De Clare took my hand as he spoke and led me to an empty hut that, I supposed, had been especially prepared for us. He stepped forward and took both hands in his, lowering his head to kiss each in turn. Continue reading The Marriage of Strongbow and Aoife: A Union Bathed in Blood.
I think fiction must feature settings that are taken from the author’s imagination, whereas historical fiction must, by its nature, be set in real places in order to lend authenticity. Continue reading Open Book Blog Hop, 20th April
A remarkable coincidence links the two stories. Continue reading Blessings in Adversity – the Popemobile and the Little Ark.
The first print proof of my fictionalised account of Kennedy’s time in Kilrush, Called to Account, is with the publisher, TSL, and I hope to have a copy in my own hands soon. Continue reading Wednesday Wisdom – Heroism in Times of Trouble
Alina gave a workshop to a group of aspiring young local musicians. It’s wonderful to see a new generation being encouraged to appreciate and to create jazz. Continue reading Monday Musings
At only 50,000 words it is a novella, rather than the full length novel I had hoped to create. That it is so short after such a long time is down to several factors, the main one being the difficulty of presenting the real horror of conditions in that place and time in a way that is not too depressing to read. Continue reading Called to Account
There is nothing new about refugee crises. As my followers will know, I have, over the last 2-3 years, been exploring the appalling events that took place in Ireland between 1845 and the early 1850s. These events led to an exodus of people from Ireland to North America, and Australia. Last week I was privileged to be a (minor) part of the 7th International Famine Conference which took place in Strokestown Park House, home of the Irish National Famine Museum. The event was truly international, with contributions from academics from the USA, Canada, Australia the United Kingdom and Germany. My … Continue reading Closing Borders is not a Moral Option #WATWB
I’m planning a live launch of A Purgatory of Misery next month. I created a Facebook event and have been putting up daily posts about Irish history. I was going to repeat them here but I hit on a better idea. A quiz! If you know the answers it won’t take you long. If you don’t, you will find them over on the event’s FB page. Unfortunately it’s not interactive. I’ve researched several quiz widgets but WP requires me to upgrade to the business version in order to install them. Here are your questions. You can enter your answers in … Continue reading Irish History Quiz – Part 1
The spring and summer of 1848 saw failed rebellions in England and Ireland, both led by Irish men. And the Irish tricoleur, a symbol of peace, made its first appearance. In May, 170 years ago this month, the leaders of the Irish rebellion were sentenced to transportation. Continue reading A Double Irish Rebellion
https://videopress.com/embed/RgxNbiN3?hd=0&autoPlay=0&permalink=0&loop=0 A larger-than-life statue of three Irish figures sits on a round stone base, bordered by a walkway that incorporates the donor-bricks and flagstones. The walkway leads to a commemorative wall that narrates the history of the Great Hunger amid Irish immigration. The sidewalk beneath the wall incorporates an outline map depicting the coasts of America […] via The Great Hunger Memorial, Providence, Rhode Island — Stair na hÉireann/History of Ireland Continue reading Rhode Island Remembers the Irish Famine
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