Happy St. Patrick's Day!



I don't have a drop of Irish blood myself, but I'm reliably informed that everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day!  So, in celebration of the day, here are a few of the Irish characters who have appeared in Diana Gabaldon's books.  (I posted a version of this list last year, but I've updated it to include a couple of memorable Irishmen from THE SCOTTISH PRISONER.)

1) Aloysius O'Shaughnessy Murphy.  Ship's cook aboard the Artemis, in VOYAGER. He makes a truly memorable (or should we say infamous?) turtle soup! <g>

2) Stephen Bonnet. One of Diana's most memorable villains.  I think Brianna gave him a more merciful death than he deserved.

3) Jeffries, the Dunsanys' coachman in VOYAGER.  Besides Jamie, and Lord and Lady Dunsany, he's the only other eyewitness to the death of the Eighth Earl of Ellesmere.  I wonder if we'll see him again in a future book?

4) Seamus Hanlon.  One of the musicians who played at Jocasta and Duncan's wedding in FIERY CROSS.  Despite his very brief appearance in the story (chapter 41, "Music Hath Charms"), he seemed to have a genuine appreciation for Roger's musical talents.

5) The O'Higgins brothers, Rafe and Mick, who helped to smuggle Percy Wainwright out of prison near the end of LORD JOHN AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE BLADE.  They played only a relatively minor role in that book, but I thought they were pretty entertaining.

6) Father Donahue, the priest who baptizes Germain, Jemmy, and Joan in FIERY CROSS.  He seemed a very pragmatic, adaptable sort of person, perfectly willing to baptize the children with whisky instead of water if that was the only option available.  (And IMHO he gets extra points for managing to keep a straight face while listening to Jamie's confession involving Claire and the butter churn. <g>)

7) Tobias Quinn
.  He was certainly a memorable character in THE SCOTTISH PRISONER, although I found him somewhat annoying and a nuisance more than anything else.

8) Father Michael FitzGibbons, abbot of Inchcleraun monastery, Ireland.  The abbot is a decent man (despite his desire to get Jamie involved in the Jacobite scheme), with a curiosity about the natural world that I was surprised to see in a priest.  I love this description of him:
Michael FitzGibbons was a leprechaun. Jamie recognized him at once from Quinn’s description of the race.

The man came up perhaps to Jamie’s elbow but stood straight as a sawn-off arrow, a stiff white beard bristling pugnaciously from the edges of his jaw and with a pair of green eyes, bright with curiosity.

(From THE SCOTTISH PRISONER by Diana Gabaldon, chapter 19 ("Quagmire"). Copyright© 2011 by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.)

Have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, everybody!

9 comments

Catherine MacGregor said...

This isn't the first time I've suggested that your lovely red hair suggests a that something wonderful happened at the deep end of the gene pool! Top o' the mornin' to ye, Karen!
Cathy

Christiane KYPREOS said...

Karen, everybody's Irish to day ?! So, I am ! So many characters in Diana's books..you made a very good job once more ! Thanks to You and Diana's books I learn so many new words, thus enriching my English vocabulary.Good day to you.

Kerry Dutton said...

Love those ohiggins brothers and their shenanigans! I hope we see more of them...they seem useful to have around...hehe

Karen Henry said...

@Cathy - well, if so, it was a loooonnnng time ago! Loved the Guinness video about the border collie, thanks!

Karen

Karen Henry said...

Thanks, Christiane!

Karen

Karen Henry said...

Kerry - yes, they're definitely a useful pair to have around! They make me laugh.

Karen

Samantha said...

Love your site Karen! Found you while going through Outlander withdrawal:) Cant wait for the next book, but it's wonderful to have something new and exciting to look at everyday! Thanks!

Karen Henry said...

Hi Samantha, and welcome! :-) I hope you'll take the time to look around; there's a lot of information here for OUTLANDER fans.

Karen

aisha said...

hi, karen! love your FFF, as and the rest of your blog. :)
i was going through your older posts and i noticed that O'Sullivan wasn't in this list (one of Price Charlie's Irish confidantes in Dragonfly in Amber):)

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