RANJI: MAHARAJAH OF CONNEMARA

Written by Anne Chambers.

New Edition

East truly meets West in 1924 when a wealthy Indian Maharajah, Prince Ranjitsinhji, iconic cricketer and loyal supporter of Empire, becomes the landlord of Ballynahinch estate in remote, Roman Catholic, Republican Connemara.

Charismatic and benevolent, known as ‘The Ranji’ he endeared himself to the local community and became part of the folk memory of Connemara. 

From rare documents in public and private archives and from the personal reminiscences of the people who worked for him, for the first time, ANNE CHAMBERS brings the intriguing story of Ranji: Maharajah of Connemara to light.

While focusing on Ranji’s association with Ireland, the book also reveals the troubled and darker side of this Indian autocrat, his indebtedness, his addiction to western life, his political inflexibility and his romantic attachments. 

Copies of new edition also available from Orpen Press This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

REVIEWS

’Anne Chambers gives us the fascinating story of how one of the world’s greatest cricketers, an Indian prince... fell in love with Connemara.’ Irish Times

’Anne Chambers book shines a light on the Ballynahinch period of this colourful life... ’ Sunday Tribune.

 

Genre: Biography

Stockists: 

  • Books@One, Louisburg, Co. Mayo
  • Visitors Centre Shop, Trinity College, Dublin
  • The Book Shop, Bridge Street, Westport, Co Mayo
  • Clifden Bookshop, Clifden, Co Galway.
  • Westport House, Westport, Co Mayo
  • Roundstone Music and Crafts, Roundstone, Co.Galway

The book is also published in India by Roli Books, New Delhi.

Enquiries for translation, foreign and film rights to:

Jonathan Williams Literary Agency,

Rosney Mews,

Upper Glenageary Road,

Glenageary. Co. Dublin 

tel: 353 1 2803482

T.K. Whitaker: Portrait of a Patriot

Written by Anne Chambers.

T.K. Whitaker: Portrait of a Patriot In 2002, an eighty-five-year-old former civil servant was voted 'Irishman of the Century'. 

Widely regarded as 'The architect of modern Ireland', T.K. Whitaker's life spans the history of the Irish state in whose economic, social and cultural evolution he played an integral and influential role. Born in Rostrevor, County Down, reared in Drogheda, County Louth, from modest beginnings, T.K. Whitaker's meteoric rise through the ranks of the civil service saw him at 39 years become the youngest Secretary of the Department of Finance. 

His was the quiet presence, the rational and informed voice behind many of the most momentous events in recent Irish history. His inspirational paper Programme for Economic Development became the blueprint for Ireland's regeneration in the 1960s. As Governor in the 1970s his vision and purpose transformed the Central Bank into a dynamic institution. And, as advisor to Taoiseach Jack Lynch and other political leaders, he played a crucial role behind the scenes in the movement towards peace in Northern Ireland. 

Drawn from in-depth interviews conducted with Dr Whitaker and his family, as well as exclusive access to his personal papers and correspondence, in Portrait of a Patriot author Anne Chambers reveals the quite extraordinary extent and diversity of T.K. Whitaker's work on behalf of the Irish State; his relationship with Irish and international political figures such as De Valera, Lemass, MacBride, Costello, Sweetman, Lynch, Haughey, FitzGerald, O'Neill, and Whitelaw; his policy struggles with governments and individual ministers. 

This personal and intimate biography also introduces Ken Whitaker the family man, his motivation, humour and compassion; the personal losses endured and the many highlights enjoyed. 

T.K. Whitaker's life story is a model of excellence, integrity and public duty, and as such is all the more relevant today when such practical patriotism seems largely absent in twenty-first-century Ireland.

 

THE GERALDINE CONSPIRACY (a novel)

Written by Anne Chambers.

THE GERALDINE CONSPIRACY (a novel) Vivid, passionate and panoramic, The Geraldine Conspiracy is in the tradition of the epic novel. The year is 1533. With barbaric cruelty, Henry VIII has almost wiped out the powerful FitzGerald (Geraldine) dynasty in Ireland; the 11 year old Gerald is the sole survivor. Plucked from the maw of the Tudor murder machine by his English-born tutor, Leverous, with the help of the boy’s aunt Eleanor, the Geraldine and his two protectors flee from the King’s agents.

The leaders of the Gaelic and Norman traditions in Ireland offer to put their political differences aside and, with the Geraldine as their figurehead, agree to unite against the forces of the King. But their cause becomes entangled in the Machiavellian web of European politics which jeopardises their tentative steps towards Irish unity, as well as the Geraldine’s life, and threatens to reveal the dark secret that both unites and divides the love between Eleanor and Leverous.

 

REVIEWS:

’A colourful and dashing chronicle, rich in its set-pieces, highly emotive in its depiction of relationships and finely detailed in its descriptive passages.’ The Irish Times

’A rollicking good story, well told. It is entertaining and absorbing, carefully researched and written gracefully in language attuned to the times.’ Irish Independent.

Genre: historical fiction

 

Enquiries for Irish and foreign editions, translation and film rights:

Jonathan Williams Literary Agency, Rosney Mews, Upper Glenageary Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin. Tel: 2840354

La Seridan: Adorable Diva, Margaret Burke Sheridan

Written by Anne Chambers.

La Seridan: Adorable Diva La Sheridan, as she became known to enthusiastic opera fans throughout Europe, was born Margaret Burke Sheridan in the town of Castlebar in Ireland. From 1918 until her sudden retirement from the stage of grand opera in 1930, she gave legendary performances in the great opera houses of La Scala, San Carlo, Rome Opera House, Covent Garden, Monte Carlo...

Orphaned as a young child, her rise to fame is a story of success and of misfortune, of romance and tempestuousness, of a fiery and formidable exterior, concealing a vulnerable and lonely person.

Discovered by Marconi, tutored by Puccini, dubbed the 'Empress of Ireland' by Toscanini, sharing the stage with such stars as Gigli, Pertile, Stabile, Badini, Lauri Volpi, Toti del Monte, Eva Turner and revered by critics and opera lovers around the world, Margaret Burke Sheridan was a complex woman and a prima donna in the true sense.

 

REVIEWS

'A first-rate biography from Anne Chambers…The appeal of the book is not merely for opera-lovers - for whom it is a must - but also for the general reader.' Irish Post.

'an engaging and indeed quite gripping book. It brings to life a powerful personality who steps from the pages with an imperious and temperamental swagger concealing the highly vulnerable and sensitive artist who hides beneath.'' Alpha

'an absorbing book that also fills in the background to the career with a loving care for detail.' Opera

The book was the subject of a major documentary, BRIEF BUTTERFLY, filmed on location in Ireland, England, and Italy and broadcast by RTE in 1989.

 La Seridan: Adorable Diva By Anne Chambers, Published by MERLIN PUBLISHING/WOLFHOUND PRESS, Newmarket Hall, Cork Street, Dublin 8, Ireland.

Tel: 353 1 4535866

Fax: 353 1 4535930

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Web : www.merlinwolfhound.com

and available from all good book stores at 12 euro

 

Information on all foreign, translation, film and other rights is available from

Jonathan Williams Literary Agency

Rosney Mews,

Upper Glenegeary Road , Glenegeary. Co Dublin . Ireland

Phone/fax 353 1 280 3482

AT ARMS LENGTH Aristocrats in the Republic of Ireland (New Island Press)

Written by Anne Chambers.

AT ARMS LENGTH Aristocrats in the Republic of Ireland (New Island Press) Living in Ireland today, unobtrusive and ignored by the greater Irish public, are the descendants of Ireland’s former ruling ascendancy. Some are directly descended from Ireland’s ancient kings and chieftains, others claim Irish roots merely five hundred years old. But despite their ancestry they are generally regarded as being not of Ireland. Talking to 14 present-day chiefs and peers, who live and work in the Republic of Ireland, in At Arms Length Anne Chambers treats the stand-off between independent Ireland and the descendants of its old aristocracy and traces the historical evolution of this silent division.

Candid and accessible, rich in detail and anecdote, this unique account presents a vibrant portrait of a section of Irish society, a people held at arms length.

REVIEWS:

’A long-overdue act of inclusion. Meticulously researched, At Arm’s Length is seductive, not only as a rich historical account of Ireland’s former ruling class, but also as a contemporary reflection of the surviving descendants.’ Sunday Business Post

’A fascinating journey of discovery through 2,000 years of our history.’ Sunday Tribune

Genre: Factual

Price: 14.99 euro

Publisher: New Island, 2 Brookside, Dundrum Road, Dundrum, Dublin 14. 

tel: 353 1 2986867 

www.newisland.ie

 

Enquiries on foreign and translation rights:

Jonathan Williams Literary Agency,

Rosney Mews,

Upper Glenageary Road, 

Glenageary,

Co. Dublin. 

tel: 353 1 2803482

Grace O'Malley: The Biography of Ireland's Pirate Queen, 1530-1603 is the sole published biographical account of Grace O’Malley, sourced from original manuscript material, both in public and in private domain. For the latter, the author, Anne Chambers, had sole and exclusive access. Much of this material was located and decyphered in its original form (i.e.16th century manuscripts) by the author and is exclusive to her book. Furthermore, the presentation, opinions and analyses in the book are exclusive to the author. The author reserves all her rights in this book. No part of her book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or media, written or oral, or by means digital, electronic or mechanical, including photographic, film, video recording, photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system. Permission from the author and publisher must first be obtained to reproduce any part of or quotations from the book. Any transgression in this regard will be addressed. For more information, comments or enquiries please contact: Info: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Copyright © 2022.

 

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