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Come Here to Me!: Dublin's Other History
Donal, Sam and Ciarán from the hugely popular blog Come Here To Me! are back with a brand-new collection of fascinating, surprising, and little-known tales from the hidden history of Dublin, Ireland’s often weird and always wonderful capital city. In a history book that looks at things from a different angle, Come Here To Me! Vol. 2 celebrates an unexplored Dublin: its public duels and street gangs, suffragettes and drag queens, as well as its not-so-secret gay bars and failed vegetarian societies. It looks at the people the city has chosen to remember and the places it has decided to forget (or worse, allowed to be turned into a Starbucks). With fresh, new perspectives on the lives and histories of the city, Come Here To Me! Vol. 2 is a history book like no other . . . The Conversation about Come Here to Me! Vol. 2: Check out the full-page feature in The Herald
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2013
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61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 5, 2019
I love history, especially the obscure social history this book relishes. I also grew up in Dublin with a history loving Dub Dad, so I expected to adore this book.
In many ways they got it right - material from a popular blog so you have a built in audience, three authors for varied perspectives on the city, and a varied selection of illustrations from old photos to cartoon sketches. As a blogger myself I loved that they included some stories and feedback from their readers, when appropriate, it added a community feel to the book.
Some of the stories they tell are ones I knew already, some were brand new to me. There are several about the music/clubbing scene in the city which didn't interest me at all and I struggled not to skim read them. The same applied to those about sports. I felt they might have been more approachable to a reader with only a passing interest if some of the details had been edited more.
The three different tones or voices remained, perhaps correctly as this was a joint effort, but at times this felt disjointed and lacking in an overall theme or vision for the book, it's more like a scrapbook than a unified collection.
If you like social history you'll enjoy it, but don't expect the main events of Dublin history and don't expect a broad or deep dive into her history, this is a selection of minor events chosen by three enthusiasts.
In many ways they got it right - material from a popular blog so you have a built in audience, three authors for varied perspectives on the city, and a varied selection of illustrations from old photos to cartoon sketches. As a blogger myself I loved that they included some stories and feedback from their readers, when appropriate, it added a community feel to the book.
Some of the stories they tell are ones I knew already, some were brand new to me. There are several about the music/clubbing scene in the city which didn't interest me at all and I struggled not to skim read them. The same applied to those about sports. I felt they might have been more approachable to a reader with only a passing interest if some of the details had been edited more.
The three different tones or voices remained, perhaps correctly as this was a joint effort, but at times this felt disjointed and lacking in an overall theme or vision for the book, it's more like a scrapbook than a unified collection.
If you like social history you'll enjoy it, but don't expect the main events of Dublin history and don't expect a broad or deep dive into her history, this is a selection of minor events chosen by three enthusiasts.
April 25, 2022
Decent read of some little known stories of Dublin
March 22, 2013
Fantastic, and much needed, collection of social history snippets from the now famous blog. Makes a great gift for older relatives of Dublin descent. Meant for bedside table reading, perhaps, but my only complaint is that there wasn't enough of it!
January 19, 2014
Picked this up in Dublin last year and have been nibbling away at it ever since. A nice window into the history and culture of Dublin that you don't necessarily get from the guidebooks. Reminds me of a terrific city and makes me want to go back. :)
January 12, 2013
Excellent insight into the quirkier side of Dublin history. This book is so interesting and easy to read.
June 29, 2013
Some great forgotten stories from Dublin in this collection from these young historians. Full of little gems.
May 19, 2014
Lovely, varied collection of stories of Dublin's history. Covers the same ground (and material) as the blog but in a handy book format!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews