She has just lost her mother Tess and brother Mikey, her marriage to Joe is coming apart at the seams and her thirty-year friendship with Karen is on the rocks.While clearing out her childhood home, Carmel discovers that her mother gave birth to a baby in an Irish Mother and Baby home when she was sixteen, a place notorious for its mass burial of babies and illegal adoptions.Carmel goes on a quest for the truth about her troubled mother’s past. Her roller-coaster journey takes her from her comfortable Manchester home to the west of Ireland and to London's theatre land. It’s a journey that leads her to ask: Can we ever escape our own family history or is our destiny in our DNA?

    A collection of retellings of the traditional stories of Ireland.

    This new edition continues the LWW focus on providing accurate, up-to-date, and practical instruction in phlebotomy procedures and techniques, grounded by a comprehensive background in phlebotomy theory. Key additions include updated information on the latest CLSI guidelines, new media to accompany each chapter, more color photos, and the addition of terms to align the text with the International Standards Organization (ISO).Written to be highly accessible to students at all levels, and comprehensive enough for practicing phlebotomists, this text is complemented by a robust ancillary suite to help readers of all learning styles master the material. The online ancillaries, coupled with the text and available workbook and exam review book, help create a dynamic phlebotomy learning experience.

    For Lisa Nugent and her twin sister Shell, however, madness was impossible to avoid—it was home.Growing up in Essex in the seventies and eighties, Lisa learned quickly that her family wasn’t like her classmates’ families—their mothers were friendly, fierce, or demure women. They had their quirks, but they didn’t assault their husbands, and their frenzied screams didn’t chase their children out of the house in the middle of the night. Not like her mother. Now, for the first time, Lisa relives those troubled years, recounting her development from a nervous, shy, and friendless child through to the woman she is today. Madness and Me isn’t just a memoir about surviving an abusive, paranoid parent—it’s about the importance of family, the pain of loss, and learning to love even when it’s the hardest thing in the world to do.A work of tenderness, dignity, and humour, Madness and Me is sure to appeal to lovers of memoir and drama alike.

    Kate Mitchell’s in the process of kicking her heroin addiction—with the help of alcohol—when a letter arrives informing her that her aunt in Ireland has passed away and bequeathed her a home near the ocean. This could be the start of a new and better life for Kate, far away from Brooklyn, where she and her surviving brothers are each struggling with their own dark pasts. But Aunt Mary didn’t die peacefully—quite the opposite. The pair of thugs responsible for her murder had plans for her house: namely, turning it into a lovely seaside meth lab. One of Mary’s killers, however, finds his focus shifting when he spots a photo of the dead woman’s American niece, who bears a striking resemblance to the late opera singer Maria Callas, the beloved object of his obsession. When Kate and her brothers arrive to claim her inheritance, they’re going to find something other than a piece of paradise . . . “Nobody writes like Ken Bruen, with his ear for lilting Irish prose and his taste for the kind of gallows humor heard only at the foot of the gallows.” —The New York Times “Bruen has a rich and mordant writing style, full of offbeat humor.” —Publishers Weekly

    Now, the saga of this mighty warrior comes blazing to life in a spellbinding new adventure. Here is the tale of his birth, and his rise to glory . . .The magestic magical saga of ancient Ireland's mightiest warrior.An Irish legend soars to life in this saga of the mighty warrior Finn the Fair who grows up in hiding to rise up against the High-Kings.

    Young and beautiful Alainn McCreary, healer in training to the powerful O'Brien Clan, is on the cusp of discovering she possesses vast and unusual supernatural powers, which she hopes will help her unlock the secrets of her past and break the curse on the O'Brien Clan. Alainn is counseled to hide her magical abilities, but how can she when dark forces rise up to threaten not only the O'Brien Clan, but Alainn and the life of the Chieftain's beloved, but forbidden nephew, Killian O’Brien, a man Alainn has loved as long as she can remember? The Witch's Daughter Healer, witch, and commoner Alainn McCreary battles valiantly to control her growing magical powers and to ignore her doomed yearning for noble Killian O’Brien, a man who is far above her station and betrothed to a noble, dark-eyed Scottish beauty. Alone, she continues her quest to break the bitter curse that dooms not only the powerful O’Brien Clan but also Alainn and Killian’s future happiness. Threatened by dark forces, a powerful chieftain, and a suspicious priest, loyal, valiant and handsomely virile Killian vows to fight at his beloved Alainn’s side even as he realizes time is running out for both of them. The Witch’s Daughter, set in the mystical landscape of ancient Ireland, weaves romance, adventure and the supernatural into a sensual tale of love and longing that darkly whispers “What wouldn’t you do for love?” The Chieftain's Daughter Young, pregnant witch, Alainn McCreary, is forced to rely on her mysterious and unpredictable magical powers in an attempt to protect the life of her strong and courageous new husband, Killian O’Brien, and the life of their unborn child, battling against all odds waged by a powerful and corrupt chieftain, a vengeful curse, and malevolent dark forces unleashed by a scheming demon. Set in mystically enchanting, but dark and dangerous 16th Century Ireland where fairies, witches, spirits, and demons dwell among humans, the Chieftain’s Daughter is an enticingly romantic and lustful tale of love, desire, danger, and adventure. The Chieftain's Wife As Alainn and Killian O'Brien begin their married life together, Alainn encounters many new and unexpected challenges. Stricken by the disturbing, reoccurring vision of Killian's death, she desperately seeks a way to prevent it from happening. In hope of providing a normal life for their unborn child Alainn turns from her own magical abilities, but soon realizes that doing so may endanger everyone she cares for. Set in 16th century Ireland, A Chieftain's Wife continues the captivating story of Alainn and Killian's passionate love. Past indiscretions, deep jealousy, a vindictive witch, and tragic hardships all threaten to disrupt Killian and Alainn's happiness and future together.

    or take it. Conor Doyle is a haunted man. In the winter of 1988, he returns from London to his old home town in Western Ireland, hoping to find a reason to stay. What he thought would be a joyful reunion becomes something more, as he's drawn into the fallout surrounding a shocking crime. While the Irish Garda are looking for the prime suspect, Conor's relationships are tested with jealousy and betrayal, and he must look deep inside himself to make the decision that will change his life forever.

    This entry in the popular Inspirations series offers enticing summaries of key Celtic symbols, an introduction to the Celtic worldview, and enlightening short extracts from the great Celtic texts. Featuring 75 color photos and practical exercises that show readers how to apply ancient insights to their own lives, this elegant volume captures the spirit of the druids and storytellers in a series of poetic texts. The spiritual lessons cover such subjects as plant healing, spell casting, and traveling safely in the Otherworld, while a special section reveals the secrets of King Arthur's knights and the Holy Grail.

    The British government called the famine an act of God. The Irish called it genocide. By any name the famine caused the death of over one million men, women, and children by starvation and disease. Another two million were forced to flee the country. With the famine as a backdrop, this is a story about two families as different as coarse wool and fine silk. Michael Ranahan, the son of a tenant farmer, dreams of breaking his bondage to the land and going to America. The passage money has been saved. He’s made up his mind to go. And then—the blight strikes and Michael must put his dream on hold. The landlord, Lord Somerville, is a compassionate man who struggles to preserve a way of life without compromising his ideals. To add to his troubles, he has to deal with a recalcitrant daughter who chafes at being forced to live in a country of “bog runners.”In The Time Of Famine is a story of survival. It’s a story of duplicity. But most of all, it’s a story of love and sacrifice.

    The 'scholars' are a cross-section of the local community, from a semi-literate young farmer to and elderly polygot autodidact who reads and quotes Homer in the orginal.In a nearby field camps a recently arrived detachment of the Royal Engineers, engaged on behalf of the Britsh Army and Government in making the first Ordnance Survey. For the purposes ofr cartography, the local Gaelic place names have to be recorded and transliterated - or translated - into English, in examining the effects of this operation on the lives of a small group of people, Irish and English, Brian Friel skillfully reveals the unexperctedly far-reaching personal and cultural effects of an action which is at first sight purely administrative and harmless. While remaining faithful to the personalities and relationshiops of those people at that time he makes a richly suggestive statement about Irish - and English - history.

    Taken down from Gaelic story tellers, these 20 tales fall into two parts: 11 are miscellaneous stories offering Irish versions of the general European fairy tales, and 9 are stories from the Fenian cycle--tales of Fin MacCumhail and his warriors, the Fenians of Erin.The same fairy-tale elements apply to all the stories, however, including battles with giants, dead men who come back to life, people imprisoned in the bodies of animals, a wonderful land of perpetual youth, and heroes with incredible strength. The heroes in the miscellaneous tales tend to be sons of the Kings of Erin, with heroines like Yellow Lily, daughter of the Giant of Loch Léin; Trembling, the Irish Cinderella; the queen of Tubber Tintye; and various princesses who are in danger. The Fenian stories relate some of the adventures of Fin MacCumhail, his sons--Fialan, Oisin, Pogán, and Ceolán; his men--Diarmuid Duivne, Conán Maol MacMorna, the famous Cucúlin, and others; and strangers who are out to help or hurt the Fenians of Erin in such tales as "Fin MacCumhail and the Fenians of Erin in the Castle of Fear Dubh," and "Gilla na Grakin and Fin MacCumhail."Tales of legend and tales of magic, these stories transport us to a world where everything is alive and anything can happen, a world born in a time before literature, and captured in print just as the oral tradition in Ireland was dying out. Considered an essential work in the history of folk-lore, this book is also a collection of fairy tales that have fascinated young and old for hundreds of years. They will continue to fascinate you and your children.Unabridged republication of the 1890 edition, formerly titled Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland.

    Raised according to the ancient ways and seeking to use her gifts to keep the old magic strong, she has the power to part the mists of time and see events that might shape a nation. But Aislinn’s own past is shrouded in mystery, and her quest to discover that past will bring her pain, as well as true love, and will set in motion a chain of events that will alter both her own future and that of her beloved Ireland.For there is a new spirit upon the land whose presence heralds a rendering--and a remaking--of this world. His way had been foretold long ago and threatens to change everything. And Aislinn is at the heart of that change. Will she give up everything that she loves to help her people find the true God, or will she turn to the dark forces that threaten to keep the old ways at any cost?Daughter of Ireland continues Juilene Osborne-McKnight's exploration of Irish history, combining fine historical research with skillful storytelling. Her focus this time is none other than Cormac mac Art, ancient and venerated King of Ireland, and the path the Irish people follow to find the one true God. Osborne-McKnight has crafted an engaging young heroine who chronicles both Celtic mythology and early pagan/Christian theology through her travels, and re-creates a world whose conflicts over power, religion, and law are as immediate and far-reaching as those same conflicts in our own time.

    

    From Morgan Llywelyn, bestselling author of Lion of Ireland and the Irish Century novels, comes the story of a magnificent, sixteenth-century heroine whose spirit and passion are the spirit and passion of Ireland itself.Grania (Gaelic for Grace) is no ordinary female. And she lives in extraordinary times. For even as Grania rises as her clan's unofficial head and breadwinner and learns to love a man, she enters a lifelong struggle against the English forces of Queen Elizabeth -- her nemesis and alter ego.Elizabeth intends to destroy Grania's piracy and shipping empire--and so subjugate Ireland once and for all. But Grania, aided by Tigernan, her faithful (and secretly adoring) lieutenant, has no choice but to fight back. The story of her life is the story of Ireland's fight for solidarity and survival--but it's also the story of Grania's growing ability to love and be strong at the same time.Morgan Llywelyn has written a rich, historically accurate, and passionate novel of divided Ireland -- and of one brave woman who is Ireland herself.