Another visit to the local library brought a whole series of books to my attention a year or so ago.
The author writes his Sister Fidelma series as Peter Tremayne and he comes from Coventry in Warwickshire. His mother was of an old Saxon family in Sussex; his father hailed from County Cork in Ireland.
The two main characters in the Sister Fidelma mysteries are the protagonist, Sister Fidelma herself and her partner, Brother Eadulf. They mirror his own family very nicely.
Fidelma is a Celtic nun born in what was the old kingdom of Munster around the seventh century AD. She is also a qualified dalaigh, an advocate of the ancient law courts in Ireland, so she can assert legal authority over the people she meets where necessary. She often does, too, to great effect.
Brother Eadulf, her partner and eventually husband, is a Saxon monk. He often provides key advice to Fidelma as she solves each mystery and saves her life on more than one occasion. They make a wonderful partnership, both personally and professionally.
The author weaves huge elements of history into the novels, often about the role of nuns in the Church at that period of time in history. In Ireland they followed their own interpretation of Catholic teaching and it was not uncommon for members of the clergy to be married and have their own families, as Fidelma and Eadulf eventually do.
I adore these type of historical stories, especially when they’re well researched. Highly recommended.
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