Ireland's Awakening (Vol. 2 The Dublin Saga)

Following the success of The Princes of Ireland, which portrayed the most significant events in Irish history up to the 16th century, Edward Rutherfurd once again revisits the verdant plains of Joyce's land. Ireland's Awakening covers the period from 1597 to the early decades of the 20th century. Through the daily lives of generations of families affected by the social and political upheavals of the time, he paints a picture of this country and its people, transforming one of Europe's most intriguing nations into a character. At the height of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, Ireland's destiny would be inexorably altered by the emergence of a key figure in the history of all Europe: Oliver Cromwell. His rise to power and campaign in Ireland marked the beginning of an era marked by the hegemony of Protestant power, relegating Catholic citizens to the background. The discovery of the New World, the turmoil caused by the French Revolution, and the Great Famine are other notable episodes addressed here by Rutherfurd. In THE IRELAND AWAKENING, Rutherfurd once again demonstrates his talent for blending fiction and reality in a compelling novel that addresses historical events as well as religious and political conflicts, assassinations, and wars. But it also offers a beautiful snapshot of the formation and development of the country and its inhabitants. Set against the backdrop of Ireland's dramatic political history, he revisits family dynasties, such as the Walshes and the Doyles, whose epic journeys through the centuries continue until the Easter Rising and Independence in the 20th century. Featuring anonymous characters who interact on equal terms with some famous names, such as Charles I of England, Jonathan Swift, and W.B. Yeats, THE IRELAND AWAKENING is the second volume of the Dublin saga. A powerful book, based on impeccable historical research.