The Secret of 1798
Ireland is in turmoil. Wolfe Tone and other revolutionaries are hoping that
France will aid those who want to establish liberty and equality for all.
But at Drumshee, Tom and his wife, Ann are just worrying about where the
money for the rent can be found.
Tom’s daughter Caitriona suggests that they go fishing and sell the fish
but this is the time when ships from France are making their way up the west
coast and the little fishing coracle is swamped.
‘Now, however, she was only conscious that help was coming. A young
man dressed in a blue jacket and white breeches, had dived off the forecastle
of the ship and was swimming towards her….
"Do not struggle," he said in very good English, but with a
strange accent…
"Oh, Lord," Tom murmured. "It’s the French!"
No matter what her stepmother says, Caitriona knows that they must hide Serge
from the British army. After all, the young Frenchman has saved her life.
Exploring the farm, Caitriona and Serge stumble on a clue left by the boy,
Malachy, who lived there centuries before. It points the way to a hidden purse
of gold. If they find it, Caitriona could follow her dream of going to France
with Serge and becoming a great singer.
Cora Harrison writes:
There have been a lot of books, including books for children, written about
Wolfe Tone and the revolutionaries of 1798, but I wanted to present a picture of
how the ordinary country people were living at the time and how the arrival of
the French actually made life harder for them.
Click here to read the first chapter of the book
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Secret
of Drumshee Castle (book 3)