Song of Ireland

by Juilene Osborne-McKnight

The Sons of Mil long held the dream of the Island of Destiny close to their hearts. A dream perhaps, but to these restless, adventuring people it was a shining emerald prize to be won by those who were brave or foolhardy enough to sail to the very ends of the known world.

For the Bard Amergin and his people that dream comes true. When they land safely on the shores of this enchanted isle, they know that they have won the favor of their gods. In joy, they begin to build their settlement. Soon it is clear that they are not alone in this green and pleasant land; their fellow inhabitants are the secretive Danu, a people who resonate power and mystery in abundance.

As Amergin negotiates with the Danu so that both peoples may peacefully share the island’s wealth, he sees their beauty, their wisdom, and their love for the land. And one more thing.

Amergin’s second sight shows him that the Danu are not human.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Ireland, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Mythology, Irish Literature

336 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2006

About the author

Juilene Osborne-McKnight's newest book is Storyteller: Irish Myths, Legends and Folktales for Americans. Her nonfiction history The Story We Carry in our Bones: Irish History for Americans is now in its fifth printing. Both are available at Barnes & Noble, on amazon.com and from Pelican Publishing. She is also the author of four novels from MacMillan: I am of Irelaunde, Daughter of Ireland, Bright Sword of Ireland and Song of Ireland, available on amazon.com and barnes and noble.com.

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars)
This was a lovely story, a whimsical book at times...
The beginning bit felt odd, but the story becomes better later on.
Definitely worth reading to get to the ending.
I loved the song lyrics that were included throughout the book. I loved how the author used historical facts and legends/folklore from Ireland in her story. The research was all well used, and now I know some of my ancestors folklore and legends.
The biggest difficulty for me was the pronunciation of the names... I had to go back to the beginning to look up their pronunciation over and over lol.. until I just gave them nicknames... lol.

[Matt Hlinak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of Ireland is a modern retelling of an ancient Celtic myth. Juilene Osborne-McKnight knows her source material well, but never lets it get in the way of the story. Complex and unpredictable, Song of Ireland offers a satisfying blend of history, myth and solid storytelling.

Read my full review at Pop Mythology.

Matt Hlinak
Author of DoG

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juilene Osborne-McKnight knows how to blend in her love of Irish and mythology history through this fascinating mystical tale. Did I say Magical story? It is just that. MAGICAL.
What helps tremendously is the Glossary and Pronunciations of the many characters and places that are mentioned in this well written tale.
Yes, I was a Goodreads winner and Very Glad to make a well deserved 4 star Review.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Irish mythology, so I decided to give this a try. I really liked the beginning, but as soon as it switched back to the perspectives of the three sisters I found myself very bored and questioning whether or not to continue. I did, but would definitely not re-read it. Enjoyed Daughter of Ireland far more than this.

[Claudia]

I am not going to rate this novel. It was not a bad novel, but it is simply not my cup of tea. I am not interested in fantasy, and this was far more fantasy than historical fiction.
I liked the beginning and was interested in the characters. As a foundation for Irish mythology, it started off well. Instead of telling a story about real people who may have become the basis of folklore, the author started to tell a fairy tale. I was looking for something different.
If you enjoy fantasy, you may really like this book.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a story of Irish mythology; what I was not expecting were the Stargate Atlantis vibes. All in all, I enjoyed the story and thought it was written well, just a bit slow at times. This is definitely less of a historical fiction novel and more fantasy/sci-fi, so this may not be the book for you if you're a person who doesn't enjoy fantasy.
(Although personally, I never understood all the disdain for fantasy. It's quite enjoyable and intelligent.)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a interesting way to learn about Irish mythology before our trip. However, it wasn’t written very well and some of the fantasy elements were a little weird. Still a compelling plot line though.

[Grenouille78 · Rating 2 out of 5]

More sci-fi than I signed up for. It had a Stargate or The 5th Element vibe with the sophisticated ancient alien race trying to coexist with humans. I liked Amergin. I liked Skena and Eriu. Other than that... eh. And the cover art was pretty.

[Shayla Perreault · Rating 2 out of 5]

It could use more editing. It seemed to me the author loved her research so much she stuffed in too many ideas to the point the story suffered.

[Christina's Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed themes....aliens, vikings, druids....not written fluidly

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for fans of things like Merlin tales. I'd give it a 3 1/2 for sure

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story about Amergin was interesting to a point but got long winded. By the end the myths I’ve heard of made more sense and I enjoyed that aspect

[Caroline Levander · Rating 1 out of 5]

One dimensional both in characters and ideas, and very little historical connection. Feels lika a bad Sci-fi series and that is as far away as possible from what I want from a book about pre-Christian Ireland.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this one and will probably read again. I did find the relationships between all the different people groups confusing, though.


Second read through:
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first read through. I still found all the people groups confusing, and I was rather bored during the middle section.

[Emily Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone has to have those embarassing fantasy favorites...but this one is also well-written! I'm taking a class on spirituality and the environmental crisis, and it's interesting to see how pre-Christian Gaelic and Celtic traditions viewed the natural world in a very different way than we do now.

[Debbie Dadey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little startled by the first 'love' scene as I'm so used to reading kid's books, but I enjoyed this. It was very interesting to read the notes at the back to see that many 'true' legends were weaved into the story.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good folk tale of Ireland. I also love that the author listed a pronunciation guide for those of us that don't have the Gaelic.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Presents yet another perspective on origins and cultural interactions of the Danu in ancient Ireland.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful well told story about the Children of the Braid. I am Eireann. Child of song and magic.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enchanting lyrical novel containing the history and mythology of early Ireland. Well written and with interesting unusual characters and many important themes.