Ireland

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Ireland Pub. Date: 2/15/2005 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
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Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

Bill Sheehan

The stories of Irish history are familiar but still stirring, and Delaney brings a fresh perspective and a depth of understanding to the telling. His detailed grasp of Irish history lends weight and authority to this long, discursive tale. At the same time, his familiarity with every aspect -- social, cultural and economic -- of Irish society, his empathetic rendering of a varied cast of real and imagined characters, and his ability to convey the intricate beauty of the Irish countryside enrich the narrative at every turn. Mostly, though, the novel draws its power from Delaney's conviction that stories matter, giving shape and meaning to our otherwise fractured personal -- and national -- histories. The troubled history of Ireland makes a particularly memorable story. Delaney tells it very well indeed.
— The Washington Post

More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews

From The Critics

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. Agent, Ed Victor. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780060563486
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date: 2/15/2005
Pages: 576

Meet the Author

Frank Delaney

Though Ireland is his first novel published in the United States, Frank Delaney's brilliant career in broadcasting has earned him fame across the United Kingdom, and several of his nonfiction books have been U.K. bestsellers.

Biography

J.R.R. Tolkien was famously inspired to write The Lord of the Rings because England did not have a mythology to call its own. Had Tolkien been born a few hundred kilometers to the west, he might have created something more akin to Frank Delaney's Ireland: A Novel.

Set in the country of Delaney's birth, Ireland is, according to Publisher's Weekly, a "sprawling, riveting read, a book of stories melding into a novel wrapped up in an Irish history text." Although the length and subject matter of Delaney's novel invites comparisons to the work of James Michener, Delaney's book aims for the heart rather than the intellect. As opposed to Michener's meticulously researched histories, Ireland is steeped in the Irish storytelling tradition, in which fact and fiction intertwine in the pursuit of a good story.

Ireland is Delaney's first novel to be released in the United States, but he has been a well-known writer and broadcaster in the United Kingdom for many years. In addition to writing seven other novels and a number of nonfiction works, he hosted a long-running and highly-rated series on BBC radio called Word of Mouth. His interest in Irish culture led him to create The Celts, a six-part BBC television series on Celtic history that is notable for giving the musical artist Enya her first popular exposure.

The seeds for Ireland were planted in early 1990, during breakfast with a literary agent and friend named Ed Ficter. Delaney loved the idea of writing an epic history of Ireland, but his busy schedule left him with little time to work on the project. Over the years, Delaney continued to meet with Ficter, and every time, Ficter would leave the conversation with, "Don't forget Ireland: A Novel." After 12 years, Ficter finally managed to wear Delaney down. He dropped his agent, signed up with Ficter, and began work on Ireland.

The basis of many of the stories in the novel were informed by Delaney's extensive travels around his home country. When Delaney was working as a bank clerk in his early 20s, he would often hitchhike around Ireland during holidays, visiting small, forgotten villages and having long conversations with the locals. It was during these travels that Delaney fell in love with Ireland and the people who live there.

Although critical response to Ireland has been highly favorable, Delaney balks when asked if this is his masterpiece. "Oh, God no," he told British bookseller The Book Place, "this is just the start of a new phase. I do want to write a series of big novels about Ireland, and this is the first of them." Fans of Delaney's magical, moving novel eagerly await the forthcoming results of this "new phase."

Good To Know

In our interview, Delaney shared some fun and fascinating insights with us:

"For a startling period of my life I reported the Troubles in Ireland for the BBC. I lived in Dublin and was called out to all sorts of incidents that, if taken together, add up to a war -- bombings, assassinations, riots, shootings, robberies, jailbreaks, kidnappings, and sieges. It was a 24/7 life, lived on the road, or so it felt, with never a still moment, never knowing what was going to happen next. I've touched on it in a novel called Desire & Pursuit, but the vast portion of the experience is still in there, somewhere in my unconscious mind; and I expect it will emerge one day."

"As an arts journalist in London, working mainly for the BBC, I interviewed hundreds if not thousands of authors. From them I gleaned a great deal of passing instruction in writing and I observed one fascinating detail: no two writers approach their work -- physically -- in the same way. Some write longhand in pencil; some have voice-trained their computers -- and in between lies the world of authorship. As for an interesting moment -- Harold Robbins emerging from his hotel bathroom for an interview with a pretty, bikinied blonde girl on each arm; talk about true to type!"

"No country impresses me as much as the USA. ‘Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?' you think -- to which I answer, 'Well, no I wouldn't.' The fact is -- if you want to know how warm Americans, are all you have to do is stand on a sidewalk and open a map. Within seconds, passers-by will gather, offering to help. If you think it happens everywhere else -- it doesn't."

"Writers have opinions -- that, in part, is why they write. Therefore they have strong likes and dislikes. I love hamburgers but hate beets. (Note: I'm using the word 'love,' not 'like.') I love baseball, hate reality shows (all that licensing of people to behave badly). I love libraries, hate noise in public spaces. I'll stop there -- this could become an endless list!"

"Interests and hobbies: Writing -- and reading about writing; renovating houses (I've done three so far); sport, in most forms; great music -- anything from harmonica to harpsichord. In fact, I'd have to struggle to find a subject in which I can't get some kind of interested pulse started."

"Favorite ways to unwind: I like to sprawl in front of the television -- but it has to be good! Good political comment, good drama, good documentary, good drama. One of the mysteries of life is why television is so frequently so bad -- it doesn't have to be, and many have proven that fact. I also like gardening and general pottering and organizing things and walking -- all of these give me good thinking time."

1. Also Known As:
  
  Francis Bryan
2. Hometown:
  
  New York, New York, and Kent, Connecticut
1. Date of Birth:
  
  October 24, 1941
2. Place of Birth:
  
  Tipperary, Republic of Ireland
1. Education:
  
  Thomastown National School 1947-54; The Abbey School, Tipperary, 1954-60; Rosse College, Dublin, 1960
2. Website:
  
  http://www.frankdelaney.com

Read an Excerpt

HOW THE HARP WAS INVENTED

Here in Ireland we've received most of our inner riches from Mother Nature. In olden days, the monks in the abbeys made art from natural matters. They were inspired by the sights they saw every day -- a rabbit leaving its burrow; a fox running across a hillside with its red brush of a tail streaming out behind it; a horse standing in a field, its back to the rain; a hawk making its point far up in the sky. And even their painting materials also came from the non-human world -- bird's feathers and colors from the earth.

So: all our expression, all our means of saying what's in our souls, came first from the universe that we see every day all around us, out under the air. We were not alone in this. For example, Man made his first music from blowing air through reed pipes and kept rhythm by tapping a stick on another stick.

But here in Ireland we made music from one very unusual source. It's our greatest musical instrument, it's very contrary to play and it had its roots in the sea. This is the story of how we invented -- the harp.

Once upon a time, before swans learned to swim and before bears wore fur coats, the wife of Breffni O'Rourke, a Sligo chieftain, liked to walk the sands at Rosses' Point. She enjoyed looking out over the Atlantic hoping to see whatever glories might lie far away to the west. As she walked she listened to the crawk of the gulls, the hiss of the tide, the ocean's hush.

One morning, however, she heard a new sound. It was strange and wondrous, it was a melody so tinkling and beautiful she thought she must capture it forever. She looked around to see where it came from -- but nobody walked near her, the sands stretched white and empty and she could not find the source of these harmonies.

It was all very peculiar. The noise grew louder and then fainter and then louder and then fainter. She asked herself, "What comes and goes, and then comes again and then goes again?" After a moment's thought, she found the answer rising in her brain -- the wind! The wind comes and goes, and comes again and goes again. So the Lady Breffni looked in the direction the wind was coming from and she found the source of the glittering tunes.

On the sands of Rosses' Point, near the original Coney Island, lay the beached carcass of a whale, high and white like a monument. The silver noises she heard came from the ribcage, where the sea breezes danced through the bones. For many minutes the lady stood and watched and listened to sounds that moved her to tears. She returned enthralled to her castle and immediately summoned her musicians who played every night at supper.

"Visit straightaway the sands at Rosses' Point," she instructed them, "and listen to the sound of the wind in the bones of the whale and then come back here and devise a means of making that music."

The musicians mounted their horses, rode off to the beach and dismounted by the carcass. They also found the sound enchanting and they spent hours there that day, scratching their heads, walking north, south, east and west of the white shape, trying to divine how the music was caused. What structures, they asked, what tensions would be needed to create something so lovely? Like scientists, somber and grave, they debated and they questioned and they considered.

On their return to the court, they began work immediately with Breffni O'Rourke's carpenter. Some weeks later they produced a very large, ponderous-looking, wooden instrument with long thin staves running from top to bottom across a frame curved like a whale's ribcage. They wheeled this contraption into the castle yard and, as good fortune would have it, the wind blew from the west that very day. To their great delight, their instrument made sounds even more beautiful than the carcass of the whale.

Next, they wheeled it around to the front door of the castle and sent a messenger to tell the lady her music was ready. She emerged at once and could hear the melody as she approached; in fact all the people in the castle turned out when they heard these heavenly notes. As they stood and listened, some people felt that a miracle had come to the great house of Breffni O'Rourke.

But -- there were two problems. First of all, this instrument was as big as a van and the lady pointed out that she could only listen to it in the open air; it wouldn't fit through the castle door and, like the rest of Ireland, Sligo isn't a place where you can listen to music out of doors all the year round. The second point she made -- it was now late afternoon and after a time, as the sun began to sink in the west, the wind dropped. And, of course, the music ceased. The Lady Breffni looked at the musicians and said, "Where's my music?"

They replied quite reasonably that the instrument only played when the wind blew, to which she said, "Then how am I going to hear it when we sit to dine?"

The musicians looked at the carpenter and the carpenter looked at the musicians.

"Place it in the yard outside an open window of the dining-hall," suggested the carpenter, trying to solve two problems at once.

"But the wind may not always blow through that corner of the yard," answered the lady. "And if it does, it'll make the room too cold to sit in."

One of the musicians said, "Perhaps if the carpenter were to make some bellows, like a blacksmith uses for blowing on the fire?"

"I don't want a blacksmith's bellows inside or outside the banqueting hall," said the Lady Breffni. "Are you all dolts or something?" She was cross by now.

A child wandered forward, a boy of nine or so, blond and inquisitive. He leaned in to look at the great instrument, reached out to touch it and drew his fingers across the long, tall staves. But he pulled back his hand with an expression of distaste on his face.

"I'm surprised the wind wants to play this," he said.

He was the son of Lady Breffni's housekeeper and renowned in that house for his cleverness and powers of observation. The musicians knew him well because he spent a great deal of time listening to them and observing how they played; one of them had begun to teach him the whistle.

"What's wrong with it?" asked the carpenter.

The boy thought for a moment.

"It's too -- unfriendly," he said, after struggling to find the word. "These wooden bones -- they offer no welcome."

"And what would you find welcoming?" asked one of the musicians.

"Something easy, a supple thing," the boy said. "Something that would bend to the fingers. Then you wouldn't need the wind. Any of us could learn to play it."

"But how would that make music?" asked the carpenter.

"These don't make the music," said the boy, indicating the wooden slats. "The music is made down here, where the vibrations echo from the blown bones" - and he laid his hand on the broad frame of the instrument.

"He's perfectly right," said the musicians.

"And it could be a lot smaller," said the boy, "provided the box was deep enough to reverberate." They carried the huge instrument away, removed the wooden staves and replaced them with long strings of gut taken from the stomachs of cows and waxed with the grease of a goose. It took them no more than a few hours. They wheeled it back into the castle yard and that night, the Lady Breffni O'Rourke of Sligo sat down to dinner, listening to music that seemed even sweeter than that melody she had heard in the skeleton of a whale. Next day, they made a much smaller version and brought into the castle that very night. It was even sweeter than the first. And that, my friends, is how the harp was invented.

Did you know, by the way, that Ireland is the only nation on earth to have a musical instrument as its national symbol? Canada has the maple leaf; New Zealand has the silver fern; Scotland has the thistle; England has the rose; Wales has the leek; America has the eagle -- and Ireland has the harp.

Reading Group Guide

Introduction

One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller -- a Seanchai, the very last practitioner of a tradition extending back hundreds and hundreds of years -- arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside for an evening of storytelling. One of his listeners, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the storytelling that, when the old man leaves abruptly under mysterious circumstances, the boy devotes himself to finding him again.

Storyteller extraordinaire Frank Delaney takes his readers on an epic journey through the history of Ireland, stopping along the way to evoke the dramatic events and personalities so critical to shaping the Irish experience. This is the true story of Ireland and the Irish -- of how the character of the land and its people were shaped by history, by neighboring England and by the Irish themselves-written by a native son possessed of his own prodigious storytelling gifts.

Questions for Discussion

Is the storyteller a phenomenon unique to Ireland?

Why is Ronan enthralled before the storyteller even begins to speak? Can you imagine why Alison is so repelled?

There's nothing quite like Newgrange in the US -- or is there? What do public monuments represent in the United States? Were they built in anything like the same way?

Why is Ronan so much more interested in history than girls? What is it about the Storyteller that has made such a deep impression?

The Storyteller has a very specific method for reaching his audience. Is his method similar to that of an actor or a writer?

The Penal Laws made it very difficult for Catholics to become educated. How is a culture that is forcibly denied the growth and insight available through education and learning able to keep itself vitally alive?

In following the Storyteller for so many years, has Ronan, in fact, become a Storyteller himself?

Between the Norman-Irish and the Anglo-Irish, it seems difficult to define, who, really is "Irish." Is this similar to how "American" identity is formed?

How would have Ronan's life been different if he knew his family's great secret all along?

The book is called Ireland. To what extent is the country itself a character in the novel?

About the author

Frank Delaney was born in Tipperary, Ireland in a time and a place where itinerant storytellers, like the one featured in his novel Ireland, still haunted the country. The Irish oral tradition he celebrates may have played a part in Delaney's own choice of profession -- he began a career in broadcasting, first in Ireland and then in Britain, that earned him fame across the United Kingdom. Frank Delaney is a long time BBC reporter and contributor who has reported on subjects as diverse as the "troubles" in Northern Ireland, literature, and the arts. His first non-fiction work, James Joyce's Odyssey, was a top 5 bestseller in the UK, as were his next books, Betjeman Country and The Celts. He has been a judge for the Booker prize, writes frequently for American and British publications and has been a columnist and lecturer on many literary and historical subjects. Now, Frank Delaney has brought his considerable charm and talent to the United States. Ireland: A Novel is his first book to be published in the U.S. He now lives and writes full-time in New York City.

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Anonymous

Posted November 7, 2010

Frank Delaney has done it again

Author of Shannon and Tipperary, Frank Delaney's passion for writing novels about Ireland has reached its pinnacle. Ireland is a page turning story of a boy who searches for a storyteller who rested at his house for a while. Ronan, the boy, is so enthralled with the storyteller and his stories that he sets out to find him. The storyteller wanders the countryside, staying with people who will feed him and give him shelter in exchange for telling stories. This starts the journey for Ronan to collect the stories of Ireland, find the mysterious storyteller and uncover his, and Ireland's history. The history of Ireland pours through Ronan's journey revealing the beauty and painful history of his country. This book is an excellent read for teenagers and adults. Whether you need a novel for school or something to read on an airplane, Ireland is an excellent choice with only one major flaw, its length. It appears discouraging at first, but when that back cover is closed for the last time, you almost have the urge to read the whole thing again. It is rich with the history and stories of a great nation. I especially enjoyed the beginning because of the stories told by the old man. The wording and imagery were unparalleled and it gave me the desire to keep reading. I too gained the desire to search for the nameless storyteller just as Ronan had while reading the book. For any high school student reading this review, this is a great example for the coming of age theme. Other themes could include the epic journey, self-discovery and tradition. This was an enjoyable read and a great page turner. When I came to "Of love and truth" I would not put the book down until the last word of the story was read. I believe this book is a classic and everyone that is interested in Ireland should read it. Why should you read this book? There is nothing to lose, only wonderful knowledge to gain.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous

Posted January 20, 2012

Love ireland

Great place.
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mdklag

Posted December 28, 2011

Highly recommend

A great read - Ireland told through the tales of a storyteller. If you love historical fiction, thisis the book for you.
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Anonymous

Posted July 3, 2011

Unique, readable overview of Irish History, with a 20th Century Plotline, too

Well drawn 20th Century characters and the Irish tradition of storytelling lead us through high points in the history of Ireland. Engrossing, very readable, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
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ScoutNR

Posted April 23, 2011

Not such a good read

Be prepared for numerous perhaps endless folklore tales supporting a more interesting family story thatvshould be the focus of this very long book.
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Anonymous

Posted November 6, 2009

This was awesome

As a person raised in an Irish family of storytellers, I found this book to be wonderfully crafted. I loved settling down with the storyteller as he crafted his yarns, the storyline was intriguing and it held up well. Recommend without reservation.
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Anonymous

Posted June 29, 2009

Definitely a re-read

The book speaks of a "leprechaun" travelling throughout Ireland enthralling those gathered around him with stories of their ancestors. (I hope that I share some of the ancestors he speaks of in this book!) When he didn't have the complete facts, he "embellished". Everyone was thoroughly entertained & encouraged about their life as Irishmen.

In reading this book, I received a great history lesson while being entertained @ the same time. Great idea! This book is much more readable and engrossing than his latest & I recommend it above all of his other tales.

If more people wrote in this style, I like to think that more people would read; I know I would spend even more time engrossed in more books.
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Anonymous

Posted June 23, 2009

I Also Recommend:

A worthy addition to the historical fiction of Ireland.

I can only begin by saying that I wish I had read this book prior to taking my vacation to Ireland a few weeks ago. I found this book to be a joy to read as Irish history was being revealed through the storyteller and his anointed one Ronan. There is a lot to learn from Irish history and what a great way to receive this history through a series of stories told by the storyteller. The characters were very likable and were wrapped around several subplots that added richness and subtlety to the novel.
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katknit

Posted May 7, 2009

more from this reviewer

The storyteller

Frank Delaney's Ireland is my kind of novel. Rich with character, history, and lyrical language, it is at once the chronicle of a nation and the coming of age tale of a young man. The story opens with the arrival of a man who may be Ireland's last itinerant storyteller, and from the moment he lights his pipe by the fireside, and begins describing the evolution of prehistoric New Grange, his audience is enthralled. As is Ronan, who from that evening on finds his career and his very life shaped by this enigmatic, nameless wanderer. The millenium-long, traumatic epic of a nation's building, the travails of a single 20th century family, the beauty of the landscape, the pain of loss, forgiveness and love, poets and leprechauns - it's all here, fascinating and beautifully expressed. If the book has a flaw, it's in its length. Though it bogs down after the halfway mark, Delaney's riveting conclusion more than makes up for that. Highly recommended for lovers of good historical fiction.
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Sstock

Posted March 30, 2009

Delaney's Ireland is the width and breadth of the country itself

In "Ireland" Frank Delaney captures the very bittersweet air of his beloved country. For anyone who has heard the stories of Ireland, whether about Newgrange or leprechauns, this book tells those stories within the context of the characters and their lives. Delaney's writing style is lovely and as reminiscent of the Irish people as was Frank McCourt's. He tells the Storyteller's tales, as in the chapter that explains "how poetry came to Ireland," in ways that make those familiar with the history of Ireland feel they are standing on the shores of the Emerald Isle. A native of Ireland might weep to read these pages. It is the only book that I have read in recent memory that I will gladly read again.
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NTFall

Posted December 6, 2008

more from this reviewer

Great Read

After reading this book it definitely intensified my desire of wanting to go to Ireland. I thought it was very good insight about the Irish as a people and their history. Out of all the stories told by the Story Teller, my favorite was the story of Finn MacCool and the Mountain of Women. I've already recommended this book to all my friends.
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Anonymous

Posted August 16, 2008

Great on CD!!!

I listened to this book on cd and I'm so happy that I did! I thought it was great to hear the book since it is about traveling storytellers as well as the history of Ireland. And the reading by the author was fabulous!! All history books should be written this way and then listened to - we would learn so much more, and like it too!
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Anonymous

Posted July 17, 2008

An insight into Irish oral traditions

I recently spent 2 weeks on a road trip in Ireland and learned a lot about many of the myths and stories that are such a huge part of Irish culture. Having seen so many of the places referred to in the book I felt like it just reinforced the wonderful people, stories, and landscape of Ireland. What a lovely way to fill in the blanks of true stories where imagination is used to fill in the unknown details. I can't wait to read 'Tipperary' as well!
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Anonymous

Posted June 17, 2008

Whimsical and hearty

What a wonderful suprise for this Historical Fiction lover
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Anonymous

Posted January 18, 2008

A story of Ireland

Lovers of history, lovers of stories, lovers of Ireland . . . this book has something for you. An easy read with wonderful imagery and a great ending.
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Anonymous

Posted November 11, 2007

A reviewer

I stayed up until three am last night finishing this book. The author's writing is eloquent but easy to follow, and the stories featured are fascinating. The main plot was intriguing as well.
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Anonymous

Posted January 20, 2007

A Great Irish Novel

One of the best Irish Books I have ever read. You will not regret buying it. The stories told by the story-teller in it are true.
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Anonymous

Posted November 26, 2006

Excellent

My favorite read of 2006. Rich in history with colorful, vivid detailing. I could absolutely not put this book down.
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Anonymous

Posted July 7, 2006

Great summer read

This book is a great way to experience some of the history and culture of Ireland. Some of the stories were a bit boring and the book could have been shortened a bit. But it was well written and intriguing
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Anonymous

Posted February 14, 2006

Constant Reader and Dreamer

This is without doubt one of the best books I've read in a long time. I plan to read it again and agin there was simply toooo much to take in all at once. I now want to visit Ireland more than ever before.
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Ireland

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Overview

All Available Formats + Editions

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Editorial Reviews

Bill Sheehan

From The Critics

Product Details

Meet the Author

Frank Delaney

Biography

Good To Know

Read an Excerpt

Reading Group Guide

Rating Distribution

Frank Delaney has done it again

Love ireland

Highly recommend

Unique, readable overview of Irish History, with a 20th Century Plotline, too

Not such a good read

This was awesome

Definitely a re-read

A worthy addition to the historical fiction of Ireland.

The storyteller

Delaney's Ireland is the width and breadth of the country itself

Great Read

Great on CD!!!

An insight into Irish oral traditions

Whimsical and hearty

A story of Ireland

A reviewer

A Great Irish Novel

Excellent

Great summer read

Constant Reader and Dreamer