Ah, Those Irish Colleens: Heroic Women of Ireland

Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: Contained within the pages of this book are the stories of thirteen legends of Irish history, all of them women. Each story comes to life, making the characters seem like real people, which of course they were.
Folsom's book takes us from early Irish history through events in the twentieth century, providing us with a look at many of the major events that took place on the island during those years- wars, revolutions, invasions, betrayals.
Not all the women are admirable in the deeds they performed, often being the cause of wars and great suffering. The sheer magnitude of lives lost during all these battles is astounding, whether they were full fledged wars or warfare between rival kings and chieftains. In those days women apparently were resigned to having their husbands and sons slaughtered.
What comes out of this book is the resiliency some of these women possessed, along with bravery in the face of insurmountable odds. Others were willing to defy societal norms to accomplish what they felt strongly about.
I absolutely loved this book. One of the best things about it is that you can read it a chapter at a time, and not feel like you have to read it straight through and lose track of what was going on. I would recommend having tissues nearby, for some of the stories are very sad.
It certainly cleared up misconceptions I had about Irish history, just hearing bits and pieces over the years. It isn't just a history lesson, however. It is a study of character, both good and evil.
I, for one, would certainly like to see a sequel.