The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance

Trisha Telep
was the romance and fantasy book buyer at Murder One, the UK’s premier crime and romance bookstore. She has recently re-launched this classic bookshop online at www.murderone.co.uk. Original y from Vancouver, Canada, she completed the Master of Publishing program at Simon Fraser University before moving to London. She lives in Hackney with her boyfriend, filmmaker Christopher Joseph.

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Constable & Robinson Ltd

3 The Lanchesters

162 Fulham Palace Road

London W6 9ER

www.constablerobinson.com

First published in the UK by Robinson,

an imprint of Constable & Robinson, 2010

Copyright © Trisha Telep, 2010 (unless otherwise indicated) The right of Trisha Telep to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication

Data is available from the British Library

UK ISBN 978-1-84901-112-9

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

First published in the United States in 2010 by Running Press Book Publishers All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

US Library of Congress number: 2009938217

US ISBN 978-0-7624-3831-0

Running Press Book Publishers

2300 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371

Visit us on the web!

www.runningpress.com

Printed and bound in the EU

Contents

Acknowledgments

THE BLUE PEBBLE

Claire Delacroix

THE BALLAD OF ROSAMUNDE

Margo Maguire

ORACLE

Cat Adams

THE TRIALS OF BRYAN MURPHY

Cindy Miles

NIA AND THE BEAST OF KILLARNEY WOOD

Patricia Rice

BEYOND THE VEIL

Jennifer Ashley

SHIFTER MADE

Kathleen Givens

DAUGHTER OF THE SEA

Jenna Maclaine

THE WARRIOR

Dara England

ETERNAL STRIFE

Cindy Holby

QUICKSILVER

Helen Scott Taylor

THE FEAST OF BEAUTY

Roberta Gel is

COMPEER

Ciar Cul en

ON INISHMORE

Susan Krinard

THE MORRÍGAN’S DAUGHTER

Nadia Wil iams

TARA’S FIND

Penelope Neri

THE SKRYING GLASS

Sandra Newgent

THE HOUNDMASTER

Sue-El en Welfonder

THE SEVENTH SISTER

Pat McDermott

BY THE LIGHT OF MY HEART

Glossary

Author Biographies

Acknowledgments

“The Blue Pebble” © by Shirley Kennedy. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Bal ad of Rosamunde” © by Claire Delacroix, Inc. First publication, original to this anthology.

Printed by permission of the author.

“Oracle” © by Margo Maguire. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Trials of Bryan Murphy” © by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Nia and the Beast of Kil arney Wood” © by Cindy Miles. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Beyond the Veil” © by Rice Enterprises. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Shifter Made” © by Jennifer Ashley. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Daughter of the Sea” © by Kathleen Givens. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Warrior” © by Jenna Maclaine. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Eternal Strife” © by Dara England. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Quicksilver” © by Cindy Holby. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Feast of Beauty” © by Helen Scott Taylor. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Compeer” © by Roberta Gel is. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“On Inishmore” © by Ciar Cul en. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Morrígan’s Daughter” © by Susan Krinard. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“Tara’s Find” © by Nadia Wil iams. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Skrying Glass” © by Penelope Neri. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Houndmaster” © by Sandra L. Patrick. First publication, original to this anthology. Printed by permission of the author.

“The Seventh Sister” © by Sue-El en Welfonder. First publication, original to this anthology.

Printed by permission of the author.

“By the Light of My Heart” © by Patricia Shagoury. First publication, original to this anthology.

Printed by permission of the author.

Ireland is a land of romance. Pure and simple. And you don’t have to be an expert in Irish lore to appreciate the fantastic opportunities that Ireland offers romance writers: its tumultuous, battle-rife history of clans, territories and kingdoms; its pantheon of heroes, goddesses, saints and magic to rival Rome’s, and its legends of the most fantastical beasts and magical creatures ever recorded.

You don’t need, either, to know everything about the
Tuatha Dé Danann
to appreciate these ancient gods of
eire
with their beauty, immense strength, and immortality. Irish legend and mythology are ful of the ultimate heroes and the most romantic of stories. It is to a great extent in these Celtic cycles, tales and myths that romances – ful of heroes, chivalry, courtly love and adventure – were original y born. No wonder popular writers from Tolkein to J.K. Rowling to George Lucas have been seized and inspired by the history of Ireland.

Because Ireland’s history was an oral history until it was recorded by Christian monks in the Middle Ages, you can clearly see where problems might have arisen with an accurate portrayal of Ireland’s wild pagan past! The ancient tribal Ireland of druids and high kings, therefore, is always ripe for reinterpretation. This is why such tales and folklore are constantly rewoven and rewritten; they are always a work in progress, a vibrant recol ection of the past, stil vital and alive today. It’s also why you’l find many different interpretations, many different names and dispositions for similar characters.