Alice Taylor's 1988 memoir "To School Through the Fields" was an enormous success, celebrating rural Ireland and the cycles of life that come with this seemingly simple, yet complicated existence. The irony, of course, is that Taylor published this book just as Ireland was about to undergo rapid changes. Fittingly, Taylor's latest book, "The Parish," explores how towns and rural sections of Ireland have survived (or in some cases, perished) in the face of recent changes. Taylor still has a magnificent eye for touching details, and this book is particularly relevant because there is no more stark symbol of the changes which have taken place in Ireland than the fallen stature of the Catholic Church. Yet Taylor manages to show how Catholic parish life survives, even flourishes, on faith and reverence, as well as the less-miraculous yet very necessary business of fund-raising. Some will accuse Taylor of nostalgia, but readers - especially those who have personally been jarred by 21st-century Ireland - will take comfort in "The Parish," and probably argue that Ireland should not rush blindly to leave the past behind. ($33.95 / 221 pages / Brandon - Dufour)