[ About Mithim ]
Wexford, 1657. Ireland is on its knees.
Eight years after Cromwell’s army burned Killenea Castle to the ground, Mithim McMurrough – daughter of a Gaelic lord, healer and last keeper of her family’s secrets – is living alone and in hiding in the depths of a Wexford forest. The soldiers are moving closer. And the past is closing in faster still.
Fierce, lyrical and steeped in Irish mythology, the Celtic tree calendar and the forgotten wisdom of the Gaelic healing women, Mithim gives voice to a noblewoman who refused to disappear quietly into the wreckage of conquest – who carried her people’s knowledge into the dark, and who will risk everything to find out who survived.
Meet the bould Mithim – the Irish woman history forgot.
[ My Review ]
Mithim by Carina McNally published May 15th with Mercier Press and is described as ‘an entrancing historical debut novel set in 17th century Ireland‘.
Step back in time to a land in flux, to a time when Irish mythology was being slowly diluted, replaced with new ideas and practices. For Mithim McMorrough this was a time to fear. The daughter of a displaced Gaelic family, burned out of their home at Killenea Castle in Wexford, Mithim has made her home hidden in the depths of the forest guided by the pre-Christian goddess, An Cailleach. Mithim is a renowned healer but, in this new world, her methods are considered as witchcraft by some. Her ability to nurture nature, and all that it holds, grounds her and provides her with stability but Mithim knows her time in the forest is coming to a close and she needs to move on.
When word reaches her that her brother Eoin may still be alive she takes off on a quest to find him. Her treacherous journey puts her life at risk as she crosses the country, travelling to Cork, accompanying Deirdre, a woman who seems quite irrational in her behaviour and seems to have an ulterior motive with every move she makes.
The year is 1657 and Ireland is struggling to protect her people. With Cromwell, and the English, enforcing new laws, lands were confiscated and the native speakers were brutally treated. The practicing of the Catholic faith was restricted, with many religious orders escaping into exile or murdered. The Wild Geese left the country in their droves, forced into new lives in hotter climes, never to see the green fields of their homeland again. Many of the Gaelic lords took the high seas as pirates, with Roaringwater Bay and Crookhaven in West Cork becoming a shelter for them when on land. What was really interesting for me was the history of some of the place names that Carina McNally highlights along the way. I have been to Crookhaven numerous times but, embarrassingly, never disassembled the name as it being a safe haven for crooks!
Mithim McMurrough is a feisty individual with a determination to protect her ways and her culture. Protecting her livelihood puts her in grave danger but she is resilient and courageous. In times of worry, she looks to An Cailleach and nature to ground her and to provide her with the signs she needs to keep marching forward in her quest.
Mithim is a fictional tale set against a factual backdrop with plenty historical references that will send any reader down a rabbit hole. Once I immersed myself in Mithim’s story and adapted to the dialect, I was rooting for her very survival and that of her remaining kin.
Mithim is a fascinating story, with the amount of research carried out by Carina McNally evident on every page. An atmospheric read, Mithim explores a time in Ireland’s turbulent history when great changes were forced upon a population as their land was ravaged and their culture suppressed. An engaging debut, Mithim is an educational and evocative tale, perfect for readers of historical fiction who like to delve deeper into the mindset of a people and their heritage.
[ Thank you to Mercier Press for a copy of Mithim in exchange for my honest review]
[ Bio ]
Carina McNally is an Irish writer, journalist and playwright from the Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork. Her work draws on the Irish landscape, history and folklore.
Mithim is her debut novel.
I have this on reserve at the library. I’ll admit I do have reservations when someone writes a supposedly Irish inspired story and have just plucked bits and pieces about the ‘Fae*’ so an author putting in the work to respect the rich history and mythology we have and incorporate it into their story always gets my interest. Looking forward to reading this.
*I don’t mean that in a snobby way, I’m just suspicious ever since that US writer said she wanted to make a series about Grace O’Malley and proceeded to outline all the ways she’d change the story to appeal to an American audience. Don’t remember her name but remember being aghast reading her tweets. (This was before Twitter was sold to you know who)
You’re safe with Carina. She lives in Beara – so if anything it’s more suitable to an Irish reader with the language used in places. I loved the local references/place names etc. For a debut novel it’s a solid piece of work.