Owen O'Shea Knihy

The violence and divisions caused by the Civil War in County Kerry in 1922-23 were more vicious, bitter and protracted than anywhere else in Ireland.For generations, the fratricide, murder and executions in Kerry have been synonymous with the worst excesses of the brutality and mayhem which followed the split over the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. In this new analysis of the conflict in his native county, Owen O' Shea offers new insights into the misery and mayhem, from the perspectives of combatants as well as their families and the wider civilian population.Based on newly researched archive accounts and testimonies, the immense trauma, hardship, poverty, ill health and psychological scars of the families of those killed and injured is explored for the first time. Also presented is a catalogue of the intimidation, destruction, crime and lawlessness which severely affected civilians who had no involvement in the war but suffered greatly, sometimes losing their lives.No Middle Path offers an engrossing account of the terrible events in Kerry and of some of the darkest days in Irish history as well as their shocking and enduring legacy.

"On 1 June 1921, at the height of Ireland's War of Independence, a cycling unit of members of the RIC and Black and Tans was ambushed by the IRA at Ballymacandy, between Milltown and Castlemaine in County Kerry. During an hour of fighting, five policemen were killed, among them a father of nine who lived in the same village as many of the men who attacked him. The dramatic story is told from the perspectives of the IRA gunmen, the local Cumann na mBan, the terrified villagers, the priest who prayed into the ears of the dying, the IRA's informer within the police, and the doctor accused of neglecting a dying man. Drawing on first-hand accounts, private diaries and previously unpublished official records, Ballymacandy illuminates one of the bloodiest and most significant engagements of the Anglo-Irish War in Kerry and the wider revolutionary period in Ireland."--Publisher description

Proves that math can be serious fun!If you like any kind of game at all, you'll enjoy the amazing mathematical brainteasers in this entertaining book. No special mathematics training is needed. With an emphasis on puzzling word problems with surprising solutions, the author presents his mathematical hurdles in order of increasing difficulty. Many appear deceptively simple, such as: How many quarter-inch marks are on an unusual sixteen-inch ruler? Or: If the cost of a bottle and a cork is $1.10 and the bottle costs $1.00 more than the cork, how much did the bottle alone cost? Check the answers before you decide that these are too easy. You may be surprised.Novices may want to begin with some of the teasers in the first "easy" section. More experienced math-heads may want to test their wits with the "challenging" or even the "difficult" sections (some are fiendishly difficult). Including word problems by famed mathematical puzzle geniuses Sam Loyd (1841 - 1911) and Henry Ernest Dudeney (1857 - 1930), which have entertained recreational math aficionados for more than a century, this book has something for puzzle solvers at any level. And for the math phobic, it may whet your appetite to delve into a subject you thought could only be boring.

Engaging with a variety of mathematical puzzles and patterns, this book showcases the surprising beauty and practicality of mathematics. It caters to those who may feel intimidated by the subject, presenting concepts like magic squares, prime numbers, and the Fibonacci sequence in an accessible manner. Through entertaining diversions and straightforward explanations, readers will discover that math can be both enjoyable and insightful, highlighting its relevance in everyday life and beyond.

Engaging with intriguing trivia and profound philosophical questions, this exploration delves into fascinating number coincidences and the mathematics behind them. Readers will discover how these coincidences occur and the probabilities that govern them, enriching their understanding of both numbers and the nature of existence.

A Century of Politics draws on new archive material, original research, and interviews to reveal some of the most exciting and dramatic episodes from political life in the Kingdom over the past century. Featuring tales of alleged extra-marital affairs, punch-ups in the Dáil restaurant, election-campaign shenanigans, and the pioneering figures who made their mark on the national stage, it charts the highs and lows of Kerry politics. Published to coincide with the centenary of the First Dáil, the book also features for the first time ever comprehensive biographical details of every Kerry Teachta Dála and senator since 1919, as well as all Kerry ministers and ministers of State. It includes details of every election result in Kerry since 1899, and profiles MPs who represented Kerry in the years before the Dáil was founded.

In the modern world the theory of probability is used extensively in mathematics, science, engineering, medicine and, of course, gambling. A proposition bet is one that involves the use of probability -both estimated and actual -where an individual makes an apparently attractive bet to someone who is easily deceived by the odds, which are at first glance in his favor.The Book of Proposition Bets gathers together, and reveals the true mathematics behind, over 50 classic and original proposition bets. From the famous Three Card Monty (really an exercise in the Monty Hall Paradox), to probabilities based on rolling dice and pulling playing cards, or whether or not a mark can guess 3 correct digits of a one dollar bill's serial number (spoiler: the odds are against it), author Owen O'Shea here compiles a fascinating and engaging survey of prop bets. In addition, Part 2 of the book contains a brief history of the theory of probability and some examples of cons and scams perpetrated on the general public to this day around the world, (plus a few more mathematical proposition bets!).Whether to learn the intricacies used by hustlers, or borrow a couple of tricks for yourself, we wager that there is a high probability that readers will enjoy this entertaining and illuminating book!