In tribal, pre-Christian Ireland, during the reign of the fierce and mighty High Kings at Tara, princely Conall falls in love with the ravishing Deirdre, whose travails cleverly echo the ancient Celtic legend of Cuchulainn. Moving through the centuries, the author of London and Russka tells the tales of druids and chieftains, monks and smugglers, rebels and cowards—an epic of Ireland seen through the lens of Dublin, its greatest city. Along the way, Edward Rutherfurd also offers vivid depictions of the major events in Irish history: The mission of St. Patrick; the coming of the Vikings; the extraordinary career of the unifying king, Brian Boru; and the trickery of Henry II, which gave England its first foothold in medieval Ireland.