This wonderful Celtic romance evokes the days of the
Fianna, the finest warriors of Eireann. Niamh, daughter of
a farmer, is flattered that warrior Bryan wants to court
her at the Lughnasa fair, but wise to the ways of men she
sets him a riddle, asking him to name the triad of things
that women want from men. Only then will she consider
him. Bryan has other concerns - he's seen a fine horse
lamed by the man who wants to be the king's successor, and
can't trust a man who cares little for his mounts. And his
younger brother Leary was almost swept away by a malevolent
spirit, the pooka, which takes the form of a black horse.
Clearly this is going to be no ordinary midsummer fair.
DAUGHTER OF GOLD bewitches from the start, a total
immersion in the times, from brown woollen cloaks because
the sheep are brown, to fine embroidery worn only by the
wealthy. The goods ready for barter, such as hound pups,
bone-handled knives, linens, bilberries and honey, bring us
on a stroll among the tents and wicker pens, so we hear the
laughter and songs, feel the excitement. Bryan asks golden-
haired Niamh to be his Lughnasa Sister - a ladyfriend for
the duration of the fair - but she won't be loved and left,
preferring to seek a husband.
The pooka is still in the vicinity, showing itself
occasionally and making trouble, a danger to any who
approach it. Bryan has to win three sporting challenges
to take the place of the reckless prince. He must win a
mounted swim race, a javelin throw and a horse race. As the
tension mounts and the rivalry becomes deadly, Niamh feels
that her simple clothes and background make her inadequate
for Bryan's consort, compared to the princesses. But her
innate understanding of the earth, fields and woodlands may
be all that saves them from the wrath of the pooka.
I found DAUGHTER OF GOLD tremendously enjoyable, vivid and
romantic.
In Wicklow there is a lake called Poulaphouca, where the
pooka is said to have drowned unwary travellers who tried
to ride it. The legend has been reworked in splendid style
by Janeen O'Kerry, who has written several Celtic romances,
all with the same attention to detail. Romance fans and
horse lovers equally will love DAUGHTER OF GOLD.
Niamh travels to the late summer festival known as the
Lughnasa Fair, a great gathering of the kingdoms. There she
meets Bryan, a member of the Fianna, a group of the king’s
finest fighting men. He wishes her to be his “Lughnasa
Sister”—his mate for the fourteen days of the Fair—but Niamh
wants an offer of marriage. And the offer must come from a
man who can answer her riddle: What three things does a
woman want most from a man?
Yet Bryan has little time to think on Niamh’s riddle, for
the Fair is plagued by a supernatural creature: the puca—a
malevolent, destructive spirit in the shape of a black horse
with fiery red eyes. Putting aside other matters, Bryan and
Niamh must work to solve the mystery of the puca and save
the people of the Fair—and their future—together
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