Part of Irish Country, book 6
First published 2011
Fingal O'Reilly arrives in Dublin fresh from the Royal Navy Reserve, determined to become a doctor despite his father's objections. At Trinity College and Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital, he throws himself into the grueling world of medical training. The cases are difficult and the hours punishing, but Fingal finds balance through boxing and rugby. He also discovers romance with Kitty O'Hallorhan, a nurse with striking gray eyes. Dublin in the 1930s presents harsh realities. The city's slums and tenements harbor diseases that challenge the era's limited medical knowledge. Fingal's teachers caution him against becoming too emotionally involved with patients, but the young student struggles with this advice as he witnesses suffering he cannot always cure. This prequel reveals the experiences that forged the combative country doctor readers know from Ballybucklebo, showing how a determined young man learned to balance professional duty with human compassion.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Dublin, Trinity College, Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital
Period: 1930s
492 pages · Hardcover · Forge Books