Ride a Pale Horse

by Tom McCaughren

Two boys meet in a deserted mill near the River Boyne in July 1798. One is Tom Howlett, whose family supports the Rebellion. The other is George Tyrell of an ancient Norman family whose father, the high sheriff of Kildare, is charged with its suppression. An hour later they will be on opposing sides in the crucial and fierce battle of Clonard in County Wexford, in Ireland's great civil war against England. A vivid recreation of those fateful days brings to life the armies, the marches, the councils of war, the camp followers, and the dilemma of loyalties.

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Farah Mendlesohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The least preferred of the three I've read. McCaughrean shackles himself to a true story about a ten year old, and then has his adult self retell it. The result is rather stilted, and as with his other historical, somehow, this utterly horrific time, isn't horrific. Still worth reading tho.