Ireland: A Novel

“Dramatic, adventurous, heroic, romantic. . . these historical chronicles, legends, myths, tall tales and fables, featuring warriors, kings, monks, explorers and clever common folk, imaginatively tell the history of Ireland.”  — Philadelphia Inquirer

This New York Times bestselling epic is an unforgettable tour de force that marries the intimate, passionate texture of the Irish spirit with a historical scope that is sweeping and resplendent. Storyteller extraordinaire Frank Delaney takes his readers on a journey through the history of Ireland, stopping along the way to evoke the dramatic events and personalities so critical to shaping the Irish experience.

In the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, setting him on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle.

From a land famous for storytelling comes an "absolute masterpiece"* -- an epic novel of Ireland that captures the intimate, passionate texture of the Irish spirit.

One wintry evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller -- a Seanchai, the very last practitioner of a fabled tradition extending back hundreds of years -- arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside. In exchange for a bed and a warm meal, he invites his hosts and some of their neighbors to join him by the fireside, and begins to tell formative stories of Ireland's history. One of his listeners, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the story-telling that, when the old man leaves abruptly under mysterious circumstances, the boy devotes himself to finding him again.

Ronan's search for the Storyteller becomes both a journey of self-discovery and an immersion into the sometimes-conflicting histories of his native land. As the long-unspoken secrets of his own family begin to reveal themselves, he becomes increasingly single-minded in pursuit of the old man, who he fears may already be dead. But Ronan's personal path also leads him deeper and deeper into the history and mythology of Ireland itself, in all its drama, intrigue, and heroism.

Ireland travels through the centuries, interweaving Ronan's quest for the Storyteller with a richly evocative unfolding of the great moments in Irish history, ranging from the savage grip of the Ice Age to the green andtroubled land of tourist brochures and political unrest. Along the way, we meet foolish kings and innocent monks, fabled saints and great works of art, shrewd Normanraiders, strong tribal leaders, poets, politicians, and lovers. Each illuminates the magic of Ireland and the eternal connection of its people to the land.

A sweeping novel of huge ambition, Ireland is the beautifully told story of a remarkable nation. From the epic sweep of its telling to the precision of its characters -- great and small, tragic and comic -- it rings with the truth of a writer passionate about his country and in full command of his craft.

* Jack Higgins

“I wrote this book to tell the world something of my native land, its people, its origins in stone and ice, its society and how it developed, its history and its tragedies, its beauty, its bounty, its place in the world.” - Frank Delaney

“An absolute masterpiece. With this extraordinary novel Frank Delaney joins the ranks of the greatest of Irish writers. James Joyce would have been proud of him.” - Jack Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of Edge of Danger

“Highly recommended … both touching and real. An accomplished historian and novelist, Delaney deftly weaves the story of a people and a country with a poignant coming-of-age tale …. fans of Edward Rutherford’s historical sagas will love it.” - Library Journal (Starred Review)

“A sprawling, riveting read. . . the stories utterly captivate. . . in this rich and satisfying book.” - Publishers Weekly

“An epic novel of history and storytelling.” - U.S. News & World Report

“[A] grand sweep of a novel.” - Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

“A wonderfully engaging novel, an intimate epic that is at once a sprawling account of 2,000 years of Irish history and a meditation on the enduring importance of stories.” - San Jose Mercury News

“Warm, intelligent, and unapologetically nostalgic ... Delaney is as much in love with the art of storytelling as he is the story’s subject.” - Christian Science Monitor

“Epic. . . . Combines Irish history with the fictional tale of a Senchai, a wandering storyteller who enchants a family with stories of Ireland and its people.” - USA Today

“IRELAND touches the heart and moves the soul.” - Richmond Times-Dispatch

“In the end, IRELAND is, as the Irish themselves are fond of saying about everything from cabbage to castles, brilliant.” - San Antonio Express-News

“Extraordinary … mixes history and fiction in an epic narrative that traces the entire history of [the] country. Delaney is such a fabulous storyteller.” - Connecticut Post

“It succeeds both as folk history and as a novel...and in exalting the art of storytelling as well as demonstrating the author’s love of all things Irish -- people, place and language.” - Baton Rouge Advocate

“History, legend, memory and myth come seamlessly together in Frank Delaney’s wonderfully engaging new novel, IRELAND, an intimate epic that is at once a sprawling account of 2,000 years of tumultuous Irish history and a meditation on the enduring importance of stories.” - Washington Post

“Dramatic, adventurous, heroic, romantic, slyly comic, these historical chronicles, legends, myths, tall tales and fables, featuring warriors, kings, monks, explorers and clever common folk, imaginatively tell the history of Ireland.” - Philadelphia Inquirer

“IRELAND both reinforces and rethinks what it means to be Irish … celebrates the island nation’s history through the words of a storyteller.” - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

“A sweeping saga of Ireland.” - Los Angeles Times

“Delaney gracefully collects essential myths—and invents a few, too—in his heartfelt ode to the oral tradition.” - Entertainment Weekly

“A vivid rendering of Irish history, imagined and real... reminiscent of the best of James Michener in scope and sheer crowd-pleasing potential.” - Kirkus Reviews