num_pages: 384
description: Is your family name O'Callahan? O'Carroll? O'Donoghue? O'Donovan? O'Long? MacGillycuddy? O'Brien? O'Grady? O'Connor? O'Kelly? MacDermot? O'Rourke? O'Neill? O'Dogherty? O'Donel? MacMorrow? Maguire? McCarthy? Is it any variation on these? If so, you are probably related to one of the great Gaelic noble dynasties of Ireland, dynastic clans that ruled that country until Henry VIII ended their reign and forced their obedience to the English crown. In another fascinating book from Peter Berresford Ellis, the history of Ireland is traced through the genealogy of its noble families from ancient times to the present day. While writing Erin's Blood Royal , Ellis had the cooperation of the heads of the nineteen dynasties, families that are given a "courtesy recognition" and play a highly influential role in Irish cultural life. This invitation to Ellis from the families, however, also has allowed him to look at the notorious flip side of the story - pretenders to Irish royal position. When this book was first published in the United Kindom, the scandalous "MacCarthy Mr Affair" erupted, exposing a false Irish royal in the process. Ellis chronicles the scandal and its aftermath, giving readers an interesting contemporary viewpoint on the importance of this royal rank and what some will do to achieve it. In Erin's Blood Royal , Peter Berresford Ellis charts the struggles an victories of one of the most ancient aristocracies in Europe, looks at their present day relevance and provides a fascinating guide for anyone interested in the history of Ireland, its ruling families and the lost world of Celtic royalty.
language: English
title: Erin's Blood Royal
titlecomplete: Erin's Blood Royal
genres: History, Ancient History, Biography Memoir, Ireland, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 35
publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.