Jacqueline OBrien Books

Vincent O'Brien is a horse-racing legend. Recently voted horse racing's 'greatest of all time', ahead of familiar names like Lester Piggott, the Queen Mother and Sheikh Mohammed, O'Brien won every race that matters in Britain and Ireland over his fifty-year career and is without doubt the best and most versatile racehorse trainer the sport has ever known. O'Brien is the only man to have trained three consecutive Grand National winners. He won three consecutive Gold Cups and three consecutive Champion Hurdles. He has had extraordinary success in flat racing too - six Derby winners, three winners of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, three King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winners and twenty-five races at Royal Ascot. He trained some of the best-known racehorses in the history of the sport - including Nijinsky, winner of the Triple Crown in 1970. His life has been a fascinating one. From humble beginnings in County Cork, he chose to train racehorses as his career - much to the benefit of the sport - and went on to create the legendary Ballydoyle Stables. Here his extraordinary story is told by his wife, Jacqueline, and distinguished racing writer Ivor Herbert. Lavishly illustrated with her personal and public photographs that span his amazing life, this book is a must for anyone with an interest in horses or racing.

In the same expansive format as the highly successful Great Irish Houses and Castles, this book traces the development of Dublin's architectural and decorative styles up to the beginning of the 20th century. The city is renowned for its atmospheric Georgian terraces but until now very little has been seen of the beautiful interiors behind these orderly fa(;ades. Many of the great public buildings too, like the Custom House, have recently been cleaned or restored and are captured here in all their sparkling glory. With a text containing the latest research as well as entertaining anecdotes, this is a grand tour.

This work concentrates on the rich architectural heritage of both early and late medieval Ireland, preceded by an introduction on the groundwork laid by the Celts. The legacy of this period - manuscripts and metalwork, churches and great stone crosses, family tower houses and feudal castles have all been photographed by O'Brien and documented by Harbison for this book. Maps, charts and timelines afford the reader greater understanding of the complex world of medieval Ireland.