Category Archives: The Awakening

Guide to Irish terms and names in The Awakening

Instead of a glossary in the back of The Awakening, I thought it would be helpful to have a list of definitions for the Irish you see in The Awakening along with a link to hear the pronunciations. They are listed in order of appearance in the book so it’s easy to follow along.

Click on the word itself to get the pronunciation link. When there are choices in dialect, go with Connacht.

Very special thanks go to the Macmillan Audio team for coming up with the list as they prepared for recording The Awakening. Any and all errors are mine.

Talamh –  earth, ground, land
Taoiseach – chief, leader
Cosantoir – defender, protector
Clann – family
Misneach – Courage, spirit  
Sláinte! – health  
Mo stór – my treasure 
Ogham – early Irish alphabet 
Bodhrán – traditional Irish drum  
Fáilte – welcome 
Déithe – gods  
libh – you  
Sidhe -fairy 
Dobhar-chú – King Otter
Cróga – brave 
Lasair – blaze
Mo dheartháir – my brother
Athame – blade
Lough – lake 
Fírinne – truth 
Finnguala – fair of shoulders
Lir – sea
Tuatha Dé Danann – tribe of the gods 
Taoisigh – chief/leader  
Ceilidh – a gathering with folk music and singing, traditional dancing, and storytelling  
Mo bandia – my goddess 
Mo chroi – my love, my darling  
Samhain – end of the harvest season

And here’s how to pronounce some names – which are also in order of appearance.

Aisling –  https://forvo.com/word/aisling/#ga
Tarryn –  https://youglish.com/pronounce/tarryn/english?
Mairghread – https://www.pronouncenames.com/pronounce/mairghread
O’Ceallaigh – https://forvo.com/search/%C3%93%20Ceallaigh/ga/
Siobhan –  https://forvo.com/word/siobhan/#en
Eian – https://youglish.com/pronounce/eian/english?
Lonrach –  https://forvo.com/search/lonrach/
Keisha –  https://forvo.com/word/keisha/#en
Finola –  https://forvo.com/word/finola/#en
Kavan – https://youglish.com/pronounce/kavan/english?
Mac an Ghaill – https://www.pronouncekiwi.com/Mairtin%20Mac%20an%20Ghaill
Igraine –  https://forvo.com/search/igraine/cy/ 
Odran –  https://forvo.com/search/Odran/
Mahon – https://forvo.com/search/Mohan/en/
Aoife –  https://forvo.com/word/aoife/#ga
Shana – https://forvo.com/search/Shana/
Mina –  https://youglish.com/pronounce/mina/english?
Yseult –  https://forvo.com/word/yseult/#fr
Deaglan –  https://forvo.com/word/deagl%C3%A1n/#ga
Bria – https://youglish.com/pronounce/bria/english?
Mac Aodha – https://forvo.com/word/mac_aodha/#ga
Ultan – https://forvo.com/search/Ult%C3%A1n/
Devlin –  https://forvo.com/search/devlin/
Beryl –  https://forvo.com/word/beryl/#en
Largus –  https://forvo.com/search/largus/
Minga –  https://forvo.com/search/minga/bar/
Og –  https://forvo.com/search/og/ga/
Aidan –  https://forvo.com/word/aidan/#en
Daryn-  https://youglish.com/pronounce/daryn/english?
Ywain – https://forvo.com/search/ywain/
Birgit –  https://forvo.com/search/Birgit/de/

The Awakening discussion thread

On sale now!

The Awakening is now available in stores/on e-readers! And this is the place to discuss all things about the first book in The Dragon Heart Legacy.

Just a quick reminder of the official cover copy:

In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own.

As a young girl, Breen Kelly listened to her father’s stories of magical places. As an anxious twentysomething she’s mired in student debt and working a job she hates.  Then one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. Worth nearly four million dollars, it was funded by her long-lost father.

Little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing an silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And learn her true destiny lies through a portal in Galway which takes her to a land of faeries and witches, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny.

Hope you enjoyed The Awakening! Share your thoughts in the comments. Remember Be Ware: spoilers up ahead.

Laura

UPDATED: Let’s talk about the book in the comments, shall we? As of 12/6 any comments not related to The Awakening and its plot will unapproved. Because, seriously, we need to chat about Sally and the nonblood family Breen creates. Love, love, love. ~Laura

The Awakening excerpt

Nora’s newest trilogy – The Dragon Heart Legacy – debuts with The Awakening, out November 24.

Here’s the official cover copy:

In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own.

When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job she hates. But one day she stumbles upon a shocking discovery: her mother has been hiding an investment account in her name. It has been funded by her long-lost father and it’s worth nearly four million dollars.

This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she heard a voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny.

And now, you can read just a bit to get ready for November 24. You’ll find the excerpt here.

Laura

The Awakening

Life as we know it is a bit upended right now. I thought it would be fun to bring a little excitement of the book kind into this St. Patrick’s Day 2020 so I’m pleased to share the cover reveal video for The Awakening, the first book in the Dragon Heart Legacy.

My favorite cover – ever. ~Laura

Right now, all I can tell you is the Awakening is the first book in Nora’s latest trilogy where parallel worlds clash over the struggle between good and evil.

You can pre-order The Awakening at your favorite retailer now:

TTP: http://bit.ly/2M5qaAi
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/36k70ON
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2TjXnuE
BAM: http://bit.ly/3ckyqru
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Yy7oXb
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2S4kkCY
Kobo: http://bit.ly/38PbwXB
Google: http://bit.ly/2S382ej

Laura