In Dublin Tenement Life, historian Kevin C. Kearns presents a fascinating, often heartbreaking look at life in the slums of Dublin from the early nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth. Gathering original and authentic oral testimonies from survivors of the old Dublin tenements and presenting along with the social and historical background, as well as a valuable collection of photographs, Kearns shows what life was like in Europe's most wretched slums. Their accounts are sometimes tragic, but always moving. Equally, they are an inspiring chronicle of struggle, survival, and the triumph of the human spirit. For readers of books such as A Star Called Henry or Angela's Ashes, for fans of Studs Terkel--or for anyone fascinated by modern Irish history--Dublin Tenement Life will fill a gap in our knowledge about Irish urban life.

Dublin Tenement Life: An Oral History

History

Kearns, Kevin C.

Americas

Penguin??Books

Dublin pub life and lore: An oral history

Travel

Food, Lodging & Transportation

GILL MACMILLAN

Dublin Voices: An Oral Folk History

For nearly thirty years, Kevin C. Kearns has been collecting the memories and recollections of Dubliners on tape. His previous books have focused on specific themes such as tenements and pubs. Now in this ambitious work, he uses the voices of ordinary Dubliners to construct an oral folk history of the city in the twentieth century. Firemen, engine drivers, bell ringers, gatekeepers, cinema ushers, gravediggers, dockers, factory workers, butchers, hatters, booksellers and many more: all contribute their own words to this extraordinary mosaic of Dublin city life from Victorian to modern times. In 'Dublin Voices', the words of ordinary Dubliners are heard as they recall their lives and times. These detailed and graphic oral narratives bring the city to life in a manner that conventional histories cannot match. 'The book is a goldmine of tiny details...he has superbly brought to light many disappearing inner city voices.' Dermot Bolger, Sunday Tribune. 'Here transcribed from tape are the true voices of soldiers and sailors of World War II, transport drivers, undertakers, dockers, revolutionaries, factory hands, fighters, and tradesmen of every sort from hatter to shoe repairer.' Books Ireland. Other books by Kevin C Kearns Dublin Tenement Life Stoneybatter Streets Broad and Narrow.

Dublin voices: An oral folk history

Gill Macmillan Ltd

This book is totally unique. It is based on the original and wholly authentic testimonies of survivors of the old Dublin tenements. For nearly 150 years, the wretched, squalid tenements of Dublin were widely judged to be the worst slums in all of Europe. By the 1930's, 6400 tenements were occupied by almost 112,000 tenants. Some districts had up to 800 people to the acre, up to 100 occupants in one building and twenty family members crammed into a single tiny room. It was a hard world of hunger, disease, high mortality, unemployment, heavy drinking, prostitution and gang warfare. But despite their hardship, the tenement poor enjoyed an incredibly close knit community life in which they found great security and indeed, happiness. As one policeman recalls from over half a century ago, they were 'extraordinarily happy for people who were so savagely poor'.

Europe

Gill Books

On a gloriously starry night four bombs fell, the last and most devastating at precisely 2:05 a.m. on 31 May. There was a thunderous explosion and the earth quaked. Tremors were felt as far away as Enniskerry and Mullingar. Panic and pandemonium reigned in a ""city seized with fear."" Destruction was astonishing homes and shops in the North Strand were largely demolished, 2,250 buildings in the city suffered some bomb damage, over forty people were killed, about 100 seriously injured, many more wounded. Hospitals and morgues filled within hours. Almost 2,000 people were rendered homeless refugees. It would later be determined that in terms of destructive performance a monstrous ""perfect bomb"" had done the deed. For two-thirds of a century, no book was written on what the Evening Herald proclaimed a Night of Horror. Later called a ""seismic event"" in Dublin's history. Finally, near the end of the century both the Irish Military Archive and Dublin City Archive declassified their documents on the bombing some stamped ""Secret"" for sixty years. At last, the theories and myths long surrounding the mysterious incident could be examined in the light of real evidence. But the heart of a book on so human a tragedy is the oral historical testimony of survivors, rescuers and observers who provide graphic eye-witness accounts. This is the untold tale of a great historical event and human tragedy that has long needed telling.

The Bombing of Dublin's North Strand, 1941: The Untold Story

On 19 January 1947 Ireland was invaded by a two-month-long arctic siege that brought freezing temperatures of 7øF, a piercing east wind reaching 60 to 70 m.p.h., five major blizzards, and snowdrifts of 12 to 20 feet. Cars, buses, houses and entire villages were buried, roads were blocked, telephone and electricity lines felled and towns and farms isolated as food and fuel dwindled. This is a vivid tale of suffering and courage, death and survival, of human resilience and real heroism.

Ireland's Arctic Siege: The Big Freeze of 1947

Legendary 'Lugs' Branigan

Lugs joined the police force in 1931, and over the years until his retirement in 1973 he became part of the folklore of Dublin. Here, Kevin Kearns presents a remarkable account of a remarkable man: a tough, fearless, fair garda who was loved by the vulnerable and feared by Dublin's criminals.

The Legendary "Lugs" Branigan: Ireland's Most Famed Garda

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Lugs joined the police force in 1931, and over the years until his retirement in 1973 he became part of the folklore of Dublin. Here, Kevin Kearns presents a remarkable account of a remarkable man: a tough, fearless, fair garda who was loved by the vulnerable and feared by Dublin's criminals.

Arts & Literature

For over 30 years, renowned author and historian Kevin C. Kearns has been recording and publishing the valuable memories and recollections of Dubliners. In his latest book, he revisits the extraordinary year of 1963, bringing to life the voices of the ordinary people who lived through it in a way no conventional history could match. It was a year like no other. Not for any one monumental event, but for an astonishing sequence of occurrences - triumphs and tragedies, joys and sorrows - that spanned all twelve months. Ireland 1963 deftly records the unrelenting roller coaster ride of dramas, traumas and mysteries of that year: a biblical-like flash flood, tenement collapses and victims, the liberating Bingo Craze, and a frightening 'mystery caller' posing as a priest. And, of course, it was the year of President Kennedy's rapturous four-day visit to Ireland. The year reached its climax with fear for thirty Irish passengers aboard the liner Lakonia, "ablaze and sinking" at sea during Christmas week. Yet, a series of happy and frolicsome events throughout the year balanced people's emotions and brought great joy to their lives. Such a bewildering and fascinating year demands a grass-roots type of social history, one that is biographical in nature. Kevin C. Kearns humanises these events by relying on oral history from participants and observers who were on the scene over fifty years ago. Their words and emotions bring a riveting authenticity and immediacy to this wondrous biography of the extraordinary year of 1963. &nbsp; Praise for Kevin Kearns' other unique oral histories of Dublin The Legendary "Lugs" Branigan: Ireland's Most Famed Garda 'A revealing portrait not just of a passionate and dedicated public figure, but also of a society undergoing great and constant change.' The Irish Independent Ireland's Arctic Siege: The Big Freeze of 1947 This story might have come from some Polar Expedition. It is almost unbelievable that such conditions could exist in Ireland.' The Irish Times The Bombing of Dublin's North Strand, 1941: The Untold Story 'What shines through is the courage and goodness of ordinary people, untrained for such catastrophe, in their attempts to save and help their fellow Dubliners.' The Irish Times Dublin Tenement Life: An Oral History 'Among the finest books ever written about Dublin.' The Sunday Tribune 'This is truly an admirable book, capturing echoes of a vanished world. It is only by reading this book that I was enabled to re-imagine the society which the respondents recalled to Kevin Kearns during what must have been many hundreds of hours of patient interviewing.' The Irish Times 'This book will long stand as the definitive social history of Ireland's gulags, where the poor were herded together in conditions worse than animals and will hopefully serve as further inspiration to those who still campaign for decent housing for all our citizens.' Joe Duffy 'Those of us who know and love Dublin owe Kearns a huge debt.'&nbsp; Roddy Doyle Dublin Voices: An Oral Folk History 'This book is a goldmine of tiny details. The narrative voices that speak from every page of this book do so in an unfiltered language entirely their own.' The Sunday Times

Ireland 1963: A Year of Marvels, Mysteries, Merriment and Misfortune

Based on 30 years of research spent interviewing and recording the life stories of the working-class women of Dublin, this book covers the squalid tenement days of the early 1900s, the mid-century decades of `slumland' block flats, and the 1970s when deadly drugs infiltrated poor neighborhoods, terrifying mothers and stealing away their children. What emerges is an intimate and poignant celebration of the mammies and grannies that held the fabric of family life in an environment of hardship and, often, cruelty. Through vivid tales of how they coped with grinding poverty, huge families, pitiless landlords, the oppressive Church, dictatorial priests, feckless and often abusive husbands, and these remarkable women shine with astonishing dignity, wit, pride and a resilient spirit, despite their struggles.

Working Class Heroines: The Extraordinary Women of Dublin's Tenements

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kearns, Kevin C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kearns, Kevin C.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kearns, Kevin C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Dublin Tenement Life: An Oral History

Dublin pub life and lore: An oral history

Dublin voices: An oral folk history

Dublin Tenement Life: An Oral History

The Bombing of Dublin's North Strand, 1941: The Untold Story

Ireland's Arctic Siege: The Big Freeze of 1947

The Legendary "Lugs" Branigan: Ireland's Most Famed Garda

Legendary 'Lugs' Branigan

Ireland 1963: A Year of Marvels, Mysteries, Merriment and Misfortune

Working Class Heroines: The Extraordinary Women of Dublin's Tenements