Ireland by Frank Delaney

Ireland by Frank Delaney (2008)

Ireland by Frank Delaney starts in 1951 in rural Ireland.   One of the last of the roaming story tellers that once were common in Ireland and who as a group had a big part in keeping Irish traditional alive during centuries of destructive colonial rule shows up at a house..  The story tellers would approach homes and tell stories for as long as they were welcome, in exchange for keep and what ever funds were offered.   Word would circulate in the area that a story teller was at someone's house and crowds would gather to hear the stories of old legends, the days of Cromwell, the wars for independence and much more.  I think the story I enjoyed best was the one about the man who designed and directed the building of Newgrange.  A young man in the house hold was totally fascinated and he spend years trying to track down the story teller.  

I am keeping some of my posts quite brief as I am getting behind in my posting.  My bottom line on this novel is I found the stories really interesting but after a while I got bored with the drama involving the family of the young man who tried to find the story teller and his quest to find him.

If you are crazy for stories about Ireland and do not like learning history from history books, then perhaps you would be a good candidate to enjoy or purchase this book.  I did not have to pay for this book (through a source other than the publisher) and  I do not endorse the purchase of this book for anyone who feels a need to budget their book purchases or who does not have unlimited reading time.  

Mel u