Book reviews in a nutshell: From the rehabilitation of Oliver St John Gogarty, to the long-standing Irish love for imbibing

Oliver St John Gogarty, The Real Buck Mulligan; Enjoying Claret In Georgian Ireland; and Hanging out: The Radical Power to Kill Time.

Gogarty's grandson here seeks to correct what he considers Joyce's deliberate misrepresentation in Ulysses. Kathleen Ferris agrees that Joyce contacted syphilis. He also believes that Gogarty’s lighthearted mockery about Joyce’s condition was the root of the antipathy that resulted in the creation of Buck Mulligan. Padraic Colum said that Gogarty's weakness was making fun of someone's disability. This was the Gogarty Joyce he was to portray in his Buck Mulligan cartoon. There was more to Gogarty the extraordinary polymath. Joyce was able to benefit far more from their relationship than Gogarty, and to his credit, he didn't hold grudges. Although the family link provides interesting insight, it also contains too much irrelevant material (houses and ancestry, etc.). Brian MayeThis is a story about 18th-century Ireland and claret's love affair. It began when Irish families (parts of the Wild Geese exodus), became involved in Bordeaux wine trade. It is appropriately subtitled "a history amiable excess".It discusses, among other things, the Irish penchant to claret; wine storage and sale; how the gentry competed with each other in hospitality (viceroys were famous for their hospitality), and the central role that toasting played, especially among men-only fraternities and clubs (including the Hell Fire Club). There are many amusing and interesting stories, including those of Swift, Jonah Barrington, and others. Also, there are condemnations from Samuel Madden, and the Earl Of Orrery, who called "the Irish hospitality" gout, a rampant side effect, and condemned it. Beautifully illustrated; an imbiber’s delight. Brian MayeThis book demonstrates the importance of "hanging out" in terms of personal, political, creative, and social life. Hanging Out is less a manifesto than an exploration. It's a perambulation in arts criticism, social commentary, and personal anecdotes that demonstrates the vitality of unstructured time in a world dominated by productivity. There are moments of meaning, moments that offer insight, and moments that drift off course. This is what I consider the hallmark of hanging out. Some chapters are very specific to the author. For example, one that discusses the artifice behind hanging out with a celebrity chef friend (I don't know how many can relate?). A chapter on hanging out at academic conferences. Liming preaches to the converted about the importance of hanging out. However, if further convincing was required, some more relevant evidence might be necessary. Brigid O’Dea