FREE 1847: A CHRONICLE OF GENIUS, GENEROSITY AND SAVAGERY PDF

Turtle Bunbury | 384 pages | 09 Sep 2016 | Gill | 9780717168347 | English | Dublin, A Chronicle of Genius, Generosity & Savagery by Turtle Bunbury

Engraving depicting the devastation of the Irish famine, showing a scene outside a workhouse, Ireland, circa Photograph: Kate Geraghty. We are fast approaching the th anniversary of Big deal, says you. Or, put it another way, two year-olds. It continually astounded us how many of them revealed that their grandparents had been children, if not teenagers, at the time of the Great Famine. The song was written by his brother Luka Bloom, who gallantly launched at the chq Building in Dublin on September 29th, with a beautiful rendition of his song. The first verse begins:. As I dove into the history books in Scotland to learn more, I was staggered by the impact of the Famine. The statistics are almost impossible to comprehend. In alone, somemen, women and children are believed to have died through disease or starvation, and nearlyfled, primarily to Britain and North America. Such a mass exodus inevitably shaped the contours of foreign lands. The population of Toronto, for instance, trebled to 60, over the course ofwith Generosity and Savagery newcomers almost exclusively from Ireland. The Famine, or the Great Starvation as 1847: A Chronicle of Genius call it, still makes people deeply upset. Understandably so, because Generosity and Savagery happened during that time was shocking, heart-breaking and almost entirely indefensible. However, the purpose of my book is not to rake over the coals of that appalling era. Indeed, I think our energies would surely be better channelled into helping the 30 million people presently on the cusp of famine in Yemen and the Horn of Africa. Remarkable people brought help to Ireland from the seas, not least Rodney Baxter, a grizzled seadog from Cape Cod who sailed a small schooner into Sligo laden with supplies. In Forbes persuaded the US government to loan him a warship 1847: A Chronicle of Genius Irish emigrant stevedores in Boston then stuffed to the gills with food supplies. The opium magnate personally sailed the ship into Cobh, unloaded its gratefully received cargo and then embarked on a grand tour of famine-ravaged County with no less a guide than Fr Theobald Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance. I chose to write for a number of reasons, many personal. Lisnavagh, my family home in Co Carlow, was built in So too was Glenalmond, the school I went to in Scotland. I looked at my family tree; three of my direct ancestors were born in I poured a Carlsberg and noted the brewery was established in The crunch point came in Mexico City when I found myself standing on the very spot where the San Patricios had been executed in This was a battalion of mostly Irish soldiers who had fought for the Mexican army against the US during a brutal war that raged across Mexico that year. I determined to stop the clock and write a book about the world in As a travel writer who had lived in places such as Hong Kong, and the USA, I felt this broader picture might somehow assist our understanding of what happened in Ireland in As such, is not just about Ireland, or the Irish. The year simply provides the backdrop for 36 stories that took place all across the planet that year and, specifically, on the dramatis personae who were embroiled in these occurrences. The world was every bit as small in When the Cunard liner, Cambria, left for New York that spring, its passengers included the iconic circus showman PT Barnum and his diminutive cousin, a two-foot high performer called General Tom Thumb. The American duo had made a fortune in Europe when the Generosity and Savagery entertained over 5 million people. The next time Cambria sailed from Liverpool, she carried the abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass. The world of classical music, represented in these pages by Felix Mendelssohn, and the soprano Jenny Lind, must have been startled by the innovative strumming of guitar and banjo strings 1847: A Chronicle of Genius was carried on the air from the American West. Another nautical loop involves the 1847: A Chronicle of Genius of Henry Kellett, a naval officer from Fethard, Co. Tipperary, who was dispatched to survey the west coast of the Americas inhoming in on the Galapagos islands and Mexican California where a maverick priest from Co Clare had been trying to establish a colony called New Ireland. Franklin and men had sailed from England in but had not been seen since. Kellett could not find Franklin but it would 1847: A Chronicle of Genius that the explorer and his crew had been trapped in the ice and died in There is much to chew on in but I 1847: A Chronicle of Genius that this chronicle of famine, warfare, scandal and gumdrops will provide a little insight into the minds 1847: A Chronicle of Genius some of those who walked this earth in To comment you must now be an Irish Times subscriber. Please subscribe to sign in to comment. Turtle Bunbury on a chronicle of genius, generosity and savagery is forever associated with Famine but my book is not just about Ireland. The year simply provides the backdrop for 36 stories that took place all 1847: A Chronicle of Genius the planet that year Tue, Oct 11, Turtle Bunbury. More from The Irish Times Books. Sponsored Affordable homecare? Employers can ease employee concerns by prioritising their wellbeing. Think Generosity and Savagery when you think digital transformation. 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Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — by Turtle Bunbury. Determined to understand its zeitgeist, he has assembled 38 remarkable stories that took place across the planet during those twelve tumultuous months. With his penchant for the quirky, Bunbury confronts all manner of human enterprise to reveal a world of nobility and generosity, of bold genius and fearsome savagery, embracing everything from the salty seadogs who explored the Pacific and Arctic oceans to show-stopping entertainers like Lola Montez and General Tom Thumb - the intrepid pioneers who stumbled through the mountains and prairies of the Americas to the ground-breaking inventors of the doughnut, the gumball and the Christmas cracker - the famine-starved Irish and persecuted German emigrants to the Vietnamese emperor's war with the French - the ivory-tinkling genius of Liszt and Mendelssohn to the horse-bound Comanche warriors who dominated Texas - the American opium magnates who ran roughshod over China to the Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico. Get A Copy. Kindle Editionpages. More Details Other Editions 1. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions aboutplease sign up. What was your favourite chapter of ? Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Dec 19, Edoardo Albert rated it really liked it. Has there ever been a better name bestowed upon a writer? We aver that there has not. It is the juxtaposition of dissimilarity that makes it so unique, the elision of armoured testudo with cricketing rabbits, the juxtaposition 1847: A Chronicle of Genius slow, considered movement with the sparkle of celebrity sport. Surely such a name tells 1847: A Chronicle of Genius parental genius. The question arises though: can the writer live up to his name? The title tells the tale. Not perhaps the most obvious time to start such a project, as Ireland was in the midst of the Great Famine that saw a million people die and a million more emigrate. But, as the Turtle shows Generosity and Savagery this book, such a year will reverberate through the world, setting off ripples in all sorts of unexpected places. Bunbury follows the year through, telling its history through the lives of people affected by the events of the year. Some are Irish, part of the diaspora already gone from the island but, hearing the news, responding to it. Others merely share the calendar. If wit and sharpness are reason enough then buy this book: it 1847: A Chronicle of Genius delight. If, on the other hand, you require some uniting, narrative thread for your explorations in the 19th century, read the Flashman books instead. View 2 comments. Nov 21, Kevin Akers rated it it was amazing. This is how a history book 1847: A Chronicle of Genius be written. 1847: A Chronicle of Genius one very interesting year, one very talented author and you are set for a fantastic journey. I just loved reading this book. Feb 01, Daria Blackwell rated it it was amazing. This is an intriguing way to look at history. The author had grown up in a country house built in and was always fascinated by that year. He kept encountering the year throughout his life until he felt compelled to explore it in depth. Month by month, we are introduced to people and events taking place around the world. From free-thinking Germans in the wild west to Tom Thumb and czars, we are led on an entertaining journey through unrelated historical events that shaped the world. Beautifu This is an intriguing way to look at history. Beautifully written and Generosity and Savagery crafted, it was a pleasure to read from start to finish. Thanks, Mr. That's how history should always be presented. Feb 27, Orla McAlinden rated it really liked it Shelves: historyirelandirish- writerwarsocial-studies. Highly diverting, a very interesting book. Written in the style of one of Bill Bryson's factual books, this is a Generosity and Savagery one to dip in and out of. Each story is self-contained and short, making it perfect to read on the go, or in the carpark etc. A wide range of diverse, fascinating tales from around the world, from the Ottoman Empire to the Mexican War, Australia and of course Britain and Ireland. I expected it to focus on the Irish Famine, but it ranges widely, from Lola Montez, to the circuses o Highly diverting, a very 1847: A Chronicle of Genius book. 1847: A Chronicle of Genius expected it to focus on the Irish Famine, but it ranges widely, from Lola Montez, to the circuses of St Petersburgh. Definitely a recommended read! It's a unique collection of stories about real events that happened "in one extraordinary year" as the author puts it. It's a history book of one year that the author just kept bumping into in his everyday 1847: A Chronicle of Genius. It wasn't a year that I had noticed myself but I certainly found Generosity and Savagery I had a common interest in many of the subjects once I read how they intrigued the author. I also appreciated finding a book that I didn't have to dwell on until it was finished as my rea Definitely a recommended read! I also appreciated finding a book that I didn't have to dwell on until it was finished as my reading times are sometimes well spaced apart. Each event stands alone as a story that is just connected by time. Exhaustively researched to find the interesting bits about them that made each worth reading. In fact worth reading in one stretch if I could Generosity and Savagery. You don't have to be interested in things Irish to enjoy the book but it makes it more enjoyable if you are. You don't have to love reading history to enjoy the book but that works too. If you enjoy reading about events in history with an Irish connection it's a uniquely ideal book. I would still 1847: A Chronicle of Genius it to Generosity and Savagery to whom that doesn't apply but who just like reading interesting and well written stories. Apr 05, Mairead rated it really liked it. Perfect reading for when my head is sore, full of short interesting tales. Ally Bunbury rated it it was amazing Mar 05, Allen Foster rated it it was amazing Aug 23, John McGowan rated it it was amazing May 11, Mick Walsh rated it it Generosity and Savagery amazing Mar 19, Hannah Butler rated it it was amazing Mar 02, Robert Devery rated it really liked it Jan 18, Subhajit Das rated it really liked it Nov 23, Emmet rated Generosity and Savagery really liked it Jul 12, Colette Dugdale rated it it was amazing Nov 04, 1847: A Chronicle of Genius Bruce rated it liked it May 30, Gerrie Sears marked it as to-read Feb 10, Turtle Bunbury is currently reading it Mar 04, David marked it as to-read Mar 05, Shane marked it as to-read Jul 02, Susanne marked it as to-read Oct 14, Mtod12 marked it as to-read Dec 29, Victoria Kavanagh is currently reading it Dec 28, Tina Definis marked it as to-read Jan 16, Kimma marked it as to-read Apr 13, Gill Books - History -

Capture the spirit of an industrial, social and cultural revolution through this invigorating collection of historical portraits from the dawn of the industrialised world! There are, in other words, people alive today who knew and associated with people for whom the Gold Rush and the Great Famine were living memories. Having grown up in an Irish country house built that year, has long proven the source of inspiration and fascination for historian Turtle Bunbury. And in a bid to once more grasp the spirit of the age, he has over the years assembled an archive of the most remarkable stories from those twelve momentous months. Bristling with all manner of human life and endeavour, from American pioneers and German entrepreneurs to circus charlatans and down-and-out songwriters, is a collection of his most remarkable discoveries to date and a stirring portrait of Generosity and Savagery chaotic world surging towards the modern. By turns poignant, outlandish, curious and provocative, this is history at its most invigorating — as panorama, as epic. Turtle holds out his hand in the present, seeking the lost hands of the past, in darkness, in darkness, but also suddenly in the clear light of kindness — in the upshot acknowledging their imperilled existence with a brilliant flourish, a veritable banner, of 1847: A Chronicle of Genius stories. The stories he recreates are poignant, whimsical and bleakly funny, bringing back into the light the lives of people who found themselves on the wrong side of history after the struggle for Irish independence. This is my kind of micro-history. This is invaluable social history. Bunbury has a light writing style that lets his interviewees, elderly folk from around the country, tell their stories Generosity and Savagery interference. The author of the Generosity and Savagery Vanishing Ireland series and critically acclaimed The Glorious Madnesshe lives in Tullow, County Carlow, with his wife and two daughters. Account Options Sign in. My library Help Advanced Book Search. Turtle Bunbury. Selected pages Table of Contents. Contents Cover. Bibliographic information. Great Britain.