials/hc-detrick0120.artjan20.story?coll=hc-headlines-home 
www.nj.com/mercer/times/index.ssf?/mercer/times/02-19-IZAR1IUB.html 
aztlan.net/zack.htm 

by James Bacque:
- Crimes and Mercies, ISBN -7515-2277-5
".. proof that the Russians, French and Americans committed vast atrocities against surrendered German prisoners of war. They were starved in open cages without shelter or water and left to die. More than a million and a half died. Millions of German civilians also died in what Germans now remember as The Hunger Years, 1945-48. The Russians and Poles with the help of the US and Britain, seized one quarter of Germany including the best farmland and expelled some 16 million civilians. This was the largest and most brutal ethnic cleansing in human history. ..... In total approximately nine million Germans died."

Northern Ireland Politics

Bandit Country, Toby Harnden /ISBN 0-340-71737-8
Excellent on-the-ground book on the IRA and the struggle in N.I.

Free Ireland, Gerry Adams
Irlande Libre, ISBN 2-909275-71-X (1995 French Edition)
I knew about this book for a long time before actually reading it, probably due to the mistrust of Sinn Féin that the southern Irish system drums into us. I certainly recommend it, even to those who may not agree at all with what Gerry Adams has to say. It is sad to say that even now in July 2002 the U.K. Government is not giving much effort to establishing peace, being quick to put down nationalists, but not rampant violent loyalist activity.

RN (Republican News) gives another view on events in the north via email, daily.

Science Fiction