Series
Publication
Ballantine Books (2005), Edition: Reprint, 800 pages
Original publication date
2004
Collections
Subjects
Description
A sweeping panorama steeped in the tragedy and glory that is Ireland, epitomizes the power and richness of Rutherford's storytelling magic. The saga begins in tribal, pre-Christian Ireland during the reign of the fierce and mighty High kings at Tara, with the fate of two lovers, the princely Conall and the ravishing Deirdre, whose travails cleverly echo the ancient Celtic legend of Cuchulainn.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dougwood57
I have read most of Edward Rutherfurd's historical novels ands on the my personal Rutherfurd Scale, I rate this book #3 behind only Sarum and London, but ahead of its sequel, the Rebels of Ireland, the Forest, and certainly well above Russka.
With good reason Rutherfurd is always compared to James
The Princes or Ireland focuses on Dublin and the area 'beyond the pale' over a span of 11 centuries beginning in 450 C.E. He spins his yarns around the fascinating tales of the Druids, St. Patrick, the Book of Kells, Brian Boru, the Vikings, and the English. Good historical fiction not only entertains, but it also leads the reader to want to learn more. Rutherfurd succeeds again.
An excellent read for anyone interested in Ireland, the Druids, the spread of Christianity, the beginnings of English colonialism or history in general. Highly recommended.
With good reason Rutherfurd is always compared to James
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Michener. Their works both tell sweeping histories through fiction by following several families through time. Their books are not Great Literature, but I do find Rutherfurd to be a consistently better novelist than Michener. The Princes or Ireland focuses on Dublin and the area 'beyond the pale' over a span of 11 centuries beginning in 450 C.E. He spins his yarns around the fascinating tales of the Druids, St. Patrick, the Book of Kells, Brian Boru, the Vikings, and the English. Good historical fiction not only entertains, but it also leads the reader to want to learn more. Rutherfurd succeeds again.
An excellent read for anyone interested in Ireland, the Druids, the spread of Christianity, the beginnings of English colonialism or history in general. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Saieeda
This was an excellent book and has become one of my favorites. It is an easy read with maps and genealogical charts to help you keep track of characters and changes that occur as centuries pass. An excellent explanation of early Irish history, Rutherfurd has a knack for making even the most trivial
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aspects of history personable. This isn't just watching events occur in an orderly fashion or looking at an important family. This book is about everyday people doing everyday things as history unfolds around them. Show Less
LibraryThing member jak1886
This book was my first venture into Edward Rutherfurd's works. When I began reading it, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to get through it. There was a lot of describing the scenery of the area of Dublin, before the story begins, which I find boring (thus the 3 stars) and almost put me off
Once the story begins, it gets much better. Rutherfurd helps the reader track who comes from what family by having certain traits passed down through the generations, such as the green eyes of the Ui Fergusa, though having that eye squint of the MacGowan's passed down seems a bit weird.
If anyone comes to this novel fairly ignorant of Ireland's history, as I was, it does a wonderful job of describing the historical events and doesn't leave the reader confused as to what was happening or why it was, or may have been, happening. If something about an event is not clear, such as who started it, why it started, etc., it's usually stated in some way.
Overall, this book is well written. Rutherford keeps you wanting to know what's going to happen to the families with the situations that he puts them in. His story includes tales of love (though this isn't a major plot line), intrigue, family relationships, and of course, history.
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of the book. I just need a vague idea, and I'm set to go. This persists throughout the book, but once I got into the story, I didn't notice it as much.Once the story begins, it gets much better. Rutherfurd helps the reader track who comes from what family by having certain traits passed down through the generations, such as the green eyes of the Ui Fergusa, though having that eye squint of the MacGowan's passed down seems a bit weird.
If anyone comes to this novel fairly ignorant of Ireland's history, as I was, it does a wonderful job of describing the historical events and doesn't leave the reader confused as to what was happening or why it was, or may have been, happening. If something about an event is not clear, such as who started it, why it started, etc., it's usually stated in some way.
Overall, this book is well written. Rutherford keeps you wanting to know what's going to happen to the families with the situations that he puts them in. His story includes tales of love (though this isn't a major plot line), intrigue, family relationships, and of course, history.
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LibraryThing member ASolomon
I really enjoyed this book and would reccomend it to Historical Fiction buffs.
LibraryThing member turtlesleap
This novel doesn't live up to the standaard Ruterford established for himself in "Sarum". Entertaining but not compelling.
LibraryThing member strandbooks
This is the third Edward Rutherford book I've read. I enjoyed London and Sarum better than this one. Rutherfurd's talent is making history easy to read. The characters are flat and meant to be more of a vehicle for the history lesson. He seemed to want to build deep multi-dimensional characters in
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the beginning of the book, but then lost steam by the end. Show Less
LibraryThing member jaygheiser
Mildly interesting as a story, I did learn something about the history of Dublin, especially its anachronistic and ambiguous relationship to the rest of the island.
LibraryThing member santhony
Rutherfurd is a modern day Michener, and if historical fiction is your cup of tea, Rutherfurd is a worthy successor. I first read his novel, Russka, and have subsequently read all his works (Sarum, London and Prices of Ireland). Of these, Russka is still my favorite. I don't put Rutherfurd in quite
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the same league as Michener and Clavell, but I'd be hard pressed to find anyone better at this genre at this point in time. Show Less
LibraryThing member BKSALLOVER
VERY DISAPPOINTING COMPARED TO HIS OTHER GREAT WORKS
LibraryThing member Glorybe1
I really enjoyed this book, which followed Rutherfurds tried and trusted method of taking the story right to the beginnings of time and working forward. I love the way he follows the fortunes of 5 or 6 families and at the same time letting us know the history of Dublin. I am not so keen on the
All in all a very good book, leaving you wanting to read the sequal (Ireland Awakening).
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pages of political history that accompanies the story but I suppose with a 'history' of you have to have some!All in all a very good book, leaving you wanting to read the sequal (Ireland Awakening).
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LibraryThing member Ginerbia
I listened this one on CD and was confused by the time jumps, little did I know that it was the "Abridged" version. UGH!!! no wonder!
It was worth a second try with the Unabridged version. The only way to go!
It was worth a second try with the Unabridged version. The only way to go!
LibraryThing member KRaySaulis
The sheer magnitude of this project is enough to earn this author at least three stars to begin with. This book spans generations of families, decades of history and hours of Irish myths and folklore. This book is well-researched and well-developed. My only complaint is the sentence structure was
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weak in a few places, but that is minor when compared to the novel itself! Show Less
LibraryThing member Cecrow
[Review of the audio, abridged version:] Offers a good foundational knowledge of early Irish history, albeit usually with a military slant. I expected Saint Patrick to appear in one of the vignettes, but in fact he was side-stepped and skipped over. I suppose it's because his story is told
Edward Rutherfurd is a great researcher and I always learn a lot of fascinating things from his work, but his writing wears me out. The fictional aspects ought to be the sugar that makes the medicine go down, but too often I find it's the non-fiction bits that help me swallow the treacle. He does have a knack for placing his characters as bit players where they'll see critical action play out, and how they're affected as a sample of the general repercussions that unfold. I'm interested in the rest of the story (post Henry VIII) and may follow this up with its sequel someday.
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frequently enough elsewhere. I learned that the Vikings were more successful at settling in Ireland than I had known, and that the initial English incursion were more subtle. The stories are all very Dublin-centered, as per the saga's title.Edward Rutherfurd is a great researcher and I always learn a lot of fascinating things from his work, but his writing wears me out. The fictional aspects ought to be the sugar that makes the medicine go down, but too often I find it's the non-fiction bits that help me swallow the treacle. He does have a knack for placing his characters as bit players where they'll see critical action play out, and how they're affected as a sample of the general repercussions that unfold. I'm interested in the rest of the story (post Henry VIII) and may follow this up with its sequel someday.
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LibraryThing member countrymouse
I'm a big Rutherfurd fan but had a harder time getting into this book for some reason. Not quite sure why - it just didn't "grab" me like Sarum and The Forest did.
LibraryThing member JanicsEblen
I have read several of Rutherfurd's books and enjoyed this the least. That does not mean it is not a good book - it just means I don't think it is as good as some others. If you don't have knowledge of Ireland - this is a good read for good basic history.
LibraryThing member maryreinert
Irish history from 430 AD through 1533 as told through families whose lives intertwine. From the primitive clans of Ireland, several families emerge; as the Vikings and Norse arrive, they become a part of the Irish culture. Even some from England "go native" as the Englishman would say. Through
One of the most interesting aspects to this book was the process that Ireland was overcome by the English. The Catholic Church provided the inroads to English rule. Catholic priests from the time of Saint Patrick through the time when it was the Irish monks who kept much of scripture alive, the priests were able to marry and had much more freedom. When the Pope got involved, those rules changed providing a way for the English to take control over the island. Dublin is the center of most of the action in the book as it was first established as a Viking port and then later as the main English stronghold.
None of the characters are particularly well drawn and only provide a way for Rutherford to tell the Irish history story. The book seems accurate in much of the description of famous Irish: Saint Patrick, Brian Boru, Henry II and finally Henry VIII whose break from the Catholic Church created even more havoc in Ireland. A good history .
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these years, wars are fought between clans and then between cultures and finally with the English who have taken over the island.One of the most interesting aspects to this book was the process that Ireland was overcome by the English. The Catholic Church provided the inroads to English rule. Catholic priests from the time of Saint Patrick through the time when it was the Irish monks who kept much of scripture alive, the priests were able to marry and had much more freedom. When the Pope got involved, those rules changed providing a way for the English to take control over the island. Dublin is the center of most of the action in the book as it was first established as a Viking port and then later as the main English stronghold.
None of the characters are particularly well drawn and only provide a way for Rutherford to tell the Irish history story. The book seems accurate in much of the description of famous Irish: Saint Patrick, Brian Boru, Henry II and finally Henry VIII whose break from the Catholic Church created even more havoc in Ireland. A good history .
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LibraryThing member cfk
Okay, I decided to try "The Princes of Ireland" by Rutherford by skipping most of the first section. What turned me off before is the image of women as merchandise and the source of most of the trouble, if not the root of or excuse for every war. That theme was still present through the rest of the
The biggest irony of all to me is that one of those petty kings named Diarmait invited King Henry II
in by way of gaining fighters. And the rest is history...........
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book. Add to that petty kings battling to become the High King, Christianity, and the Vikings pushing in on top of the Celtics, Irish, Scots and Norse and you end up with endless bloody battles.The biggest irony of all to me is that one of those petty kings named Diarmait invited King Henry II
in by way of gaining fighters. And the rest is history...........
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LibraryThing member shaunesay
Edward Rutherfurd has an interesting and different way of telling a story. He takes an area, and instead of making the historical figures the focal point of the stories, he puts them on the periphery so that their influence is felt, but the true story of the land and it's people is told using
The Princes of Ireland begins around 430 AD when the Druids are still the ruling religious leaders and ends around 1534 AD during the reign of King Henry VIII. Rutherfurd makes history accessible and shows events from the people's point of view. I always end up going to look up events or people while reading his books, learning even more!
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mostly fictitious people living and interacting in that time period. He encompasses vast amounts of time by telling multiple stories that take place over the course of generations, in the same location, where traits of ancestors are passed on, hair color, eye color, mannerisms, and the stories of those ancestors evolve over time, just as their descendants do. I recommend his books to lovers of the historical epic, who enjoy getting the feel of an area and it's culture. There are always interesting and surprising historical tidbits that arise during the telling.The Princes of Ireland begins around 430 AD when the Druids are still the ruling religious leaders and ends around 1534 AD during the reign of King Henry VIII. Rutherfurd makes history accessible and shows events from the people's point of view. I always end up going to look up events or people while reading his books, learning even more!
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LibraryThing member christinejoseph
Dublin Saga
Beyond the Pale (outside Dublin) — with mystical Celtic Cross
Wild geese — Catholics fled Ireland
Ulster more Prot. than Cath.'s
Home rule ___ Rome rule to then
Irish from everywhere, Viking, French, Italian, British — great achievements outside Ireland
Brilliantly weaving impeccable
Beyond the Pale (outside Dublin) — with mystical Celtic Cross
Wild geese — Catholics fled Ireland
Ulster more Prot. than Cath.'s
Home rule ___ Rome rule to then
Irish from everywhere, Viking, French, Italian, British — great achievements outside Ireland
Brilliantly weaving impeccable
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historical research with stirring storytelling, Edward Rutherfurd explores our shared Celtic roots in a magnificent epic of Ireland spanning eleven centuries. While vividly conveying the passions and struggles that shaped particularly the character of Dublin, Rutherfurd portrays the major events in Irish history: the tribal culture of pagan Ireland; the mission of Saint Patrick; the coming of the Vikings; the making of treasures like the Book of Kells; and the tricks of Henry II, which gave England its first foothold in medieval Ireland. Show Less
LibraryThing member SEliz
Edward Rutherford obviously did his research on the history of Ireland for this book, which seems to be the main intent for the book. At first, I could barely put it down, but as it went on stretching from the time of the ancient Celtic druids to King Henry VIII in the 16th century, there was a lot
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in the smaller stories and characters that felt redundant to me. I enjoyed seeing the transgression of names and the connections through ancestors, but I would have liked to have focused on some of the characters and their stories more. It would have actually made a good series if the stories could have more varied details to them, adding new life to each. Show Less
LibraryThing member leoithne
[Copied over from Goodreads]
The beginning of this book was really, really hard for me to get through. However, the more I read the more happy I was.
Some of the historical facts I have never even heard of (such as druid tonsures), I can't find information on them anywhere, so I'm really confused on
However, overall I think he did really good with the historical things. I obviously can't judge much of it because I'm not that knowledgeable in Irish history, but still, I'd say it was done well.
The beginning of this book was really hard to read due to a few things (which do carry through the book, but not as bad as the beginning):
a) The writing style. It was written in a way that reminded me way too much of a history textbook. Parts of it were literally textbook-type of entries, and the story itself was just so stiff. It dragged heavily.
b) The repetition was atrocious. How many times do you need to repeat ''on the island'' and the ''in the Celtic world''?
c) The characters were so cardboardy. I couldn't tell if he was trying to sort of do his writing in a way to resemble reading or hearing an old legend or myth or if it was the textbookishness. At this point I feel like he attempted the first but ended up with the latter.
Another pet peeve was the whole lumping Celtic cultures together. I don't think there was once he ever used ''Gael''. What was the point in using ''Celtic'' when you were focusing on Ireland? Celtic peoples are not all the same. Don't lump in the rest with Ireland, dude, especially without reason.
As I continue reading the chapters, those things do continue on, but are a lot easier to swallow and easier to get into.
The characters got better. The plots got more interesting. All the historical stuff of course was interesting, and didn't come off quite as textbookish.
Well... I did have a HUGE problem with the characters going through the rest of the chapters. Don't get me wrong here, it was super interesting to see the descendants of the original characters and all but - it gets super, super tiring when they are almost literally the same as their original ancestors. It just doesn't really work that way. I was constantly waiting to see certain key elements of sort of slowly disappear over the ages but they didn't. You expect me to believe every generation kept on to their one ancestor's traits?
But again, negativity aside, I really did enjoy this book in the end. I've never seen this kind of thing done before in a historical fiction, so it was super fun and I was partially learning things. It makes me want to get back into history again. It was fun to read some of the plots and get into some daily lives. Even some of the plots which I found super silly I could still just see happening. I just wish there had been some more editing and some more thought on some aspects.
I will be picking up the second sometime in the future.
The beginning of this book was really, really hard for me to get through. However, the more I read the more happy I was.
Some of the historical facts I have never even heard of (such as druid tonsures), I can't find information on them anywhere, so I'm really confused on
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that aspect. Was it something at the time this was written people thought was true, and later decided not? Was it ever a thing? Or is it just not something widely spoken of? No idea. However, overall I think he did really good with the historical things. I obviously can't judge much of it because I'm not that knowledgeable in Irish history, but still, I'd say it was done well.
The beginning of this book was really hard to read due to a few things (which do carry through the book, but not as bad as the beginning):
a) The writing style. It was written in a way that reminded me way too much of a history textbook. Parts of it were literally textbook-type of entries, and the story itself was just so stiff. It dragged heavily.
b) The repetition was atrocious. How many times do you need to repeat ''on the island'' and the ''in the Celtic world''?
c) The characters were so cardboardy. I couldn't tell if he was trying to sort of do his writing in a way to resemble reading or hearing an old legend or myth or if it was the textbookishness. At this point I feel like he attempted the first but ended up with the latter.
Another pet peeve was the whole lumping Celtic cultures together. I don't think there was once he ever used ''Gael''. What was the point in using ''Celtic'' when you were focusing on Ireland? Celtic peoples are not all the same. Don't lump in the rest with Ireland, dude, especially without reason.
As I continue reading the chapters, those things do continue on, but are a lot easier to swallow and easier to get into.
The characters got better. The plots got more interesting. All the historical stuff of course was interesting, and didn't come off quite as textbookish.
Well... I did have a HUGE problem with the characters going through the rest of the chapters. Don't get me wrong here, it was super interesting to see the descendants of the original characters and all but - it gets super, super tiring when they are almost literally the same as their original ancestors. It just doesn't really work that way. I was constantly waiting to see certain key elements of sort of slowly disappear over the ages but they didn't. You expect me to believe every generation kept on to their one ancestor's traits?
But again, negativity aside, I really did enjoy this book in the end. I've never seen this kind of thing done before in a historical fiction, so it was super fun and I was partially learning things. It makes me want to get back into history again. It was fun to read some of the plots and get into some daily lives. Even some of the plots which I found super silly I could still just see happening. I just wish there had been some more editing and some more thought on some aspects.
I will be picking up the second sometime in the future.
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LibraryThing member justagirlwithabook
This book has been described as a sweeping saga of the history of Ireland, and I wouldn't disagree with that assessment. The interesting part about this book is that it is part historical fiction and part actual history book. Rutherfurd introduces all sorts of characters as he moves through time to
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cover thousands of years of Irish history. While some reviewers have stated disappointment that they could not remain with the characters longer (as time jumps forwards as we come to a new chapter), I was happy that we were continually introduced to new characters that were descendants of the original characters at the beginning (at the start of Irish history). Many characters were not too well-developed and so spending more time with them would've become boring. If you want an interesting way of getting a ton of Irish history crammed into just under 800 pages, this is the book to pick up. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for 10 years waiting for me to get the time to tackle a 700+ page book of historical fiction that covers 1100 years of happenings in Ireland. It took a global pandemic for me to pull it off the shelf and finish it. Maybe there is a silver lining to all
This book starts in the year AD 430 which was before St. Patrick came to Ireland so the prevailing religion was druidic. Areas of the island were under the control of different chiefs and kings but there was one High King. The High King was chosen by the druids and he had to mate with a white female horse to show he had the necessary qualities. One did not disobey an edict from the druids or the High King but Deirdre, daughter of Fergus who controlled the crossing of the Liffey River near Dubh Lin (which means dark pool), and Conall, nephew of the High King, decided to run away together rather than let Deirdre become the High King's second wife. Conall paid the ultimate price for his disobedience but he impregnated Deidre before he was killed starting one of the clans that takes part in Irish history from then on. Other families are brought in throughout the book. Of course there is intermarrying and it was confusing at times to remember who was a descendent of whom. Fortunately there is a family tree at the beginning and I resorted to it often. There are also three maps at the start of the book: one of the whole island, one of the area surrounding Dublin and one of medieval Dublin itself. I also flipped back to them often. Another resource is the pronunciation guide at the back of the book which aided me in mentally saying the place names, peoples' names and phrases sprinkled throughout the book. I truly appreciated this reference material; that's how historical fiction should be.
If I have one complaint about this book it is that there is not much mention of other areas of Ireland besides the Dublin region. I suppose if Rutherfurd had included that the book would be even bigger. He has written a follow up to this book; I'll have to try to get it to see if it branches farther afield.
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this enforced isolation.This book starts in the year AD 430 which was before St. Patrick came to Ireland so the prevailing religion was druidic. Areas of the island were under the control of different chiefs and kings but there was one High King. The High King was chosen by the druids and he had to mate with a white female horse to show he had the necessary qualities. One did not disobey an edict from the druids or the High King but Deirdre, daughter of Fergus who controlled the crossing of the Liffey River near Dubh Lin (which means dark pool), and Conall, nephew of the High King, decided to run away together rather than let Deirdre become the High King's second wife. Conall paid the ultimate price for his disobedience but he impregnated Deidre before he was killed starting one of the clans that takes part in Irish history from then on. Other families are brought in throughout the book. Of course there is intermarrying and it was confusing at times to remember who was a descendent of whom. Fortunately there is a family tree at the beginning and I resorted to it often. There are also three maps at the start of the book: one of the whole island, one of the area surrounding Dublin and one of medieval Dublin itself. I also flipped back to them often. Another resource is the pronunciation guide at the back of the book which aided me in mentally saying the place names, peoples' names and phrases sprinkled throughout the book. I truly appreciated this reference material; that's how historical fiction should be.
If I have one complaint about this book it is that there is not much mention of other areas of Ireland besides the Dublin region. I suppose if Rutherfurd had included that the book would be even bigger. He has written a follow up to this book; I'll have to try to get it to see if it branches farther afield.
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LibraryThing member CatherineMilos
Read this over ten years ago and it still stuck with me. A skillfully written work.
LibraryThing member Pmaurer
Lots of Irish history, told through fictional family groups.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9780345472359
Physical description
800 p.; 5.53 inches
Pages
800