Ireland is known for its castles, heritage and its people who are constantly being described as ‘lucky’. On the opposite hand, Ireland has a dark past too. Famine, religious wars and poverty has shaped Ireland into what we recognise today. Combining these two descriptions, there’s no doubting that Ireland has a certain magic about it, whether that be because of the talk of leprechauns with pots of gold at the end of rainbows or faeries.
No wonder this is the backdrop for many famous novels, many of which have been adapted for the big screen and have been filmed in Ireland itself. This article brings together five of the best novels which have used Ireland for the location in which the story is brought to life.
Part of Rutherfurd’s The Dublin Saga, and similar to his other works, The Princes of Ireland is steeped in the richness that is Ireland itself. Telling an extraordinary tale of eleven hundred years of Irish history, it was written in 2004 and published by Century Hutchinson. Described as a ‘part romance, part political thriller, part horror story’ it certainly covers many bases. It tells the tragic story of Conall and Diedre the green-eyed girl and features the coming of Saint Patrick and the invasion of the Vikings.
Famous Irish author Maeve Binchy reviewed it, saying, ‘It is a giant, sprawling, easy-to-read story told in the James Michener manner...When I used to teach history years ago in a girls school, I would have loved a book like this, something that would have transported the pupils back to the days of gods and goddesses, high kings and druids without any pain.’
It has become a very famous saga for fantasy and science fiction fans since it’s release in 2001, when published by Viking Press. Artemis Fowl is the tale of a teenage criminal mastermind named Artemis Fowl II. He is the novels anti-hero, who uses his gift of high intelligence to build his fortune through a life of crime. This stems from his Irish family being criminals from as far back as he can remember. It is a family occupation, and Artemis is exceedingly good at it, with his father being the infamous crime lord Artemis Fowl I.
Regular themes are present throughout the eight books, which ended in July 2012 with the release of The Last Guardian. Colfer has said that these books follow Artemis as he grows up, referring to his work as ‘Die Hard – with fairies’.
Written as a sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind novel in 1991, Scarlett picks up where the former left off. Even though some fans and book critics found Ripley’s version to be inconsistent with Mitchell’s original story, it sold millions of copies upon its release and still remains available to buy in print to this day. It also carries on a story which is loved and adored by the world.
Katie ‘Scarlett’ O’Hara faces heartbreak in a number of ways, after her estranged husband Rhett Butler leaves her, and upon her return to the Tara plantation in Georgia, USA, she finds that Mammy is dying. She travels to Ireland, where part of her heritage descends from, and this is where the bulk of the novel is set. It has since been adapted for a TV mini-series of the same name, starring Joanne Whalley-Kilmer as Scarlett and Timothy Dalton as Rhett Butler.
Jenny B. Jones is a four-time award winner who revels in writing Christian fiction. Her 2011 novel There You’ll Find Me published by Thomas Nelson tells of Finley Sinclair, an eighteen-year-old finding her feet in the world after the death of her older brother, Will. Deciding to accept an exchange programme and study abroad in Ireland, she finds the change in scenery to be a breath of fresh air. Following Will’s journal, she hopes to make peace with the realism of losing him by going to the place where he himself felt closest to God. Add in romance and adventure, There You’ll Find Me will pull at your heartstrings and have you laughing at the same time.
With this novel, the reader gains a full understanding and a realistic grasp on what modern Ireland truly is like. Set in recession-bound Ireland, 21 voices are put together to tell the tale of a community that is left in shock in the aftermath of a financial collapse. The idea of having multiple characters concerned over an external problem, each with their own truths and lies, is a very all-too human way of writing. Dark, witty and touching, this is a novel that will open your eyes to the world around you through the small Irish town’s story. Published by Transworld Ireland in 2012, it has since won the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Award for Book of the Year (2012) and Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year (2012), and was nominated for both The Guardian First Book Award (2013) and the Man Booker Prize for Longlist (2013).