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Appendices
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)
Note: Gaelic pronunciations are approximate at best!
Darcy Fitzgerald
An elderly man living in a village near Ballemór
Margaret Egan
Darcy’s sister, and owner of the bed and breakfast where Colin stays in Ballemór
Father James Quinlan
Parish priest for Ballemór
Colin Doyle
An American musician
Jennifer Doyle
Colin’s sister
Thomas Doyle, Sr.
Colin’s father
Mary Doyle
Colin’s mother (née O’Callaghan)
Aaron Goldman
Jennifer’s boyfriend
Thomas Doyle, Jr.
Colin’s brother
Patricia (Patty) Martelli
Colin’s aunt, his mother’s sister (née O’Callaghan)
Carl Harris
Campaign manager for Thomas Doyle, Sr.
Andrew Martelli
Patty Martelli’s husband (deceased)
Rebecca
Aunt Patty’s lover and partner
Finnigan
Jen’s cat, an orange-and-white
Maeve (Mayv) Gallagher
An Islander woman Colin meets and becomes involved with
Keara (KEY-ruh) Shea
A companion of Maeve’s
Niall (Kneel) Tierney
A companion of Maeve’s
Aiden (AY-dehn) Nolan
A companion of Maeve’s, and Keara’s lover
Rory O’Callaghan
Colin’s maternal grandfather
Dr. Elizabeth Pearse
Doctor in the IC unit at the hospital in Chicago
Beth Banaszewski
The Doyle family’s part-time housekeeper
Bridgett Doyle
(née O’Bannon) Colin’s grandmother
Father Frank
The Doyle family’s parish priest
Cedric Dunn
Superintendent of the Ballemór Gardai
Máire (MOY-yah)
Maeve’s name in Rory O’Callaghan’s time
An Irish fiddler and friend of Colin, band leader
Paidrig (PAW-rig)
An Irish musician, plays concertina
Bridget
An Irish musician, sings and plays mandolin
John
An Irish musician, plays bodhran
Dolan (DOH-lan) Connor
A friend of Maeve’s
Liam (LEE-ahm) Doherty
A friend of Maeve’s
Joseph Mullins
The proprietor of Mullins’ Used Books
Mrs. Brennan
A woman “cursed” by Maeve
John Coffey
First settler of Inishcorr
Fionnbharr (FINN-var)
Leader of the aos sí on Inishcorr
Padraig (PAW-rig) Coffey
Grandson of John Coffey
Patrick Davies
A farmer near Ballemór
Mrs. Naughton
A resident of the Sky Road outside Ballemór
Kieran Martin
A leading seaman on the offshore patrol vessel LÉ Aisling
Sean
Radarman on the offshore patrol vessel LÉ Aisling
Eithne (EH-nah)
A mythical mortal woman, captured by Fionnbharr and rescued by her husband, a mortal lord
TERMS AND PLACE NAMES (in alphabetical order)
Aoibhell (Ah-VEEL)
A goddess of the sidhe. Hearing her play her harp was a portent that one was destined to die soon
Aos sí (Aess Shee)
“The people of the mounds”—the fairy folk of Irish legend
Babd (Buyb)
One of the three aspects of the Morrígan
Ballemór (BAHL-lee-moer)
A village in the Connemara region of Ireland—pronounced with a slight roll of the final “r”
Beach Road
A road out of Ballemór that follows the coastline of Ceomhar Head, below the Sky Road
Benbrack
One of the Twelve Bens
Bodhran (BOW-rahn)
A round hand drum used in Irish music. The first syllable is pronounced as in “Take a bow”
Brigid
One of the gods of the Tuatha de Danann
Cailleach (coll-yuk)
“Witch”
Cen chaoi bhfuil tú? (Ken fey well too)
“How are you?”—to which “Tá mé togha” (Tah may TAH-chuh—“I’m grand” or “I’m fine”) might be a reply
Ceomhar Head (KOH-mar)
Cloch (Clahk)
“Stone” or “Pebble” in Irish Gaelic
Cloch na Thintri (Clahk nah Hintrah)
“Stone of Lightning”
Cnoc Deireadh (Crock Jerrah)
Fionnbharr’s mound on Inishcorr
Cnoc na Teamhrach (Crock nah Towl-Rah)
The Hill of Tara near the River Boyle. A complex of mounds and earthworks where the ancient kings of Ireland were reputedly both crowned and buried
Cnoc Meadha (Crock Mah)
The sacred mound of Fionnbharr, located in County Galway, west of the town of Tuam. It was the home of the King of the Connacht fairies, who ruled there. Also reputed to be the burial site of Queen Maeve of Connacht
Connacht (Kawn-AHKT)
The western province of Ireland consisting of the counties Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, and Sligo
Connem
ara (Kahn-eh-MAHR-ah)
A mountainous region in the west of Ireland. Contains the Twelve Bens (or mountains)
Craic (crack)
As in “That’s the craic,” which translates roughly as “That’s what’s going on”
Currach (COR-uch)
A plank-built rowing boat of the Connacht coast of Ireland
Cúchulainn (Koo-HOOL-in)
The hero of the Tain, who opposed Queen Medb
Daiddeó (DAD-oh)
“Grandfather”
Éire (AY-rah)
The Gaelic name for Ireland
Filleadh (Fill-eh)
Means both “going out” and “coming back”—also to fold or to bend
Galway Hooker
A single-masted small sailing boat traditional to the Galway region. Usually has a black hull (covered in pitch) and dark-red sails
Grainne Ni Mhaille (GRAN-ya Nee WAN-ya)
The Grainne Ni Mhaille is the Galway Hooker used by the Oileánach to travel back and forth from Inishcorr. Grainne Ni Mhaille is a historical figure in Ireland, also known as “Grace O’Malley,” who was chieftain of the Ó Máille clan and a pirate in sixteenth century Ireland. She was sometimes referred to as “The Sea Queen of Connaught”
Inishcorr (IN-ish-corr)
An island off Ceomhar Head
Lazybed
A method for cultivating potatoes used in the west of Ireland and also in Scotland, where the tubers are placed on the ground and a mounded layer of turf is placed over them (sometimes with seaweed added for nutrition). The beds are laid out in long rows, with the “channels” between them used for drainage of excess water
LÉ Aisling (ASH-ling)
Irish naval patrol vessel
Lia Fáil (LEE-ah Fall)
The “Stone of Destiny” that sits atop the Hill of Tara. Supposedly where the Irish kings were crowned until the year 500
Leamh (Lee-OW)
A derisive term for normal people used by the Oileánach, meaning “mundane” or “bland”
Letterfrack
A town in the Connemara Region
Lugh (Loogk)
One of the gods of the Tuatha de Danann
Máthair (MAW-hirzh)
“Mother”
Mháire Bhruinneall (MAH-ear WUH-een-ee-al)
Traditional Irish song in Gaelic
Macha (Mah-KAH)
One of the three aspects of the Morrígan
Maimeó (MAM-oh)
“Grandmother”
Morrígan
One of the ancient deities of Irish mythology
Navy Service
Ireland’s navy, one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defense Forces
Nemain (Nee-MOHN)
One of the three aspects of the Morrígan
NPWS
“National Parks & Wildlife Services”—a branch of the Irish government
Oileánach (OWE-lee-nok)
“The Islanders”—those living on Inishcorr
Ogham (Owe-um)
An ancient Celtic alphabet, usually carved into wood or stone
Oscail (OSS-kull)
“Open”
Oweynagat (Owen-nee-gaht)
The “Cave of the Cats,” one of the sites that make up the Rathcroghan complex. This is reputed to be the entrance to the underworld, from which monsters have several times emerged, and it’s also said that on Samhain, the Morrígan herself comes out from the cave. The actual Gaelic is “Uaimh na gCait”
Pléasc (PLAY-usk)
“Shatter”
Rathcroghan (Rah-CROV-un)
Rathcroghan is a complex of mounds and earthworks near Tulsk in County Roscommon. Important in Irish mythology and also the setting for the opening section of the Táin Bó Cúailnge and the Táin Bó Flidhais
Regan’s Pub
A tavern in Ballemór
Roscommon
A county in the center of Ireland
Samhain (SOW-en)
The Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darkness of winter. Commonly held around October 31. The customs of Samhain have somewhat influenced the American Halloween
Sidhe (“Shee”)
A common name for the fey folk—though incorrect, since “sidhe” is simply the gaelic word for “mound”
Sky Road
A road with scenic views along Ceomhar Head
Sligo (SLY-goh)
A county in the northwest of Ireland
Sluagh Sídhe (SLEW-uch shee)
The host of the aos sí, sometimes thought to be the spirits of the dead, who pour out from the fairy mounds and sometimes carry off mortals
Táin Bó Cúailnge (Toyn Boe KOOL-na)
The “Cattle Raid of Cooley”—one of the seminal mythological works of Ireland, in which the hero Cúchulainn appears
Talamh an Ghlas (TOWL-uv ahn Gloss)
“The Green Land”—the world to which Maeve and her people are trying to escape
Tuigim (Tigg-im)
“I understand”
Tír na mBeo (Teer Nah Moe)
“The Land of the Living”—in Celtic mythology, one of the “Otherworlds” where the dead hope to find peace
Tuatha de Danann (TWO-ah dah Don-on)
The “people of Danu.” In Irish mythology, after the Tuatha de Danann were defeated by the Milesians, they went underground into the sidhe mounds
Twelve Bens
Twelve mountain peaks in the Connemara region
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