ClanDonnell: A Storied History of Ireland is a non-fiction, epic tale of Celtic Ireland’s McDonnell clan and their descendants through the 20th century. The clan’s history is intertwined with the history of Ireland (and, to a lesser extent, Scotland and the Hebrides Islands) and thus is far broader than a history of a single clan. The book is a series of crisply written, and often witty, stories about fascinating people and places within Ireland. Buy Book Here!
Synopsis
The first McDonnells were
mercenaries who were called into service in all corners of Ireland. The
clan interacted – often violently – with other Irish clans. Over time,
the McDonnells faced the same troubling forces as all Irish – brutal
clan wars, religious strife, subjugation by the English, confiscation of
lands, famine and starvation, mass emigration, struggles for national
identity and independence … and much more. Thus the stories of the
McDonnells reflect the stories of all Irish, from any clan.
The
book is non-fiction, but has all the elements of a historical novel –
fair maidens, multiple beheadings, nasty bar fights (one ends with a
javelin through the heart!), plotted assassinations, hangings, exile,
and witches’ spells, to name a few. Timeless themes of passionate love,
family bonds, valor and honor, revenge and political intrigue, leap off
every page. McDonnell spent years exhaustively researching the
origination of the Irish clans – as well as the origination of Irish
last names – and many stories transpired over a thousand years ago. This
is unlike any other history of Ireland.
ClanDonnell won first
place in the Reviewer’s Choice Awards’ Humanities category by Reader
Views of Austin, Texas; first place in the Beverly Hills Book Awards’
History-General category; and Finalist in the Independent Book
Publishing Professionals Group’s Historical Non-Fiction category.
The
story-telling approach, writing style, wit, and 600+ strategically
placed images serve to make Irish history comprehensible to the
non-historian reader. The reader will painlessly learn Irish history (as
well as some Irish culture and language) without even realizing it.
Author Bio
David McDonnell is an author and story teller, with a passion for Irish and Irish-American history. His passion and story-telling skills have enchanted and educated both readers and listeners from one end of the country to the other.
David
has appeared at Irish and Celtic festivals, book stores, libraries,
Irish pubs and other retailers, on his national book and story-telling
tours. Presentations always include entertaining and informative stories
of Ireland with full audience interaction. McDonnell has a vast
repertoire of stories and an encyclopedic memory for details, and is
creative and flexible in his approach to presentations.
David earned his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees at the University
of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He practiced law in Detroit and suburbs for
over 30 years and now writes from his home on Grand Traverse Bay near
Traverse City, Michigan. His immediate clan includes his wife, four
children, a grandson and a granddaughter. website