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The Last Harp of Dunluce
‘Some said I was a traitor to the Irish cause. I did not believe so. Yes, I was part of the Earl McDonnell’s forces defending Antrim against O’Neill’s rebels, but I was a message boy; a minstrel bard who found himself in the right place at the wrong time. And yes, I know it was terrible timing to be falling for a Presbyterian lass in the autumn of 1641, just as our beautiful north Antrim coastland was about to sink under a wave of destruction and bloodshed. But I could not be a traitor to my heart, could I?’
Darach O’Cahan, harpist and harp-maker at Dunluce Castle
'From those early moments of our very first meeting on the cliff-top path above the Giant's Causeway I somehow knew he would be mine. His eyes were like something from another world, an animal of a different forest. The blue light in them captured me entirely. What I could never have imagined was the tumultuous journey of our love over that next year; from our secret trysts by the Druid's Altar and in the sand-hills of White Park Bay to the savage siege of our wee Ballintoy kirk, as the rebels tried to starve us into submission...rebels who were fellow Gaels and had been our near neighbours. How we survived... how our love story survived is a tale I would not have believed if I hadn't lived through it myself.'
Katie McKay, servant in Ballintoy Manor House
The 1641 Rebellion was a seminal moment in Irish history. This story traces its course as it impacted the people of Ulster's north Antrim coast, an area largely unaffected by the Ulster Plantation of 1607, a place where native Irish lived side by side with fellow Gaels from Scotland who had settled there over many years. Harp-maker Darach O’Cahan witnesses the destruction of his beloved Dunluce and the demise of Ulster’s last Gaelic chieftain. His girl, Katie McKay, finds herself incarcerated in the little kirk of Ballintoy in a siege that lasts for three excruciating months. Can their love for each other endure and help them survive the terror and trauma of this troubled time in this beautiful place?
Darach O’Cahan, harpist and harp-maker at Dunluce Castle
'From those early moments of our very first meeting on the cliff-top path above the Giant's Causeway I somehow knew he would be mine. His eyes were like something from another world, an animal of a different forest. The blue light in them captured me entirely. What I could never have imagined was the tumultuous journey of our love over that next year; from our secret trysts by the Druid's Altar and in the sand-hills of White Park Bay to the savage siege of our wee Ballintoy kirk, as the rebels tried to starve us into submission...rebels who were fellow Gaels and had been our near neighbours. How we survived... how our love story survived is a tale I would not have believed if I hadn't lived through it myself.'
Katie McKay, servant in Ballintoy Manor House
The 1641 Rebellion was a seminal moment in Irish history. This story traces its course as it impacted the people of Ulster's north Antrim coast, an area largely unaffected by the Ulster Plantation of 1607, a place where native Irish lived side by side with fellow Gaels from Scotland who had settled there over many years. Harp-maker Darach O’Cahan witnesses the destruction of his beloved Dunluce and the demise of Ulster’s last Gaelic chieftain. His girl, Katie McKay, finds herself incarcerated in the little kirk of Ballintoy in a siege that lasts for three excruciating months. Can their love for each other endure and help them survive the terror and trauma of this troubled time in this beautiful place?
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 13, 2022
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August 7, 2022
An intricately woven tale of love and war
I have studied and written about the Irish rebellion of 1641 featuring events in the province of Munster, but the lines of conflict were far from the complexity David Dunlop has tackled in The Last Harp of Dunluce. From the basis of romantic love and family commitment, he deftly guides the reader through the religious, political, historical and moral conflicts though you will be so caught up in the story you will never feel guided. Add to that his delicious descriptions of the stunning landscapes of County Donegal and Northern Ireland, and you will find this book not just a good read but a lasting experience.
I have studied and written about the Irish rebellion of 1641 featuring events in the province of Munster, but the lines of conflict were far from the complexity David Dunlop has tackled in The Last Harp of Dunluce. From the basis of romantic love and family commitment, he deftly guides the reader through the religious, political, historical and moral conflicts though you will be so caught up in the story you will never feel guided. Add to that his delicious descriptions of the stunning landscapes of County Donegal and Northern Ireland, and you will find this book not just a good read but a lasting experience.
Displaying 1 of 1 review