J6tJRNAL OF 'tHE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 43 ---- ·--·---M--•··----- - --- BOOK REVIEVVS Romantic lnishowen (By Ha.rry Percival Swan) (Published 1947 by Hodges Figgis & Co., Ltd., Dublin), 10/6. Here is a work which should be on the !Shelves of every Donegal man and woman wl1oo;o interest in thlngis cultural is not of the lip service and ea.nit which have become so gre:n,t a part of modern Ireland. "RQmantie _ Inisihowen" is a book from the pen of one - Irishman who has no need to tell us, as he does in his present prefa.ce, "I love the green fields and the fair vales .a,nd the high hills of the dear land in w;I)ich I was born·.'' It is H;arry Per-cival Swan's IB.tcst exµrnsslon o-f the cn-t-holicity of taste which has made him a. Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland-a :Member, of, that au.gust body, the Royai I1·ish Academy; and, by unanimous choice, the first Vice"President of the Oounty Donegal Histo1'ical Society. In his latest book Mr. Swan se.i s an example wl1ich should be followed by local historians. T.hrough his collaboration with V!ar!ous experts he has made his book a conspectus of detatled information and descriptive artici:es. The resultant is a :finished; product and an authoritative wo.-rk. In doing so the author showed r61I1Witable restraint-. a restraint with which we do not altogether approve. We should like to have lmd- more of Hany Per~ival Swan even at the expense· _ _ MR, H~ P. SWAN ?f having less from his collaborators. These Oasemen.t learned Ga.eiic in uins and .Field mclude scholars of repute, Dr. Ma.c:allster Marshal Montgomery dipped his Daoota in an~ ?r. Du11earga and expe<rts such as_ Mr. tribute to Moville a.s he .flew over '-'lrelia.nd's H:aro1'd Leask, M. Arc_h, Inspector of Nat10na1 Wonde~-Jul Peninsui:a-." Monuments. My crit icism should not detract from the merits of a work which does not belar the coLd imprint of History, "Eoma.ntic !nisllvwen" is recommended to every reader who has the moral courage to say: "We keep the Past for Pride. No deepest peace shall strike our poets dwnb.'' It is the work o.f a ])()negll.J_ historian whose perspective Is wide enough to encompass every aspect of life In his native Inishowen; from the years when P!l€Q.?l High~ Kings of Ireland lived in :lihe Grl&na.n af AHeach down to the days when Hoger One of the many Mpects of this nicely- !:>alanced work ls Mr. s~·s "anthology of Inisho-wen" wih.ich includes poets :l:ike Slr Charles Gavan Duffy, William Allingham, and Eva Mary Kelly, as well as equally wellknown Modern poets such as Elizabeth Shane and Domin!ck O'Kelly. "ROma.ntlc ln:ishowen·• is also adorned by ei.ghty-si,x illustra-iions of except!ona~ merit and lt contains a very comprehensive index and a_ useful map. The quality and style of the paper and binding are a credit to the author and publiShers and give t.ihe book a dignity wortihy of its contents. f . C. Mo D.-
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