Eleanor: Countess of Desmond

by Anne Chambers

'Richly detailed and often thought-provoking... This is an enthralling book.'

Dervla Murphy, The Irish Times

'A truly marvellous story--one in which truth is more brave and more resourceful than fiction.'

Irish Post

Set in a period of invasion and social and political chaos perpetrated by the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the story of Eleanor, Countess of Desmond recounts the heroic efforts of a woman to protect her family against insurmountable odds. Aristocratic, educated, intelligent and able, Lady Eleanor Butler's destiny was as a wife and mother. But marriage to Garrett FitzGerald, the powerful Earl of Desmond, hurled her headlong into a maelstrom of rebellion and intrigue as she become embroiled in a struggle to the death against the formidable, Machiavellian government of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Enduring imprisonment, exile and poverty, her mission to save her family from annihilation becomes Eleanor's obsession, for which she will sacrifice anything, including herself. Anne Chambers vividly brings the life of this neglected heroine to light against the backdrop of one of the most convoluted and traumatic periods in Irish history.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, Biography

248 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

Anne Chambers is an Irish biographer, novelist and screenplay writer who lives and works in Dublin. She is best known for her biography of the 16th-century Irish Pirate Queen, Gráinne (Grace) O'Malley.

Reviews

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much to say. This was an interesting story about an amazingly resilient woman. There definitely some parts where I felt like we got more details than necessary but otherwise I thought Chambers did well to describe the intrigue that Eleanor had to deal with and manipulate to get what she wanted. Good story. Read this if you're interested in Irish vs English history.

[Allie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What this woman endured - she could not catch a break. I enjoyed the book, but it also made me frustrated and angry on her behalf. It also makes you look at Elizabeth I in a different light, beyond Gloriana.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an excellent book about the Civil Wars that tore England part with a fine history of the life of Eleanor Countess of Desmond. Eleanor Butler married "Garret Fitzgerald" the 15th Earl of Desmond and was almost immediately thrust into practically unimaginable circumstances. Circumstances included her rejection by the Fitzgeralds and her eventual estrangement with her own brother and almost life long battles with the English crown.

Eleanor Butler was strong, aristocratic, educated and politically more savvy than her husband and she outlived most of her adversaries. She made a second marriage with Sir Donough O'Connor Sligo which had its good years, when possible during Ireland's war with England. She fared better with O'Connor than she had in her years with Desmond although the times did not allow many Irish nobility much comfort.

A true heroine of the most traumatic time for Ireland, Eleanor was resilient beyond belief and was a loyal wife and a resourceful and pragmatic mother. Anne Chambers has written a well researched and thoughtful history of Eleanor and her life and the times she lived in.

The period came alive for me in this book and I heartily recommend it for all serious Irish scholars and lovers of the history of this period. My own family suffered the same losses at this time and I learned a great deal in reading it.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2161119.html[return][return]I think this may have been Chambers' first book, before her best selling biography of Grainne O'Malley, the pirate queen. It is journeyman stuff; there is no very clear differentiation between other people's research, Chambers' own findings, and her speculation about Eleanor's mind-set as she witnessed the collapse of her husband's mini-kingdom in south-west Ireland and the political shape of the island was changed forever. I could have done with a bit more on the bigger picture, and perhaps also some reflection of the plentiful research that has been done on women in sixteenth-century Ireland.

[Dervla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this biopic of 16th century Countess Eleanor was flawless. It was so fast paced and enjoyable to read and really brought to life the calamity that befell the Irish in the face of duplicitous, greedy enemies. A must read if you're interested in strong women, history or Ireland.

[Gearóid O'Connor]

A good book, well written, Chambers has a good grasp on Irish history of the time period, however she over-rates Eleanor's political influence; certainly she was influential but in the end Gerard went with his ego and rebelled even though he well knew his chances of victory were incredibly slim.

Indeed this is a flaw in most of her writing she tends to give women an importance in 16th century Ireland that they simply did not have; that is with one clear exception Grace O'Malley really was influential and an historian who is much more knowledgeable than me has attested to that.

Colm Lennon of Maynooth University an acknowledged expert in this time period stated that for a time in the 1570's and 80's she was actually the most important Irish leader in Connacht. And if you wish to know more about her well then Anne Chambers biography on her is probably the best place to start.