This work attempts to provide a portrait of Joyce from many viewpoints, aiming at selecting those interviews and recollections that have not been reprinted as well as those that are not readily accessible. James Joyce was a self-centred man. Unlike Wilde and Behan, who were too busy living to write, Joyce, like O'Casey and Yeats, gave the totality of his life to his art. He did not find his diversion in his friends because of the exigencies of his work. However, he was not unsociable - he was capable of strong friendships and the number of people who knew him was enormous, as this collection tries to reflect.

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 honoredcenturies-old tradition, the Seanchai enthralls his assembled audience forthree 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, storyteller..and the magical tales that are no less than the glorious saga of his extraordinary i

One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller arrives unannounced and mysterious at a house in the Irish countryside. By the November fireside he begins to tell the story of this extraordinary land. One of his listeners, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the storytelling that, when the old man leaves, he devotes his life to finding him again. It is a search that uncovers both passions and mysteries, in his own life as well as the old man's, and their solving becomes the thrilling climax to this tale. But the life of this boy is more than just his story: it is also the telling of a people, the narrative of a nation, the history of Ireland in all its drama, intrigue and heroism. IRELAND travels through the centuries by way of story after story, from the savage grip of the Ice Age to the green and troubled land of tourist brochures and news headlines. Along the way, we meet foolish kings and innocent monks, god-heroes and great works of art, shrewd Norman raiders and envoys from Rome, leaders, poets and lovers. Each illuminates the magic of Ireland, the power of England and the eternal connection to the land.

Returning hero Ben McCarthy's rich and surprising saga comes to a stirring close. Ben is at last reunited with his beloved Venetia Kelly - but the path to true happiness never did run smooth, and it won't for Ben, especially since the backdrop is the Irish Republican Army campaign along the Irish Border, which began in 1956.

In the summer of 1922, Robert Shannon, a Marine chaplain and a young American hero of the Great War, lands in Ireland. He still suffers from shell shock, and his mentor hopes that a journey Robert had always wanted to make--to find his family roots along the banks of the River Shannon--will restore his equilibrium and his vocation. But there is more to the story: On his return from the war, Robert had witnessed startling corruption in the Archdiocese of Boston. He has been sent to Ireland to secure his silence--permanently. As Robert faces the dangers of a strife-torn Ireland roiling in civil war, the nation's myths and people, its beliefs and traditions, unfurl healingly before him. And the River Shannon gives comfort to the young man who is inspired by the words of his mentor: "Find your soul and you'll live."

In the summer of 1943, as World War II rages on, Ben MacCarthy is haunted by the disappearance of his wife, the actress Venetia Kelly. Searching for purpose by collecting stories for the Irish Folklore Commission, he travels to a remote seaside cottage to profile the enigmatic Miss Kate Begley, the Matchmaker of Kenmare. Ben is immediately captivated by her, and a powerful friendship is forged. But when Charles Miller, a handsome American military intelligence officer, arrives on the scene, Miss Begley looks to make a match for herself. Miller needs a favor, but it will be dangerous. Under the cover of their neutrality as Irish citizens, Miss Begley and Ben travel to London and effectively operate as spies. As they are drawn more deeply and painfully into the conflict, both discover the perils of neutrality--in both love and war.
Steeped in colorful history, "The Matchmaker of Kenmare "is a lush and surprising novel, rich as myth, tense as a thriller, and, like all grand tales, harrowing, sometimes hilarious, and heartbreaking.

The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "Ireland" returns to the saga of his strife-torn nation with an authentic story of love and legacy as sweeping and dramatic as the land itself.