Tag Archives: Last of the Name

About Harps and LAST OF THE NAME

I had such a wonderful time talking with the family history program at the New York Historical Society about LAST OF THE NAME today! There were some questions about harps so I thought I’d show some pictures I have from a trip to Ireland in 2017. This is the Brian Boru harp on display at Trinity College in Dublin. It is one of the oldest harps in Ireland and is the size and shape of the one I imagined my characters carrying in the story. As you can see, it’s ornately decorated. It’s strung with wire and is 600-700 years old.

In irish a harp is called a cláirseach. It is the national symbol of Ireland and appears on coins, passports, and the presidential seal.

The Brian Boru Harp also known as the Trinity College harp

Here is what a small harp sounds like. I’m a new harp student myself so I have plenty still to learn. The tune I’m playing was written by a very famous harper Turlough O’Carolan who lived from 1670 to 1738. Like many harpers he was blind. He composed many tunes. The ones that have the word Planxty in the title are songs in praise of a person, so this tune Planxty Irwin is a song in praise of Captain Irwin.

Vote for the New York History Book Prize

I’m so honored that my book LAST OF THE NAME was chosen as a finalist for the New York History Book Prize. It’s in the company of books and authors I admire very much. There is a public voting component to this prize. You don’t have to be from New York to vote, any fan of history books can cast a vote here. Voting is open until the end of the day April 30th. Historical fiction is sometime overshadowed by other books but it was my favorite genre when I was a kid which is why I write it as often as I can. Thanks to the New York Historical Society for sponsoring this prize and to teachers and librarians and booksellers everywhere who keep putting historical books in kids’ hands.

A Book Partner for Last of the Name

One of my favorite parts of researching a historical fiction is finding books that will be a perfect partner for my work-in-progress. Books that illuminate an era near to the one in my story or books that explore the same events from a different lens. I am always grateful when my publisher makes room in the back of the book to recommend these book partners. The author notes in LAST OF THE NAME point to several books by Zetta Elliot, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Walter Dean Myers.

Sometimes a book comes along too late to be included but is nevertheless a perfect companion read. Streetcar to Justice: how Elizabeth Jennings won the right to ride in New York, by Amy Hill Hearth came out last year. It is non-fiction, set in New York city a mere ten years before the setting of Last of the Name. And it illuminates a little known bit of history.

Nearly everyone knows Rosa Parks but did you know that more than 100 years before the Rosa Parks sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, a woman named Elizabeth Jennings won the right in court for a black person to ride the public trolley in New York City. Hill’s well documented book is chock full of photographs which illuminate the condition of the streets of New York in the pre-Civil War era.

So many of the difficult racial, ethnic, and class issues we are facing today had their roots more than a hundred years ago. I hope both these books spark conversation and reflection on how we got to this moment, and inspire readers to move forward with ever greater understanding and compassion.

An Immigration Conversation with Comhaltus

One of the reasons I can write about the immigration of the Irish to America was the preservation of that history through music. Comhaltus (pronounced coal-tus) is an organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of Irish traditional music. We are sponsoring an immigration conversation on Sunday afternoon April 7th at 2pm at the Hillsdale Public Library 1525 SW Sunset Blvd, Portland, OR 97239. We are going to share how we remember and honor our past and what that past might call us to in the future. Everyone is welcome to come and listen and share as they feel comfortable. Immigration touches us all. There will be refreshments and music.

A Book Party for Last of the Name

I’m so excited about the book party for Last of the Name because it will be as much a celebration of the perseverance of Irish culture as it is of the book. I’ll be joined by musicians and dancers and we will be meeting in the Annex next door to Annie Blooms Bookstore where you can order food and drinks from our neighbor restaurant Gastromania. I hope to see you there!