Frank Delaney delved into the depths of human experience and Irish history with his writing. His prose is characterized by rich language and a penetrating gaze into the complex relationships between people and their past. Delaney explored themes of identity, memory, and the constant negotiation between tradition and modernity. His work resonates with timeless power, offering readers a profoundly moving experience.
Set in 1950s Ireland, the narrative immerses readers in a richly detailed landscape filled with vibrant characters. The story explores the intricate political and personal relationships that shape the lives of its inhabitants, offering a compelling blend of historical context and emotional depth. Delaney's vivid descriptions create an engaging atmosphere that brings the era to life, making it a captivating read.
A captivating tale of Ireland, exploring its extraordinary land and tumultuous history through pre-history, showcasing the island's enduring allure.
Set against the backdrop of a tumultuous Ireland in 1922, a young Marine chaplain grapples with the trauma of war and a troubling past involving corruption in the Church. Sent to reconnect with his heritage along the River Shannon, he seeks healing and purpose amidst the chaos of civil war. As he navigates the complexities of his homeland's myths and traditions, he finds solace and inspiration in the journey to rediscover his soul, guided by the wisdom of his mentor.
In the winter of 1951, a storyteller arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. The last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, the Seanchai enthralls his assembled audience for three evenings running with narratives of foolish kings and fabled saints, of enduring accomplishments and selfless acts -- until he is banished from the household for blasphemy and moves on. But these three incomparable nights have changed young Ronan forever, setting him on the course he will follow for years to come -- as he pursues the elusive, itinerant storyteller . . . and the magical tales that are no less than the glorious saga of his tenacious, troubled, and extraordinary isle.
The powerful new thriller from one of Britain's most skilled and wide-ranging novelists and broadcasters, featuring Nicholas Newman, the hero of The Amethysts, the pscyhological thriller acclaimed by the Sunday Telegraph as 'harrowing, absorbing ... unforgettable'. Played out in the arena of football, Pearl is a compelling story in which the past rises to dominate the present and perhaps the future. Nicholas Newman, affluent, successful, but emotionally unresolved, is a reluctant discoverer of events that took place during the Second World War. Placed under huge moral pressure by the terms of a dead friend's bequest, he stumbles upon a secret that directs the violence on the football terraces of Europe. One of his clients holds the key. Johan Pearl -- 'the Black Pearl' -- a Dutch international footballer, has commissioned Newman to design his house. With the plans comes extraordinary violence, and Nicholas Newman is once again at the centre of a psychological mystery that he can resolve only by examining his own life.
A tale of love and revenge told in the alternating voices of the two main characters.
A story within a story in which a historian discovers a manuscript in an old trunk which proves to be the memoirs of Charles O'Brien, an itinerant healer in Ireland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, in which he tells of his influence on some of the great writers of the time, and explains how his life changed at the age of forty when he fell in love with, and was rejected by, a beautiful, young Englishwoman
Set against the backdrop of January 1932 Ireland, the story follows young Ben MacCarthy as he embarks on a quest to retrieve his father, who has abandoned the family for a life with the captivating Venetia Kelly of a traveling variety troupe. This journey transforms into a coming-of-age odyssey, filled with a rich cast of characters, including Venetia's enigmatic family and a truth-telling ventriloquist's dummy. The narrative explores themes of abandonment, identity, and the quest for belonging over a decade of tumultuous change.
This book aims to trace the origin, growth, flowering and eventual decline of the Celts, a people who are traditionally portrayed as wild, excitable, warlike, ferocious and uncivilized. In truth, despite their numerical smallness they made a major contribution to Western civilization.
