The Hounds of the Morrigan facts for kids
Cover of the original 1985 edition, as well as the 1999 reprint by HarperTrophy
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| Author | Pat O'Shea |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy novel, Celtic mythology |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
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Publication date
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1985 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 688 pp |
| ISBN | 0-06-447205-1 |
| OCLC | 39875090 |
| LC Class | PZ7.O83 Ho 1999 |
The Hounds of the Morrigan is a children's novel by the Irish writer Pat O'Shea. It was published in 1985, after taking thirteen years to complete. The novel recounts the adventures of 10-year-old Pidge and his younger sister, Brigit, battling with characters from Celtic mythology.
Plot
In a Galway bookshop, Pidge buys a book called A Book of Patrick's Writing and accidentally frees an evil serpent, Olc-Glas, from inside it. Pidge and his five-year-old sister, Brigit, are then caught up in a battle between good (the Dagda) and evil (the Morrigan). Talking animals and other figures from Celtic mythology help them, and they travel to Tír na nÓg.
Setting
The Irish Times wrote that "the unspoilt countryside around Lough Corrib provided the inspiration" for the book.
Links to Celtic mythology
- Queen Maeve, her husband, Ailill, and their seven sons, the Maines
- Cathbad
- The goddess Brigid
- Angus Og
- The Morrigan, a triple goddess, and her two counterparts:
- Bodb, the Scald Crow
- Macha, the Queen of Phantoms
- Saint Patrick
- The Dagda
- Cúchulainn
Influence on other writers
Several writers have given The Hounds of the Morrigan as one of their favourite books or noted that it influenced them:
- Sarah Rees Brennan
- Roshani Chokshi
- Barry Hutchison
- Kieran Larwood
- Ruth Frances Long
- Katy Moran
- Emmet O’Cuana
- Sinéad O’Hart
- Laura Perry
- Taya Okerlund
- Robyn Young
Sequel
O'Shea was working on a sequel at the time of her death. In an obituary, David Fickling wrote; "The few brilliant chapters of the unfinished sequel are almost worth publishing alone: a Christmas card scene, candelit shop windows, carol singers and a robin... and into this cheerful scene rides the great Irish witch the Morrigan with her wild sisters, bringing mayhem and magic and mischief".
- Fimi, Dimitra. (2017) "Otherworldly Ireland: Pat O’Shea’s The Hounds of the Mórrígan and Kate Thompson’s The New Policeman", in Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children’s Fantasy: Idealization, Identity, Ideology. Palgrave Macmillan. .
