1949 - (Irish Century) by Morgan Llywelyn (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Morgan Llywelyn's masterly epic, The Irish Century, continues in 1949, a sequel to 1916 and 1921.

The struggle of the Irish people for independence is one of the compelling historical dramas of the twentieth century. 1949 tells the story of Ursula Halloran, a fiercely independent young woman who comes of age in the 1920s. The tragedy of Irish civil war gives way in the 1920s to a repressive Catholic state led by Eamon De Valera. Married women cannot hold jobs, divorce is illegal, and the IRA has become a band of outlaws still devoted to and fighting for a Republic that never lived. The Great Depression stalks the world, and war is always on the horizon, whether in Northern Ireland, Spain, or elsewhere on the European continent.

Ursula works for the fledgling Irish radio service and then for the League of Nations, while her personal life is torn between two men: an Irish civil servant and an English pilot.

Defying Church and State, Ursula bears a child out of wedlock, though she must leave the country to do so, and nearly loses her life in the opening days of World War II. Eventually she returns to an Ireland that is steadfastly determined to remain neutral during the war.

1949 is the story of one strong woman who lives through the progress of Ireland from a broken land to the beginnings of a modern independent state.

The Irish Century Novels
1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion
1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War
1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State
1972: A Novel of Ireland's Unfinished Revolution
1999: A Novel of the Celtic Tiger and the Search for Peace

Review Quotes

"The book captures the excitement, wonder and pathos of this period of contemporary history."--Irish American News

"Llywelyn's feat is a remarkable one, which will help countless readers come to terms with the complexities of the Irish century, from the Easter Rising right up to the new millennium."--Irish America Magazine on the Irish Century series

"Llywelyn may rightly lay claim to the title 'Novelist Laureate of the Irish'."--James O'Neill O'Brien, O'Brien Clan Foundation

"[Her] great strength is her ability to communicate sweeping historical events through the eyes of both passive bystanders and active participants."--Booklist on 1949

About the Author

MORGAN LLYWELYN has created an entire body of work chronicling the Celts and Ireland, from the earliest times to the present day. The Irish Century is her five novel historical fiction series beginning with 1916 and ending with 1999. Her critically acclaimed novels, both of history and of mythology, have been translated into many languages.