Stories from Irish History

About the Book

Stories from Irish History is a collection of 13 stories based on selected episodes in Irish history, some of which are unremembered. They are historical fiction, a popular modern genre which has great appeal for many readers. Even though the stories are partly fictional, they are based on extensive historical research. We have to go back in time in order to discover ourselves and our culture. We do not have to live in the past but neither should we deny it. Our history is all around us, in the very air we breathe, not only in our history books but in the hills and valleys, in our lore and literature, in our art and architecture, in our songs and poetry. We know that the past is never past. We need to know who we are and who we used to be. We need to know about our cultural heritage, our pre-history, our lore, our local history and the story behind placenames. Ireland is a nation of story-tellers and historical fiction keeps that tradition alive not only in Ireland but also among the Irish diaspora in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

About the Author

JAMES M BOURKE is currently living in Dublin but he has lived for short periods in counties Tipperary, Laois, Waterford and Cork. He is a retired university lecturer who specialised in Applied Linguistics. He lived and worked overseas for the best part of 40 years in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. He has published many academic papers and monographs on various aspects of language education. Since taking retirement in 2008, he has turned to creative writing and published two novels, two collections of short stories and two plays. He is especially interested in the short story and historical fiction. His most recent book is a collection of critical essays entitled Requiem for the Republic published in July 2021 by AuthorHouse UK. For further details of the author and his previous publications, see his website at http://jamesmannesbourke.net Academic qualifications: Diploma in Education, Dublin 1960; BA General, UCC 1968; MA Applied Linguistics, University of Essex, 1978; Ph.D. Applied Linguistics, TCD, 1992.