Ireland [Hardcover]

Frank Delaney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2004

One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller arrives unannounced and mysterious at a house in the Irish countryside. By the November fireside he begins to tell the story of this extraordinary land. One of his listeners, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the storytelling that, when the old man leaves, he devotes his life to finding him again. It is a search that uncovers both passions and mysteries, in his own life as well as the old man's, and their solving become the thrilling climax to this tale. But the life of this boy is more than just his story: it is also the telling of a people, the narrative of a nation, the history of Ireland in all its drama, intrigue and heroism. 'Ireland' travels through the centuries by way of story after story, from the savage grip of the Ice Age to the green and troubled land of tourist brochures and news headlines. Along the way, we meet foolish kings and innocent monks, god-heroes and great works of art, shrewd Norman raiders and envoys from Rome, leaders, poets and lovers. Each illuminates the magic of Ireland, the power of England and the eternal connection to the land.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

BBC reporter Delaney's fictionalized history of his native country, an Irish bestseller, is a sprawling, riveting read, a book of stories melding into a novel wrapped up in an Irish history text. In 1951, when Ronan O'Mara is nine, he meets the aging itinerant Storyteller, who emerges out a "silver veil" of Irish mist, hoping to trade a yarn for a hot meal. Welcomed inside, the Storyteller lights his pipe and begins, telling of the architect of Newgrange, who built "a marvelous, immortal structure... before Stonehenge in England, before the pyramids of Egypt," and the dentally challenged King Conor of Ulster, who tried, and failed, to outsmart his wife. The stories utterly captivate the young Ronan ("This is the best thing that ever, ever happened"), and they'll draw readers in, too, with their warriors and kings, drinkers and devils, all rendered cleanly and without undue sentimentality. When Ronan's mother banishes the Storyteller for telling a blasphemous tale, Ronan vows to find him. He also becomes fascinated by Irish myth and legend, and, as the years pass, he discovers his own gift for storytelling. Eventually, he sets off, traversing Ireland on foot to find his mentor. Past and present weave together as Delaney entwines the lives of the Storyteller and Ronan in this rich and satisfying book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

To paraphrase a World War I song, it's a long, long way to the end of Delaney's reland--in more ways than one. In 1951, Alison O'Mara cast out the "last" seanachi, a wandering storyteller who told stories from Irish history and myth to the household and neighbors in exchange for housing and food. The old man left, taking with him the family's peace, stirring up family tensions and secrets. By alternating folklore and historical stories with the story of the O'Mara family, Delaney paints a vivid portrait of the country and fits both storyteller and family into it. There's something for everyone in this book: newcomers to Irish history will relish the rich stories based on real and imagined characters, while readers familiar with tales of the old sod will plow through the stories to find out what happens with the O'Maras. Heavy publicity will ensure demand for this novel, which recalls the work of James Michener and will appeal to readers of family sagas and popular historical fiction. Ellen Loughran
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (August 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316725978
• ISBN-13: 978-0316725972
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,398,166 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frank Delaney (www.frankdelaney.com) is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel "Ireland" and "Tipperary," as well as "Simple Courage: The Story of S.S. Flying Enterprise," which was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by the American Library Association. His latest book, "The Matchmaker of Kenmare" was released to rave reviews: Kirkus wrote, "One of the best fictional wartime couples animates veteran Delaney's darkly wistful novel... The novel burnishes this veteran writer's reputation as a consummate storyteller." Booklist said "Delaney re-earns his reputation for total reader engagement with his latest deeply thought-out novel... it combines the charm of an Irish yarn with the excitement of a political thriller and the romance of a 1940s war movie..." PW called it "an exciting yarn of romance and intrigue." "Venetia Kelly's Travelling Show," was released in 2010, also to critical acclaim. Library Journal wrote "Delaney is a master storyteller, and this expansive tale of politics, tragedy, and revenge is Irish storytelling at its best. Full of vibrant, well-crafted characters and satisfyingly high drama."

Delaney enjoyed a prominent career in BBC broadcasting before moving to the US and becoming a full-time writer. He was born in Tipperary, Ireland, and now lives in New York and Connecticut with his wife, Diane Meier.

Delaney broadcasts "Re:Joyce," a weekly podcast on James Joyce's "Ulysses" on his website www.frankdelaney.com. You can find his daily writing tips on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FDbytheword

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Voluminous and Impressive Novel, March 5, 2005

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ireland: A Novel (Hardcover)

Some call it the gift of gab. Some call it blarney. Others, the art of storytelling. However you label it, the Irish have a way with words, and spinning --- and living --- an epic tale always has been at the heart of their culture and history.

Frank Delaney's IRELAND is true to this tradition: in both form and content, IRELAND is a tale spun robust and ranging. History and fable merge in this grand story narrated in part by a Seanchai, a traveling storyteller who finds a willing ear in Ronan O'Mara, a nine-year-old boy living in the Irish countryside. Ronan has heard from his father of such people, who entrance folk with larger-than-life yarns in exchange for a seat by a fire and a home-cooked meal. And entrance Ronan he does. The storyteller so influences and inspires young Ronan that he devotes his life to finding him and to seeking out the truths behind the stories.

Sainted characters, rogues on thrones, and lyric poets populate the teller's romances; the pages are full of political and religious unrest and upheaval. Irish history takes on a life all its own, a life rife with fiction and fact, interchangeable and often indiscernible as one from the other.

In the great tradition of Michener and Rutherford, Delaney writes a voluminous and impressive novel, one that captures the magic of Ireland and captivates the reader with its nod at history and wink at myth. Or is it the other way around? Maybe in the end, IRELAND is the epitome of storytelling, with the obligatory generous dash of blarney.

--- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara

66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful On Many Levels, March 3, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ireland: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is an interesting form of novel. The main character, nine years old in 1951, hears the tales of an itinerant storyteller and in later years wanders across Ireland learning and telling stories that add up to the history and mythology of Ireland. Some of the stories are Irish folklore, some are created for this book, some are actual Irish history.

As I read the above description, it makes the book sound rather dull. It's not. These are delightful stories intermixed the take of a young man growing up as he seeks the story teller who visited his community many years before.

Already a best seller in Ireland (surprise, surprise) this book is likely to go down as one of the best novels of the year. I wouldn't be surprised to see it receive several of the bigger prizes.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, life-enhancing., February 21, 2005

By 

Eric the Reader "EricK" (New York city) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ireland: A Novel (Hardcover)

My mother was given this book by a friend who bought it in Ireland and who is now giving copies to everyone. I didn't want to read a book about 'Ireland' but this is about so much more than that, this is a book about wonder and delight and enchantment and love and marvelous humanity and now I am going to tell everyone about it. I read all the time but I had given up reading novels because many of them were so badly written. Then I read this book and was captivated from start to finish and I even read it walking along the street because I didn't know that people were writing books like this again. I think this may be the best book I ever read, with the most wonderful, positive, life-enhancing ending.