City of the Tribes
The Eireannach Sagas
City of the Tribes is a book for younger readers which I’m currently writing and illustrating. It is a historical-fiction tale set in Galway and Connacht in the Middle Ages about the power struggle between indigenous Irish clans who ruled the West of Ireland and the invading Anglo-Normans in the late 12th Century. Having taken control over large territories in Leinster and Munster the Norman barons wanted to consolidate their power in the country by targeting Connacht as their next conquest.
However, the Gaelic King of Connacht, Crobhdearg O’Connor and his allies vowed to resist the invaders; and the coastal settlement of Dun Gaillimhe (or Galway – which later became known as the ‘City of the Tribes’) became a crucible of both tribal conflicts and running-battles with the Normans. A young captain named Caelan MacConry and his Fianna were tasked with the town’s defence.
Below are designs for the main characters of the book which should be completed some time in the next year.
Click on any image for a closer look.
