The author and historian Majorie Harshaw Robie is due to visit Ireland on the 26th November 2006 to launch her book “Dwelling Place of Dragons“. The book centres on the 19th Century lives of local men James Harshaw, John Martin and George Henderson. There is more information about these men on the Harshaw Martin Heritage Trail website.
We have not had a chance to review the book as it is not yet launched but the publishers description is shown below.
Publishers Description: Ten years in the making, author Marjorie Harshaw Robie’s impressive Dwelling Place of Dragons recounts two of the most formative decades in Irish history. It reveals how a few brave members of the Protestant community of Ulster joined the Catholic population in the struggle to gain independence from repressive English control. Her unique perspective tells Ireland’s incredible story through the eyes of three remarkable, very unique men: James Harshaw, the Irish nationalist; Harshaw’s nephew John Martin, who fought to achieve independence from England; and George Henderson, who became editor of one of the most influential newspapers in all of Ulster. Unlike John and James, George was a supporter of British control. From a conference in 1830 where religious peace was declared to the murders and riots and the great Irish famine, author Robie delves deep into Irish history, exploring the tensions that led a peaceful country into sectarian war. Extensively researched, Dwelling Place of Dragons explores the dangers that can occur when one religion runs a country.
Robie’s book is also deeply personal. She searched for and finally found all six volumes of Harshaw’s incredible diaries, and balanced them with the character of George Henderson, who represented the majority opinion of Irish Protestants. These three men and the motives that moved them are brought back into the limelight in a book of rare historical importance.
The author, Marjorie Harshaw Robie, has discussed Irish history on The Today Show, a PBS special and a major segment on UTV evening news in Belfast. A lecturer and member of the Ipswich Historical Commission, she has written the entry for James Harshaw in The Dictionary of Irish Biography and has written a weekly column on Irish history for the Newry Democrat in Northern Ireland. The author lives with her family in historic Ipswich in Massachusetts.