Tipperary
Born into an Anglo-Irish family, Charles O’Brien loves Ireland with a fierce passion; this sentiment is wonderfully conveyed in his personal journal, which covers Irish history from the late 1800s to the 1920s. Trained as a natural herbalist and healer, O’Brien travels locally and overseas to treat both the ordinary and famous. His compassion and career are shaped by the wrongs and sufferings of the landless Irish population at the hands of their English overlords. O’Brien, satisfied by his choice of career, achieves gradual fame, and he recounts his conversations with Oscar Wilde, Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. Through it all, he falls in love with April Burke, daughter of a famous actress and the owner of the famous Tipperary Castle. The castle is beautiful but also strategically placed for the strategies of Michael Collins and his fellow soldiers.
April Burke’s words point to the passion behind Charles O’Brien’s life and literary journal. As Tipperary Castle comes to the forefront during the battle for Irish independence, April emphasizes how Irish forbears built the turret and were given work on the estate beyond the present for the rebels’ children.
This literary masterpiece celebrates Irish history, drama, poetry, politics, architecture, and agriculture emanating from a very personal love of the land. Tipperary is an engaging, fine historical novel that you will want to share but also keep as a cherished favorite.
