Marjorie Harshaw Robie's Dueling Dragons picks up where her Dwelling Place of Dragons ended, continuing an historical account of the critical years in 19th century Irish history that set the stage for turmoil in Ireland that lasted for more than one hundred years. In Dueling Dragons, famine and emigration decimate the Irish population; religious conflicts divide Protestants from Catholics; and friendships and families are torn apart. This history is recounted from the front-lines, the headlines, and through the writings of three connected Irishmen. James Harshaw, an ordinary Irish farmer, respected for his good works and his community commitment, kept a daily journal that disappeared years after his death, only to reappear miraculously one hundred years later, and several thousand miles away. Harshaw's nephew John Martin left his own farm to become an internationally known and respected political leader, devoting much of his life to achieving Irish independence from England. Martin's ideas and adventures were contained in letters, public speeches and newspaper articles. Martin's schoolmate and friend George Henderson, editor of an important and influential newspaper in Counties Down and Armagh, covered the major news of the day and wrote powerful editorials supporting the union of Ireland and England. Save for their writings, these men might have faded into oblivion. Ms. Robie spent years searching for the Harshaw diaries (which she found in Keokuk Iowa after a series of mind-boggling coincidences). She researched hundreds of historical documents including Martin's personal letters and decades' worth of Henderson's Newry Commercial Telegraph to piece together this startlingly personal and exquisitely detailed account of rebellion, religion and politics. In Dueling Dragons, Ms. Robie helps three important, unsung voices to emerge from the shadows. She has written a seminal story for history buffs, followers of religious and political history, and every Irish person on earth who imagines what his or her ancestors' lives were like.
About the Author: Marjorie Harshaw Robie was born in Minneapolis Minnesota to parents of Irish ancestry. After early years in Maryland, she moved to Massachusetts where she graduated from Tufts University with a degree in English. With husband Eugene Robie, she spent years in Virginia and West Virginia, before moving to the bucolic and historic town of Ipswich Massachusetts, where they raised their six children, and Ms. Robie was a school teacher. Years later, she fulfilled a desire to run for public office, winning a seat on the Ipswich School Committee, serving four years as Chairman. Her interest in history led first to years of service on the Ipswich Historical Commission, then to a personal journey of family and Irish history that caught fire in the discovery of her relative's diaries. Proclaimed "an Irish treasure" upon their return to Ireland where Ms. Robie donated them to the Public Record Office in Belfast, the diaries formed the structure of two fascinating historical volumes, Dwelling Place of Dragons (2007) and the new Dueling Dragons. Ms. Robie is a sought-after speaker on Irish history, ancestral research and the critical clash of politics and religion.