Bard, the Odyssey of the Irish

Although my favorite book by this author will always be "After Rome", this novel is a terrific story. Sometimes the descriptive detail seemed a bit too much but not difficult to understand as is the case with a few other books I've read. "Druids" by the same author is similar to this novel. Although there is much tragedy in this story, it was a compelling one and one I could believe might actually have happened. There are no written records and some of the story is obviously fantasy but entertaining none-the-less and definitely out of the ordinary.

It's hard to truly say what happened back in the swirly mists of time, especially going as far back as when the mythical Milesians arrived, accompanied by the legendary bard, Amergin. However, this book does a fine job of evoking that past as it might have been. I read Llywelyn many years ago, before I had even begun reading Celtic history, and I was surprised by the wealth of authentic detail as found in this book. One item that particularly sticks out in my mind is the description of the burial of Mil. Llywelyn used such precise detail, even down to the couch he lay on, that I could remember seeing a pictures and drawings of just such a burial, all the way down to its intricate wheels. So, relax and enjoy this book, confident that the author put as much true history into her tale as possible, yet creates an astounding epic.

As one with distant Celtic heritage, that did not grow up with any of the wonderful stories that Llewelyn tells, I am grateful for for insights into the make up of my families psychology. Bard, Red Branch, Lion Of Ireland ect. Help me to both understand where we get some of our predelictions and temperments. So blah, blah, blah, to reviewers who want to show thier scholarly prowess by proving her inacurate.They are stories based on myths and legends, that are most likely based on some exagerated truth. I loved this story.

What can I say, but, wow.....although this book seems in a way similar to her other work "Druids", this is only slightly so. I can't imagine how others on this page have called this book "Boring"....From the time you pick it up to the moment you put it down, you will be engrossed in the story. You will feel the struggle to win Ierne...you will be the people in this story...Llwelyn's gift for taking a reader out of his/her own place in time and putting them right in the middle of a situation is very well demonstrated in this book.....From Amergin's struggle to fit in to the triumph in which he takes part at the end of the story, to the ever-present machinations of Colptha (a bit 1-dimensional a character, but one that in reading you will see is necessary to make the story a complete piece).....You can't go wrong with this book.

Ms Llywelyn in this exceptional book about the legendary be- ginnings of the Irish people blends together the conceivable hypothesis of an Iberian migration and the ephemeral mythology of Irish fairy folk origins. Her depiction of Amerghain, the main character in his quest to achieve the poem of his lifetime is intertwined with the equally intense quest that his family members have to make their own marks on the landscape of time. There is here all the pagentry of a royal court and there is also the intangible essence of faith, magic, and deep seated beliefs. Notable is the research that went into this book which gives it the inescapable element of being more than fiction and yet the author proves quite capable of endowing the distant legends and lore with all the flesh and blood and emotions that are the keys to connection with these seemingly faceless names from a time now often forgotten. A superbly written and highly enjoyable book for anyone with even a remote interest in history or magic that is always associated with the land of Eire!

This is the story of a bard and his people, as they journey from thier home, into a new land. The author shows you insight into a people who lived a different history than the classic one taught in school. She brings to light the indomitable spirit of the people who are to found Ireland. Here we can see a different view of history and its effect on these people. It follows the lives of a group of brothers and how they lead thier people across the sea. The main focus of this book is one of the brothers, who as a bard and a druid, is the mirror of his people, while battling his own internal demons. This epic sweeps you into the lives of this family and thier traditions. It is a must read that is almost impossible to put down.