Frank Delaney's Ireland: A Captivating Novel of History, Culture, and Adventure

Linda Cavanaugh: I loved this book. Hard one to put down! Read it prior to our trip to Ireland - fascinating!

United States on Aug 08, 2023

Readitall: This is the story of how a young boy grows up to become a storyteller, peppered with the stories he discovers along the way. The legends and history of Ireland are intertwined with a touching story of self-discovery.

Canada on Apr 11, 2023

Monica Campbell: It went on a bit, it did not have proper chapters to keep up with the storytelling. I was bit dissappointed dident read it all.

United Kingdom on Nov 27, 2022

Tom Ato: It was a little slow in the beginning but the story builds up. It's sort of like an assortment of short stories told within a larger stories. Quite interesting but it does feel a little disjointed at times. I read that this author is very much like Edward Rutherfurd, but no, he's not. Very different styles and angles.

Canada on Oct 02, 2021

Sheila Graham: I enjoyed the audible version of the book. I plan to continue to read the book, but it was lovely to have the story read to me by the author.

Canada on Jan 25, 2021

Tigerlily64: "Ireland” is Frank Delaney’s first book to be published in the United States. He hails from County Tipperary and writes about the country he loves.

Delaney’s book is full of historical information, as well as Irish legends and lore. It delves into the remote past and even begins the story with the last Ice Age when glaciers carved out the hills and valleys of Ireland. This extensive historical novel covers a wide variety of material in Irish history. Delaney writes of the English oppression, the Irish resistance, heroes and myths, and the skill of storytellers. Even the different counties in Ireland are addressed with their distinctive cultural flavors.

Itinerant storytellers frequented the area in Tipperary where the author grew up. The oral tradition was very strong. Stories, often with some elaboration, were handed down through the generations.

Frank Delaney’s book centers on an itinerant storyteller and Rolan, a boy who had heard this amazing storyteller when his father invited him to his parent’s home. After a couple of days, his mother had made the storyteller leave, but Rolan, who was only a young boy at the time, had desperately wanted him to...

United States on Jan 27, 2019

Clem: Ronan O’Mara is a nine-year old boy who lives in rural Ireland with his mother, father, and aunt. The year is 1951. One day, a mysterious stranger – an older man – appears at the doorstep. Who is he? We don’t know. We know his visit is expected. Neighbors come over, and the stranger tells the family and their neighbors a story. Several stories actually. It seems this is the gift of the stranger. A storyteller. Ronan wishes the man could stay forever, but his impatient mother feels he’s outstayed his welcome after a few days, and the stranger leaves. There’s something about this man that has touched Ronan’s soul though, and Ronan can’t rest easy with the stranger no longer in his life. So Ronan begins a twelve year quest to find the stranger.

Now, before I go further, let’s go back to the stories that the old man told Ronan and company. These stories are quite a pleasant diversion from our “main” story. The stories that the stranger tells are about the people’s homeland and history -the history of Ireland. True, there’s a lot of myth, fable, and tradition within these yarns, but the storyteller knows how to enrapture an audience. It doesn’t...

United States on Jul 14, 2018

YBC: This was one of very few books that physically "moved" me. I was so caught up in the story of "the Architect" in the early chapters, that I rushed to my computer to see if anything of this Stone Age structure still existed, only to discover that it was a World Heritage Site! There and then I made plans to visit and the visit like the book far exceeded my expectations. PS The rest of the story was equally compelling.I often buy copies of this book to give to others as I don't want to give mine away and enjoy re-reading it every few years.

United Kingdom on Feb 01, 2017