The Noblest Share of Earth
Geep is sitting among the scattered stones of Buncrana, the castle that only years before had towered over the fertile lands of Inishowen peninsula in the north of Ireland. He is telling 11-year-old Fia the story of Lord Cahir, leader of the O’Doherty Clan, who, with his wife Lady Maire, ruled over the castle and the land, and was that rarest of Irish creature—the person who in times of trouble is both a valiant leader in battle and a schemer who can turn “things about.” It is the early 1600s when Cahir and Maire marry, and Cahir becomes clan leader. Bands of English soldiers fight to secure Irish land holdings, Catholics are increasingly persecuted, and Cahir leads the O’Doherty Rebellion when the Lord Deputy of Dublin and his office stop listening to Irishmen, impose mandates, and threaten the survival of the clans and their lands.
The Noblest Share of Earth is author Blanton’s fifth novel set in 17th-century Ireland. It is written in a series of first-person narratives, providing the thoughts, observations, and feelings of Cahir, Maire, and long-time friend and aide Stoat. The narratives recall historical events at the time as well as intimate moments of life—Cahir and Maire’s first meeting, their first night as husband and wife. Readers learn through the eyes of the narrators about external threats as well as rivalries, betrayals, petty swindlers and duplicitous actors in their midst. Readers see and feel history unfold at the same time as Cahir, Maire, and Stoat. Scéal spéisiúil, illuminating.
