Ireland Historical Fiction

From New York Times bestselling author Owen King, who “writes with witty verve” (Entertainment Weekly) comes a “richly imagined” (The New York Times) Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm where cats are revered as religious figures, thieves are noble, scholars are revolutionaries, and conjurers are the most wonderful criminals you can imagine.

A world in turmoil. A new religion. A struggling community. Can a pagan woman protect her family without falling prey to both Christians and power-hungry Fae? Ireland, 470. In an ancient world torn between old traditions and new beliefs, a pagan woman finds herself caught in a perilous struggle to protect her family from the clutches of both zealous Christians and power-hungry Fae. Clíodhna mourns the presumed loss of her husband, and as the months pass with no sign of his return, she clings to her ancestral customs. She distrusts the encroaching dominance of the burgeoning Christian faith...

Kathleen 'Kick' Kennedy, a recent arrival to England from Massachusetts, is already a huge hit in 1930s London society. Her status as the daughter of an ambassador puts her at the centre of the most elite social circles but being an American and a Catholic sets her apart, something she only comes to realise when she falls for Billy Cavendish, the future Duke of Devonshire. Their families will never approve the match - if her parents find out about their romantic attachment, she risks being sent back to America.

The mid-1800s is a time of great change for James McGrother and his family. Friendship and loyalty draw the Irish fisherman into a world he would rather stay away from. Choices must be made that could bring the wrath of an old enemy upon James' head. How many fresh starts should a person have to make in their lifetime? Why is it that just when you think your boat has reached the shore, the tide turns and sweeps you back out to a stormy sea?

Bytown, 1836: The lawless cesspool that will become the city of Ottawa is beginning to reek of more than just swamp water. Rife with squalor, corruption, and organized crime, class injustice divides the town more starkly than the canal that bisects it, cutting off its Irish poor—who are ready to fight back. On a homestead in the woods near Bytown, a domestic drama is also reaching a fever pitch

John is a prince without prospect of a crown. As the youngest son of Henry II, he has long borne the hated nickname "Lackland." When warring tribes and an ambitious Anglo-Norman lord threaten Henry's reign in Ireland, John believes his time has finally come. Henry is dispatching him there with a mighty force to impose order.

A dead body washed up after a flood dressed in evening finery is not a sight often seen in the slums of Cork city, Ireland. When Reverend Mother Aquinas discovers the body at the gate of the convent chapel she teams up with former pupil, Police Sergeant Patrick Cashman and Dr Sher, a physician and friend to find out who the woman was - and who killed her.

Treasure seeking explorers stumble upon an ancient tomb and unwittingly awaken a terrifying monster created long ago. The fate of the beloved Scottish Queen Mary, becomes mysteriously tied to this creature, and her death sets in motion events that will haunt villages along the coast of Ireland for centuries. Fast forward 88 years to 1852 in New York City. Two brothers, living very different lives, travel to Ireland due to their father’s death and discover the existence of the monster.

Inspired by a true story. In 1825, in a remote Irish valley lying between the mountains and Flesk River of Killarney, three women are brought together by strange and troubling events. Nora Leahy, a widow, has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year and is now burdened with the care of her grandson, Michael. The boy cannot walk or speak, and Nora has kept him hidden from neighbours, who might see in his deformity evidence of supernatural interference.

Circa 2200 BCE: Changes rocking the Continent reach Eire with the dawning Bronze Age. Well before any Celts, marauders invade the island seeking copper and gold. The young astronomer Boann and the enigmatic Cian need all their wits and courage to save their people and their great Boyne mounds, when long bronze knives challenge the peaceful native starwatchers. Banished to far coasts, Cian discovers how to outwit the invaders at their own game. Tensions on Eire between new and old cultures and between Boann, Elcmar, and her son Aengus, ultimately explode.

Dolly Jamieson is not homeless, she's merely between permanent abodes. The 78-year-old spends her days keeping warm at the local library, where she enjoys sparring with the officious head librarian and helping herself to the free morning tea. It's not so bad, really. But it's certainly a far cry from the 1960s, when this humble girl from Geelong became an international star of the stage. As the acclaimed lead in the Broadway production of The Rose of France, all Dolly's dreams had come true. So how, in her old age, did she end up here?

In AD 670 Fidelma of Cashel is asked to act as an advisor to the Irish delegation to a church council hostile to the Celtic Church. In an abbey in Burgundy, Bishop Leodegar of Autun has assembled church leaders from all over Western Europe - an assembly that soon descends into chaos. That night one of the delegates is found murdered, his skull crushed, and Fidelma and her companion, Brother Eadulf, are suddenly in the midst of a murder investigation involving some of the most power religious leaders.

In 5th-century pagan-dominated Ireland, Brigid is born a slave to her own father and is separated from her mother. Desperately seeking love and acceptance, Brigid becomes a believer in Christ.

Number one New York Times best-selling author Susan Wiggs sweeps listeners away to the misty coast of Ireland in an irresistible tale of falling in love with the enemy.

When he falls for a woman promised to another, can an enchanted family heirloom aid his quest to Scotland and his ardent desire? Ireland, 1746. In a mystical land where legends come alive and destiny weaves its intricate tapestry, Éamonn Doherty is a man of indulgence. Wine, gambling, and song fuel his life. But when his wandering eye lands upon a flame-haired beauty impervious to his charm, he’s intrigued. Despite her relentless rejection of his gallant advances, Éamonn is determined to win her heart, no matter the cost. With unwavering perseverance, the cocksure rake ignites a spark ...

It's the 1880s, and James and Mary McGrother's family has been divided by emigration, like many of their neighbors in the village of Blackrock in county Louth. The couple who survived the Great Hunger have had to watch more than half their family leave the parish. The responsibility to care for one another extends beyond blood or marriage ties for the McGrother family in New York, when a young Irishman goes missing in America. Back in Ireland, at a time when James and Mary least expect it, a family member returns - but not everyone is pleased with the reunion.

In 12th-century Ireland, four rival kings fought ferociously, leaving scorched earth and bloodshed as the Church’s saints tried to intervene. In the end, death and destruction rendered the country unable to defend itself from invaders across the sea. Who were the kings and how did sixty years of desperate wars set in motion the events leading to a divided land? Based on the actual events recorded by monks, this novel tells a compelling story about the most pivotal event in Irish history.

When Nepommuck is found with a dagger in his back, Henry Higgins becomes Scotland Yard’s prime suspect. However, Eliza learns that most of Nepommuck’s pupils had a reason to murder their blackmailing teacher. As another suspect turns up dead and evidence goes missing, Eliza and Higgins realize the only way to clear the Professor’s name is to discover which of Nepommuck’s many enemies is the real killer.

Winter, 670 AD. King Colg has invited the leading nobles and chieftains of his kingdom to a feast day. Fidelma and her companion Eadulf are finally home for an extended stay, and have promised their son, Alch, that they'll be able to spend some time together after months of being on the road, investigating crimes. Fidelma and Eadulf are enjoying the feast when it is interrupted by the entrance of a religieux, who claims he has an important message for the King.

In 1950s Dublin, life is hard and jobs are like gold dust. Nineteen-year-old Nell Flynn is training to be a nurse and planning to marry her boyfriend, Liam Connor, when her mother dies, leaving her younger sisters destitute. To save them from the workhouse, Nell returns to the family home - a mere two rooms at the top of a condemned tenement. Nell finds work at a biscuit factory and, at first, they scrape through each week.