IRELAND: AWAKENING

Following the critically acclaimed success of Dublin, this riveting sequel takes the story of Ireland from the seventeenth century onwards, picking up at the Reformation, and with it, the devastating arrival of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell heralds the inauguration of two hundred years of Protestant dominance, throughout which many of the Irish people were impoverished and dispossessed. Dublin is made a Protestant capital, and Catholics become an underclass. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Irish political history, this powerful saga is brought to its conclusion. Journeying through the centuries right the way up to the twentieth century’s Easter Rising and Independence, passing through turbulent milestones such as The Year of the French, the Famine and The Home Rule Movement of Parnell along the way. ‘The author bounds excitedly through Irish history, interweaving narrative with historical encounters... Rutherfurd keeps racing through the pages’ Daily Express ''Breathtaking... an astounding achievement'' Frank Delaney ''Sublime talent... this is history with a human face and a fanciful soul'' Good Book Guide ''Edward Rutherfurd has written about Dublin with love. It is an expertly researched and highly readable account of a place he has grown to know well'' Maeve Binchy, Ireland on Sunday