Ah, Those Irish Colleens!: Heroic Women of Ireland [Paperback]

Helen Walsh Folsom (Author), Michael Allen Lowe (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

While women in modern Western society have spent the last century fighting for equal rights, women in ancient Ireland were accorded legal equality with men. Under the Brehon Laws women had the right to own property, rule territories, seek an education, and sue for divorce. Celtic women were also warriors, frequently taking up arms and marching into battle with their brothers and husbands.

Perhaps the unrestrained heritage of Irish women accounts for their passionate, fiery spirit. Inheriting more than fair skin and auburn tresses from their Celtic ancestors, indeed, Irish women descend from a long line of gaelic heroines whose love, fury, greed, and patriotism moved governments and changed history. Filled with true stories told in a fictional format, Ah, Those Irish Colleens! presents the incredible lives of more than a dozen Irish women of prominence or fame, including:

• Deirdre of the Sorrows, whom a druid predicted would grow into a beautiful woman but would be the cause of much strife among men.

• Grace O’Malley, the famous pirate, seafarer, and trader in the 1500s who even at an early age aspired to be a sailor.

• Maire Rua O’Brien, Red Mary, known for both her red hair and her flaming temper, who, to save her beloved Lemanagh Castle, offered to marry one of Cromwell’s officers after Cromwell’s army had killed her husband.

• Mary O’Connor, the servant girl who stole the heart of poet William Pembroke Mulchinock and was immortalized in his poem "The Rose of Tralee."

• Kitty O’Shea, whose adulterous affair with Irish MP Charles Stewart Parnell, known as the "Uncrowned King," shocked proper society but is acknowledged as one of the greatest love stories of all time.

These stories and more demonstrate the complex character of Irish women from the time of the Brehons to the present.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

HELEN WALSH FOLSOM, who is of Celtic descent, is a writer and a former newspaper columnist and director of civic organizations. The author of St. Patrick’s Secrets, she lives in Kansas City, Kansas.

Product Details

• Paperback: 295 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158182355X
• ISBN-13: 978-1581823554
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,502,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Helen Walsh Folsom has been a newspaper columnist and has written feature articles for a variety of national and international magazines before focusing on her passion for Irish history and folklore.

When resigning from her position as Executive Director of a civic organization in 1995 where she worked for ten years, Helen knew what she wanted to do.

"I knew I wanted to write full-time," she says, "but I didn't know what I could be expert enough to write about. So I thought about the one subject that I could never burn out on and never get tired of researching was Ireland and all things Irish."

Helen also has went on to say that "I grew up with Irish-American movies and music that gave me a love of the Irish color and character and how it has influenced America."

A lifelong resident of Kansas City, Kansas, where her Irish Great-Grandmother, Lizzie Walsh, settled after her family fled the Famine in 1849, Helen lives in a deep, wooded valley near the Missouri River, a place where foxes and deer and raccoons are very welcome to share her acres.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic, February 2, 2004

By 

Marsha Lytle (Olathe, KS United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ah, Those Irish Colleens!: Heroic Women of Ireland (Paperback)

Contained within the pages of this book are the stories of thirteen legends of Irish history, all of them women. Each story comes to life, making the characters seem like real people, which of course they were.
Folsom's book takes us from early Irish history through events in the twentieth century, providing us with a look at many of the major events that took place on the island during those years- wars, revolutions, invasions, betrayals.
Not all the women are admirable in the deeds they performed, often being the cause of wars and great suffering. The sheer magnitude of lives lost during all these battles is astounding, whether they were full fledged wars or warfare between rival kings and chieftains. In those days women apparently were resigned to having their husbands and sons slaughtered.
What comes out of this book is the resiliency some of these women possessed, along with bravery in the face of insurmountable odds. Others were willing to defy societal norms to accomplish what they felt strongly about.
I absolutely loved this book. One of the best things about it is that you can read it a chapter at a time, and not feel like you have to read it straight through and lose track of what was going on. I would recommend having tissues nearby, for some of the stories are very sad.
It certainly cleared up misconceptions I had about Irish history, just hearing bits and pieces over the years. It isn't just a history lesson, however. It is a study of character, both good and evil.
I, for one, would certainly like to see a sequel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tis herself, May 6, 2007

By 

M. Ellis "magnoliamansions" (Gulf Coast, Alabama) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ah, Those Irish Colleens!: Heroic Women of Ireland (Paperback)

A wonderful collection tales of the ladies of the Emerald Island from folklore and history. This is a great book to pick up and read a little bit at the time since each woman is written in a short story form.
Those who want to enrich their learning of the women, whether real or imagined,who contributed to the building of the Irish culture will find this a fascinating read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spunky Irish Lassies, April 9, 2007

By 

Tanya D. Looney "Book Lover" (Roy, Utah) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ah, Those Irish Colleens!: Heroic Women of Ireland (Paperback)

I loved the book. Most all the women in the book show the Irish spunk. I also learned a bit of the history of Ireland. The history is a bit bloody but Im greatful that the author did not go into great detail with it. It also gave me a little understanding about their war. I would recommend this book to anyone, even the young. I am of Irish decent myself and love learning about where my ancestors came from.