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The Last Prince of Ireland: A Novel
A retelling of the tragic story of O'Sullivan's march remembers the bravery and strength of the Irish in 1601, when, led by Gaelic princes, they were forced to flee their two thousand-year-old home to escape an invasion of the English army.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published August 24, 1992
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1038 people want to read
About the author
Morgan Llywelyn
77 books996 followersMorgan Llywelyn (born 1937) is an American-born Irish author best known for her historical fantasy, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 3, 2019
A brilliant book, it tells the story of Donal cam o sullivan beare and the journey from the beara peninsula to county Leitrim to get to a allys stronghold. He started with a thousand people but when they reached the rourke stronghold they only had 35 people left. What I didn't know he went from Leitrim to the North to Fermanagh with one of the Maguires and a armed force in order to connect with Hugh o Neill but O Neill had already gone to mellifont to sign the treaty of mellifont. O sullivan beare never got his lands back and was never pardoned as he had still fought against the English. The novel shows the divisions not only between the gaelic people and the English but between their own people and clans. Those who sided with the English openly but also within o sullivan beare own party. The rivalry, the hatred of O sullivan beare for taking his action against the English and taking his own people on the road against the English, rivals and those who joined up with the English. Those who just wanted the money if they brought the head of the o sullivan beare to the English and those in their own party who thought o sullivan beare should not have brought them up on such a journey and he held money and food back for himself while others starved. There were even fights with his own clergy who were zealots in their own way. A powerful novel describing what happened in that harsh journey. The travelers faced starvation, bad weather, attacks from all sorts, travel over terrible terrain. Fighting within and without but there is plenty of stories of hope. It has made me curious to discover more about the era. Between this and Dermot Breens brilliant book exiles I have discovered more about the era and about Donal cam o sullivan beare. The last Prince of Ireland.
September 14, 2012
Anyone who's been reading this blog for awhile knows that I've got a penchant for history. My grandfather was a professor of history, my sister is a history teacher, my father was a history buff, and my favorite classes in school were always history. In the American school system, we usually focus on the "usual" docket of historical events, meaning European history and American history, with a sprinkling of ancient history thrown in. But what about those parts of the world that we've completely passed over? Those are my passion, my curiosity, my real love of history-- there are so many stories out there, each more fraught with passion and fear than the last. It is our privilege and our duty to learn and share them, to gain a fuller understanding of this wonderful world we live in.
But enough of my ranting, and on to the book of the day-- The Last Prince of Ireland, by Morgan Llywelyn (pronounced a bit like hly-WE-lin).
Based in Ireland during the end of the Elizabethan era, this book follows the journey of Donal Cam O'Sullivan and his thousand followers on their long, hungry, cold march out of the district of Munster, fleeing the wrath of his former friends and kinsmen. Although it takes place over just fifteen days (each chapter covers one day), the story seems much longer than that-- more like a slow fall into ruin and decay. Each day, the ragged survivors lose more friends, more animals, more dignity and more hope, and we can't help but wonder if it would be more of a mercy to let them just give in somewhere along the way. Donal Cam, the commander of his bedraggled and wretched army, wonders the same while struggling to lead them to life.
And yet, we see hope growing between the cracks of despair. From the earliest pages we see a lovestruck Niall spy Maire Ni Driscoll and attempt to win her heart with kindness rather than bravado, even in the depths of starvation and fear. Joan Ni Sweney and her husband, Dermod O'Sullivan, provide a wry sense of humor and determination, struggling onward and depending on one another more and more as their provisions and strength run out. And Orla Ni Donoghue, a strong woman married to Rory O'Sullivan, struggles with the past and her faith as she fights for life and fierce loyalty to her leader.
Although the novel is protracted and somewhat basic in its choice of words, the burning passion of the writer is obvious. He sees Ireland itself in these pathetic survivors, relics of a noble and strong past being exterminated by the betrayal of the modern world. This is the time when Ireland finally succumbs to the rule of the expanding British, whose influence will change and shape Irish culture for the next four hundred years. Llywelyn, while recognizing this force, clearly believes that there is a deep individuality and strength within the Irish people that cannot be extinguished by oppression.
This, too, can be extended to the human soul in general. The factual march of Donal Cam and his survivors is a tribute to that, but Llywelyn's narrative of the horrific suffering and losses of those people in their struggle for that most basic of human rights-- freedom-- is heart wrenching. As the readers, we find ourselves growing more and more attached to characters we know are considered traitors and are sentenced to death, as if that bright glimmer of light just before it goes out is the most beautiful thing that a person can ever be. And despite the fact that they are bony, dirty, and desperate, these people are beautiful, if only for the sheer strength of will that carries them forward.
The whole novel feels like a slow decline into ruin, which may be intentional, but definitely detracts from the book's readability. There is no clear climax, only a long, drawn-out journey to the end. While the story is character-based, this can only carry on to a certain extent before it become dry and-- dare I say it?-- boring. Every tale needs some sort of arc, some sort of rising action, and while this one doesn't lack for battle scenes, it just seems like disaster after disaster before long.
But in the end, The Last Prince of Ireland is still a tale that needs to be told and understood in its fullest, for the true tragedy it is-- a betrayal of trust, and a shift in patriotism. Most of the princes of the island gave up in order to save their houses, which seems pathetic and selfish, but the motives are understandable. While practically foolish, Donal Cam's protest and subsequent rebellion are noble and contain a spirit of pride; we treasure that kind of national pride and look for it in our leaders, which makes Donal Cam a truly full, admirable, nearly tangible character.
Not exactly a best seller or common, I pulled this book off the shelf by pure happenstance and enjoyed it-- it's not a long read at 364 pages. It's actually fairly difficult to find on Amazon, but if you live in a city with a good library, they should have it. You can get a copy from Amazon for $15.00, but the next lowest price was nearly $40. Go figure on obscure books.
History is vital to understanding the present, even if it is obscure history. Every story weaves together to make the present, which makes it vital to appreciate the past before we move toward the future.
But enough of my ranting, and on to the book of the day-- The Last Prince of Ireland, by Morgan Llywelyn (pronounced a bit like hly-WE-lin).
Based in Ireland during the end of the Elizabethan era, this book follows the journey of Donal Cam O'Sullivan and his thousand followers on their long, hungry, cold march out of the district of Munster, fleeing the wrath of his former friends and kinsmen. Although it takes place over just fifteen days (each chapter covers one day), the story seems much longer than that-- more like a slow fall into ruin and decay. Each day, the ragged survivors lose more friends, more animals, more dignity and more hope, and we can't help but wonder if it would be more of a mercy to let them just give in somewhere along the way. Donal Cam, the commander of his bedraggled and wretched army, wonders the same while struggling to lead them to life.
And yet, we see hope growing between the cracks of despair. From the earliest pages we see a lovestruck Niall spy Maire Ni Driscoll and attempt to win her heart with kindness rather than bravado, even in the depths of starvation and fear. Joan Ni Sweney and her husband, Dermod O'Sullivan, provide a wry sense of humor and determination, struggling onward and depending on one another more and more as their provisions and strength run out. And Orla Ni Donoghue, a strong woman married to Rory O'Sullivan, struggles with the past and her faith as she fights for life and fierce loyalty to her leader.
Although the novel is protracted and somewhat basic in its choice of words, the burning passion of the writer is obvious. He sees Ireland itself in these pathetic survivors, relics of a noble and strong past being exterminated by the betrayal of the modern world. This is the time when Ireland finally succumbs to the rule of the expanding British, whose influence will change and shape Irish culture for the next four hundred years. Llywelyn, while recognizing this force, clearly believes that there is a deep individuality and strength within the Irish people that cannot be extinguished by oppression.
This, too, can be extended to the human soul in general. The factual march of Donal Cam and his survivors is a tribute to that, but Llywelyn's narrative of the horrific suffering and losses of those people in their struggle for that most basic of human rights-- freedom-- is heart wrenching. As the readers, we find ourselves growing more and more attached to characters we know are considered traitors and are sentenced to death, as if that bright glimmer of light just before it goes out is the most beautiful thing that a person can ever be. And despite the fact that they are bony, dirty, and desperate, these people are beautiful, if only for the sheer strength of will that carries them forward.
The whole novel feels like a slow decline into ruin, which may be intentional, but definitely detracts from the book's readability. There is no clear climax, only a long, drawn-out journey to the end. While the story is character-based, this can only carry on to a certain extent before it become dry and-- dare I say it?-- boring. Every tale needs some sort of arc, some sort of rising action, and while this one doesn't lack for battle scenes, it just seems like disaster after disaster before long.
But in the end, The Last Prince of Ireland is still a tale that needs to be told and understood in its fullest, for the true tragedy it is-- a betrayal of trust, and a shift in patriotism. Most of the princes of the island gave up in order to save their houses, which seems pathetic and selfish, but the motives are understandable. While practically foolish, Donal Cam's protest and subsequent rebellion are noble and contain a spirit of pride; we treasure that kind of national pride and look for it in our leaders, which makes Donal Cam a truly full, admirable, nearly tangible character.
Not exactly a best seller or common, I pulled this book off the shelf by pure happenstance and enjoyed it-- it's not a long read at 364 pages. It's actually fairly difficult to find on Amazon, but if you live in a city with a good library, they should have it. You can get a copy from Amazon for $15.00, but the next lowest price was nearly $40. Go figure on obscure books.
History is vital to understanding the present, even if it is obscure history. Every story weaves together to make the present, which makes it vital to appreciate the past before we move toward the future.
September 18, 2016
The Last Prince of Ireland by Morgan Llywelyn is a book which elicits anger, frustration and tears in the reader as it tells in gruesome detail the story of the flight of the last Gaelic prince to escape the English in 1601. He starts the escape with 1000 followers and helplessly watches as that number dwindles because of attacks, freezing cold, weariness, illness and many other ills. When the last of them finally reach safety at O'Rourke's castle, the reader has, once again, a softness in the heart for those who must always suffer under an aggressor's tyranny. This is an excellent saga even though it does not end particularly happily. Reality reigns.
March 28, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Prince of Ireland overall, but one thing got to me which is kind of a big deal... Donal Cam O'Sullivan.
Check out why I don't like him in my BookTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1P5P...
Check out why I don't like him in my BookTube review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1P5P...
December 2, 2020
On December 31st 1602 Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare, Prince of Beare, 1st Count of Berehaven. led 1000 Gaelic out of the county of Munster, into Northern Ireland. They were fleeing the English invaders. This is a fictional account of that tragic walk.
The English were stronger, better equipped and had Irish allies on their side. O'Sullivan pushed his people through the battles, rain, snow and hunger, hoping to get them to Ulster. Among the Clans traveling, there are characters who you can love and of course the few you learn to hate.
There are 2 Jesuits priest in the column-one a strong armed, put the fear of God in you confessor and the other a mild mannered historian. There's the beautiful girl, and the soldier who falls in love with her. We have the O'Sullivan's mistress, and just to make things interesting her husband .
The 500 kilometer march took 14 days, and each chapter is a day. Each day the column gets smaller and smaller and your heart breaks for every single one that is lost.
An interesting bit of Irish history I knew nothing about. Parts of the story, in the beginning are slow, but I raised it up to 4 stars because the author was able to capture my interest enough to keep me reading.
The English were stronger, better equipped and had Irish allies on their side. O'Sullivan pushed his people through the battles, rain, snow and hunger, hoping to get them to Ulster. Among the Clans traveling, there are characters who you can love and of course the few you learn to hate.
There are 2 Jesuits priest in the column-one a strong armed, put the fear of God in you confessor and the other a mild mannered historian. There's the beautiful girl, and the soldier who falls in love with her. We have the O'Sullivan's mistress, and just to make things interesting her husband .
The 500 kilometer march took 14 days, and each chapter is a day. Each day the column gets smaller and smaller and your heart breaks for every single one that is lost.
An interesting bit of Irish history I knew nothing about. Parts of the story, in the beginning are slow, but I raised it up to 4 stars because the author was able to capture my interest enough to keep me reading.
June 24, 2015
An astounding but sad story, like much of Ireland's history with England.
October 6, 2019
For Those Interested in Irish History this book is for You! Donal Cam O'Sullivan is the Last Prince determined not surrender after a battle, he flees north with his Clan. A Well written Novel with rich cultural History!
June 26, 2014
Superb. This book is the very pinnacle of historical fiction.
November 25, 2021
This is a well written and well researched historical fiction about Ireland ca. 1600. It is a heavy read. The situation is bleak and the author established the atmosphere very effectively. I actually could feel the damp, cold, starvation of these people. If you want a fun, light read, this is not it. However, if you are interested in a realistic story about Irish people fleeing the British; you may really enjoy this novel.
January 20, 2019
An excellent if slightly romantic view of Donal Cam O'Sullivan Bere's heroic march from West Cork to Leitrim against over whelming odds.
March 6, 2019
Fits right into the genre I like and even though it’s fiction it does explain a lot of the real history
December 6, 2021
Love Morgan Llywelyn novels.
January 10, 2022
enjoyable read, provide a good perspective of old world Ireland
December 17, 2019
Great telling of a sad story about a brave group of people.Why i like the Irish so much.They survived the Vikings,the english,themselves.Still kicking.Go green people.
November 5, 2011
This dark book explores both the most base and noble aspects of human nature. It tells the story of Donal Cam O'Sullivan's terrible march of escape after the disastrous battle of Kinsale in 1601/02. It is amazing that, in the face of complete despair and the betrayals of their countrymen, the survivors managed to retain enough hope to continue their trek.
At times, the PoVs of different characters bleed into each other, which is consistently confusing. But the story is powerful enough to overcome this.
At times, the PoVs of different characters bleed into each other, which is consistently confusing. But the story is powerful enough to overcome this.
August 15, 2013
Not my favorite Morgan Llewellyn book. It got really good towards the end, but I just felt like it was dragging in the middle. However, that may have been the point, as of course, the "refugees" would have felt that way, too--that it was just dragging on and never ending.
I did like most of the characters. Donal Cam O'Sullivan was a very human hero. He wasn't perfect, made some mistakes, and got some people killed along the way. That's a realistic hero.
I even found some of the villains to be moderately likeable and not too one dimensional.
I did like most of the characters. Donal Cam O'Sullivan was a very human hero. He wasn't perfect, made some mistakes, and got some people killed along the way. That's a realistic hero.
I even found some of the villains to be moderately likeable and not too one dimensional.
October 27, 2009
I liked this book much more than I thought I would. I had almost given up on Morgan Llywelyn, but she kind of redeemed herself with this one. This book follows the travails of a retreating army across the entire expanse of Ireland in the 1600's. From the realistic motives of the characters, to the skirmishes, it was very believable and drew me in. Recommended for those that already have some background in Ireland's history.
Read
February 24, 2011Not my favorite of her works. The subject was a 15 day march by the army of Munster and their civilian followers. The march and ensuing battles take up the majority of the story leaving little room for interpersonal relationships.
February 13, 2013
This was the longest book I ever read. I do not mean the longest word wise or hard to read. Simply, I never really got into the story. I just read page after page, chapter after chapter but never really enjoyed it. Just enough interest to keep reading and finally, finally, I was done with it.
Want to read
July 14, 2008Having a hard time getting into this one, hopefully I will be able to finish it.
June 19, 2009
A fascinating story about the infamous Brian Boru of Ireland. Love, adventure, war & tragedy. Difficult to put down, even when the story came to an end!
July 1, 2010
okay. I'm going to try this one. HOWEVER. If there are any heaving bosoms or ripped bodices I'm done. I NEED A PLOT.
October 26, 2012
I had no idea!
February 21, 2013
I just love her books, they are fast reading and the history is just fastinating.
February 21, 2013
Great read
September 5, 2014
When I feel like my life is shitty. I pull this book down from the shelf and suddenly my life doesn't seem so bad anymore.
March 11, 2015
The history of Ireland's abuse by the hands of England is herein raw and clear.
October 24, 2007
Sadder than 1916. Murder, mayhem. Gotta love the English.
October 21, 2009
Very sad
August 3, 2011
Read it when it was hot off the presses and planning on a re-read very soon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews