{"title":"Frank Delaney","description":"Frank Delaney is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Ireland, as well as The Last Storyteller, The Matchmaker of Kenmare, Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, Tipperary, Shannon, and Simple Courage: A True Story of Peril on the Sea. A former judge for the Man Booker Prize, Delaney enjoyed a prominent career in BBC broadcasting before becoming a full-time writer. Delaney died in 2017.","products":[{"product_id":"ireland-paperback","title":"Ireland - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Dramatic, adventurous, heroic, romantic. . . these historical chronicles, legends, myths, tall tales and fables, featuring warriors, kings, monks, explorers and clever common folk, imaginatively tell the history of Ireland.\" -- \u003cem\u003ePhiladelphia Inquirer\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling epic is an unforgettable tour de force that marries the intimate, passionate texture of the Irish spirit with a historical scope that is sweeping and resplendent. Storyteller extraordinaire Frank Delaney takes his readers on a journey through the history of Ireland, stopping along the way to evoke the dramatic events and personalities so critical to shaping the Irish experience.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, setting him on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the winter of 1951, a storyteller, the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition, arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. For three wonderful evenings, the old gentleman enthralls his assembled local audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments before moving on. But these nights change young Ronan forever, setting him on a years-long pursuit of the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the glorious tales that are no less than the saga of his tenacious and extraordinary isle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50103940612319,"sku":"9780061244438","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/XoaVYKpWIG9780061244438.webp?v=1781099789"},{"product_id":"the-last-storyteller-a-novel-of-ireland-paperback","title":"The Last Storyteller: A Novel of Ireland - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Riveting . . . Readers will quickly warm to  Frank] Delaney's vividly described Ireland of the 1950s, its fully realized inhabitants, and the dynamic political and personal relationships that make for a remarkable story.\"\u003ci\u003e--Publishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"If we're to live good lives, we have to tell ourselves our own story. In a good way.\" So says Ben MacCarthy's beloved mentor, and it is this fateful advice that will guide Ben through the tumultuous events of Ireland in 1956. The national mood is downtrodden; poverty, corruption, and an armed rebellion rattle the countryside; and although Ben wants no part of the insurrection, he unknowingly falls in with an IRA sympathizer. Yet despite his perilous circumstances, all he can think about is finding his former wife and true love, Venetia Kelly, who after many years has returned to Ireland with her brutish new husband, a popular stage performer. Determined not to lose Venetia again, Ben calls upon every bit of his passion and courage to win her back, while finally reconciling his violent past with his hopes for a bright future. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Brimming with fascinating Irish history, daring intrigue, and the drama of legendary love, \u003ci\u003eThe Last Storyteller\u003c\/i\u003e is an unforgettable novel as richly textured and inspiring as Ireland itself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"A colorful, leisurely tale, with dark moments as well as humor and grace.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Star-Ledger \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"A magical tale  that] weaves in a jackpot of Irish myths.\"--Bookreporter \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"Character-rich and dramatic.\"--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50104419025119,"sku":"9780812979756","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/sRY-O2ctC79780812979756.webp?v=1781108267"},{"product_id":"tipperary-a-novel-of-ireland-paperback","title":"Tipperary: A Novel of Ireland - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"My wooing began in passion, was defined by violence and circumscribed by land; all these elements molded my soul.\" So writes Charles O'Brien, the unforgettable hero of bestselling author Frank Delaney's extraordinary novel--a sweeping epic of obsession, profound devotion, and compelling history involving a turbulent era that would shape modern Ireland. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Born into a respected Irish-Anglo family in 1860, Charles loves his native land and its long-suffering but irrepressible people. As a healer, he travels the countryside dispensing traditional cures while soaking up stories and legends of bygone times-and witnessing the painful, often violent birth of land-reform measures destined to lead to Irish independence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e At the age of forty, summoned to Paris to treat his dying countryman-the infamous Oscar Wilde-Charles experiences the fateful moment of his life. In a chance encounter with a beautiful and determined young Englishwoman, eighteen-year-old April Burke, he is instantly and passionately smitten-but callously rejected. Vowing to improve himself, Charles returns to Ireland, where he undertakes the preservation of the great and abandoned estate of Tipperary, in whose shadow he has lived his whole life-and which, he discovers, may belong to April and her father. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As Charles pursues his obsession, he writes the \"History\" of his own life and country. While doing so, he meets the great figures of the day, including Charles Parnell, William Butler Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. And he also falls victim to less well-known characters-who prove far more dangerous. \u003ci\u003eTipperary\u003c\/i\u003e also features a second \"historian: \" a present-day commentator, a retired and obscure history teacher who suddenly discovers that he has much at stake in the telling of Charles's story. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this gloriously absorbing and utterly satisfying novel, a man' s passion for the woman he loves is twinned with his country's emergence as a nation. With storytelling as sweeping and dramatic as the land itself, myth, fact, and fiction are all woven together with the power of the great nineteenth-century novelists. \u003ci\u003eTipperary \u003c\/i\u003eonce again proves Frank Delaney's unrivaled mastery at bringing Irish history to life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eTipperary\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"The narrative moves swiftly and surely. . . . A sort of Irish \u003ci\u003eGone With the Wind\u003c\/i\u003e, marked by sly humor, historical awareness and plenty of staying power.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Another meticulously researched journey...Delaney's careful scholarship and compelling storytelling bring it uniquely alive. Highly recommended.\"\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (starred)\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50104486068447,"sku":"9780812975949","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/8CmUkBK4z-9780812975949.webp?v=1781108415"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/frank-delaney.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}