**From the bestselling author of London and Sarum--amagnificent epic
about love and battle, family life and political intrigue in Ireland
over the course of eleven centuries. The Princes of Ireland
brilliantly weaves impeccable historical research and mesmerizing
storytelling in capturing the essence of a place and its people.
Edward Rutherfurd has introduced millions of readers to the human dramas
that are the lifeblood of history. From his first bestseller, Sarum,
to the international sensation London, he has captivated audiences
with gripping narratives that follow the fortunes of several fictional
families down through the ages. The Princes of Ireland, a sweeping
panorama steeped in the tragedy and glory that is Ireland, epitomizes
the power and richness of Rutherfurd's storytelling magic.
The saga begins in tribal, pre-Christian Ireland during the reign of the
fierce and mighty High Kings at Tara, with the tale of two lovers, the
princely Conall and the ravishing Deirdre, whose travails cleverly echo
the ancient Celtic legend of Cuchulainn. From that stirring beginning,
Rutherfurd takes the reader on a powerfully-imagined journey through the
centuries. Through the interlocking stories of a memorable cast of
characters--druids and chieftains, monks and smugglers, noblewomen and
farmwives, merchants and mercenaries, rebels and cowards--we see Ireland
through the lens of its greatest city.
While vividly and movingly conveying the passions and struggles that
shaped the character of Dublin, Rutherfurd portrays the major events in
Irish history: The tribal culture of pagan Ireland; the mission of St.
Patrick; the coming of the Vikings and the founding of Dublin; the
glories of the great nearby monastery of Glendalough and the making of
treasures like the Book of Kells; the extraordinary career of Brian
Boru; the trickery of Henry II, which gave England its first foothold in
Medieval Ireland. The stage is then set for the great conflict between
the English kings and the princes of Ireland, and the disastrous Irish
invasion of England, which incurred the wrath of Henry VIII and where
this book, the first of the two part Dublin Saga, draws to a close, as
the path of Irish history takes a dramatic and irrevocable turn.
Rich, colorful and impeccably researched, The Princes of Ireland is
epic entertainment spun by a master.
