The latest stories from celebrated writer Mike "Houli" Houlihan with brand new stories from The Irish Echo, Irish American News, and mikehoulihan.com

Focused in scope, and emphasizes methodological aspects of Celtic scholarship. This collection of original essays illuminates the importance of theoretical considerations in the study of early medieval sources.

Ancient Classical authors have painted the Druids in a bad light, defining them as a barbaric priesthood, who 2,000 years ago perpetrated savage and blood rites in ancient Britain and Gaul in the name of their gods. Archaeology tells a different and more complicated story of this enigmatic priesthood, a theocracy with immense political and sacred power. This book explores the tangible ‘footprint’ the Druids have left behind: in sacred spaces, art, ritual equipment, images of the gods, strange burial rites and human sacrifice. Their material culture indicates how close was the relationship between Druids and the spirit-world, which evidence suggests they accessed through drug-induced trance.

Chicago is the political corruption capital of the world. To discover the future for many cities facing similar epidemics of corruption read on.

Former Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mike Houlihan takes us on a rollicking ride into the underbelly of Chicago politics, with a sneak peek behind the scenes of a mayoral campaign to unseat Rahm Emanuel.

No rules apply here, “nothin’s on the square”, and the game is rigged from the get-go. Join “Houli” as he signs on as campaign advisor and takes you with him through the windy city in a battle for the soul of Chicagoland, a thrill ride for political junkies that takes you from lonely empty candidate forums to barnstorming corned beef and cabbage bashes to the pinnacle of Chicago politics.

Houlihan peels off the days of the calendar with daily body counts from the blood soaked streets of the ghetto and puts you in the smoke filled rooms with the back stabbing blowhards, fakers and Friars gobbling at the trough to get their piece of the pie, personifying the old Chicago motto of “Ubi Est Mea”, where is mine?

Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune says, “Houlihan minces no words here…this is a unique and essential Chicago book.”

This is also essential reading for anyone interested in the rotten core of big city politics or who has aspirations of changing anything in America.

This sets the ancient tales of gods and heroes in the context of the burgeoning interest among spiritual seekers of all persuasions in the ancient celtic mythical and legendary traditions.

• The first study of the full chronological range of Irish charms, from the Middle Ages until the present. • Includes survey articles, which give the reader a broad overview of major aspects of the subject. • Includes new discoveries in the field, information concerning which is not yet available elsewhere. • Includes articles dealing with folk medicine and traditional healing.

Mythology and magic come alive in this collection of Irish fantasy stories by some of today's finest authors. Ireland is a nation that holds fast to its history and heritage, and nowhere is that more true than in its folktales and legends. From the great Celtic myths featuring the bard Taliesin, the terrible Morrigan, the heroic Cuchulain, or the noble and cunning Sidhe to strange and mysterious tales of today, the stories and traditions of the Emerald Isle hold a strong attraction for many. Stories are told in cottage hearths from Galway to Dublin, and from the windblown rocky Cliffs of Mohr to the seaside villages where fishing boats still roam the oceans. Tall tales and town stories are as much a way of life as a pint and good conversation at the local pub. Emerald Magic brings together today's best fantasy authors to explore the myths of the Irish, telling their own versions of these ancient tales of luck, love, and honor, or drawing upon centuries of Irish myths and folktales and updating them into brand-new stories. Edited and with an introduction by bestselling author Father Andrew M. Greeley, Emerald Magic contains fourteen wonderful stories of legend and lore, including: "A Woman Is a Fast Moving Picnic" by Ray Bradbury. A group of pub regulars set out to discover the truth behind a local song and answer that age-old question: Just how fast does a person sink in a bog? "The Isle of Women" by Jacqueline Carey. In an age long ago, a warrior sailing for vengeance happens upon an island ruled by a woman like no other. But if he is to continue his quest, he must choose between her and his duty. "Speir-Bhan" by Tanith Lee. A woman who finds and reads her grandfather's diary unleashes the specter of an old debt that, even in today's modern age, must be paid---one way or the other. "A Drop of Something Special in the Blood" by Fred Saberhagen. In the late eighteenth century, an Irish author encounters a being that he will turn into his greatest literary creation. "The Cat with No Name" by Morgan Llywelyn. A lonely girl neglected by her parents finds an unexpected friend in the alley behind her home---one that may be more than it first seems. "The Butter-Spirit's Tithe" by Charles de Lint. Even in twenty-first-century America, it is still not wise to anger the spirits of the world, as a young musician discovers when a butter-spirit who had cursed him nine years earlier comes to claim his soul. "Land of Heart's Desire" by Elizabeth Haydon. A young man discovers the magical truth about his parents' marriage, and sets a chain of events in motion that will force him to choose between the life he has always known---and another life he could have. "The Swan Pilot" by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. In the far future, spaceship pilots travel through interdimensional portals from planet to planet---and the only thing more important than knowing how to fly is knowing how to handle the strange hallucinations that appear during the journey. Filled with the spirit and magic of the stories of Ireland, Emerald Magic is a collection of fantasy stories that will delight and captivate from the first page to the last. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Examines the history, religion, politics, and literature of one of the city's most influential ethnic groups.

Presents an illustrated A to Z reference containing over 1,000 entries providing information on Celtic myths, fables and legends from Ireland, Scotland, Celtic Britain, Wales, Brittany, central France, and Galicia.