Erin Go Bragh! Irish series

 

With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, it seems a good time to mention a few book series with an Irish setting. 

Finfarran Peninsula series by Felicity Hayes-McCoy starts with The Library at the Edge of the World. Hanna Casey thought she’d left rural Ireland behind when she married an English barrister and began living an upscale, sophisticated lifestyle.  That ended when she found her husband in bed with another woman. Now she’s back in Lissberg working as a librarian and trying to restore an old cottage left to her by a great aunt.  Readers are introduced to a wonderful cast of characters in a memorable setting.  While other books in the series do continue the stories of the villagers, the main characters sometimes change from book to book.  A grand read!

 Irish Country series by Patrick Taylor is set in 1960s Ireland and recount the stories of some rural doctors and their patients.  Taylor was born in Ireland and practiced medicine there before moving to Canada in 1970, so this is familiar territory for him. He draws on those experiences to create memorable stories with a strong sense of place and time. He doesn’t ignore some of the era’s problems, but handles them in an even-handed manner.  The first in the series is An Irish Country Doctor, in which young Dr. Laverty finds himself apprenticed to Fingal O’Reilly, a larger than life character who cares deeply for his community despite his gruff exterior.  Apprentices may come and go but Dr. O’Reilly is a constant.  These can be read out of order, but I found it rewarding to at least start with the early titles.

Inishowen Peninsula series by Andrea Carter is set on the coast of County Donegal.  Solicitor Benedicta “Ben” O’Keefe usually is kept busy with mundane legal issues such as drawing up wills, but she’s also proven adept at solving murders. The first book in the series is Death at Whitewater Church.

Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French has been described as a cross between a police procedural and a psychological thriller.  The main characters are police officers but each book tends to highlight a different character.  In the Woods is the first in the series, all of which have been best-sellers. There was also a BBC TV series Dublin Murders which adapted the first two books.

Compiled by Jeanne