Home ⋅ Published Books ⋅ Days of the Blackthorn: Faction Fighters of Kerry

Days of the Blackthorn: Faction Fighters of Kerry
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By: Seán Moraghan
Publisher: The Mercier Press Ltd
Published: January 2020
Pages: 320
Categories: Humanities
Language: English
Available as: Paperback
On sale at:
ISBN-13: 9781781177501
ASIN: 1781177503

Days of the Blackthorn uses contemporary sources such as eyewitness tales, to provide a visceral sense of the 'vengeful, brutal, drunken, petty world' of faction fighting in Kerry in the 1800s. This is a fascinating account of a wild, violent time in Ireland's history. On town streets or in green fields, at fairs, race meetings and saints' patron days, rival gangs of Irishmen used to meet to battle and beat each other with cudgels and sticks. The practice was particularly prevalent in the 1800s, and involved tens, hundreds and even thousands of men and women at a time. Days of the Blackthorn uses eyewitness descriptions, as well as the oral history of local communities, to provide a visceral sense of this exciting and brutal activity in County Kerry. From the Battle of Ballyeagh between the Cooleens and the Lawlors that left eighteen dead, to the savage combats of various strongmen, such as Seon Burns or 'Big Mick' Foley, this is a fascinating account of a wild and violent time in Ireland's history. Sean Moraghan has been a bookseller, librarian, and folklore researcher. He has also worked as an editor, indexer and proofreader. Following a visit to Killarney he moved to County Kerry where he has lived for over thirty years. Sean previously published Puck Fair: A History, and a new readers edition of The Ancient and Present State of the County of Kerry.

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