by
The Irish Within Us is a humour novel with a hint of fairy magic. Kara, a retired Canadian civil servant, visits her grandfather’s native village on the coast of Northern Ireland to continue her genealogical research. She is drawn into a fight over land that may be enchanted as she comes face-to-face with distant cousins. She is both enchanted and skeptical of magic but as the village draws her in, she not only believes in fairies and foretold legends but starts to create “magic” of her own. Romance emerges between secondary characters and events lead to a battle on the targeted farmland of Lisnasidhe. And occasionally, the land likes to comment.
As the sky darkened to a violet-tinged blue, a set of doors swung open. Kara approached to close them but was instead drawn out into the courtyard. No one was there. There was no wind and few clouds, but it had turned dark very quickly. There was no reason for the doors to have opened by themselves. It was odd. She stepped further into the middle of the courtyard and heard a faint whirring sound.
Thousands of fireflies rushed around the corner, mobbing the courtyard and dancing in the trees. A formation encircled the courtyard and flew in tight circles round her. She had never seen so many fireflies. Perhaps she’d drunk too much wine, but Kara saw patterns in their synchronized movements. First a heart, followed by a house, a pentacle, and a shield. Finally, they formed three small circles, which grew bigger and intertwined, forming a triangular cluster. The linked circles rose higher and higher and then disappeared into the night.
Indigo Readers' Reviews wrote:"(S)eemingly straightforward disagreements blow up into a riot of competing forces in which even fairies play a role. ... the prose is light, varied, and buoyant. It does an able job of vivifying the verdant landscape, with its buried gems, hidden cottages, and colorful wool. Thus, as the book works toward its raucous final showdown, its hilarity and entertainments win out, and satisfaction is achieved." (4 stars)
"The Irish Within Us is a real delight. Logan spins a tale that entertains from beginning to end." (5 out of 5 stars)
JJWat"Great Story - Easy Reading. When you set out to find out about your heritage strange things happen. I completely enjoyed this story about discovery of family, heritage, community and folklore. A lot of fun to read and I couldn't put it down." (5 out of 5 stars)
dhill416
