| BOOK REVIEWS
 Brian F. Havel
Maestro of Crystal
Available from:
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Amazon.com
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Amazon.co.uk
Maestro Of Crystal tells the story of Miroslav Havel — the former chief
designer of Waterford Crystal, who designed chandeliers for the Kennedy
Centre in Washington DC, and those installed in Westminster Abbey to
celebrate its 700th anniversary.
The book is written by his son, Brian Havel, a Chicago-bases professor
of international law.
Miroslav Havel’s story takes place in two settings: his birthplace in
pre-World War II Czechoslovakia and his later experiences as a naïve
immigrant in post-war Waterford city.
Miroslav Havel came to Waterford from his home in Czechoslovakia at the
age of 25, intending to stay only three months. He had been trained in
glass-making at the prestigious Academy of Art and Industrial Design in
Prague. Teaming up with an unconventional Czech businessman, Charles
Bacik, Havel kept extending his stay in Ireland while the two men
revived a crystal glass tradition that crippling British excise taxes
had ended almost exactly a century before.
The book traces Havel’s early years growing up in Czechoslovakia, his
father’s bizarre business dealings and tempestuous lifestyle, his
formation as a glass designer and his experiences during the Nazi
occupation of his country.
 Frank M. Flanagan
The Greatest Educators Ever
Available from:
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Amazon.com
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Amazon.co.uk
The Greatest Educators Ever brings together the most influential and
interesting educators of all time. With entries ranging from Plato to
Jesus, and Froebel to Freire, this book provides a fascinating overview
of the development of educational thought through the ages.
Frank Flanagan writes engagingly and accessibly, considering each
educator’s unique contribution and placing it in a historical and
intellectual context. A fascinating read for educators and students
alike.
Frank M.Flanagan is a member of the Education Faculty of the University
of Limerick, at Mary Immaculate College, Ireland.
 Fr Aidan Troy
Holy Cross — A Personal Experience
Available from:
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Amazon.com
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Amazon.co.uk
During the 30 years of troubles in the North of Ireland, only a handful
of people have become symbols of true courage. Fr Aidan Troy is one of
these. Although he knew little of the North, within months of his
arrival in 2001 in the Catholic Ardoyne community he had witnessed one
of the most disturbing incidents in the North’s recent history.
Young children, going to and from Holy Cross Primary School, were
subjected to some of the most shameful sectarian hatred and violence.
Protestors taunted the children, their parents and teachers with
comments about ‘Fenian whores’, as well as displaying pornographic
posters, throwing balloons containing urine and even pipe bombs.
This insider account of those shocking weeks does not make for easy
reading. Nor does Fr Troy attempt to offer simplistic solutions,
focusing instead on his unshakeable belief throughout — that the rights
of children must be paramount. |
