SISTER FIDELMA MYSTERIES - OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Céad Míle Fáilte! A Thousand Welcomes to the Sister Fidelma Mysteries website. This site is provided for everyone interested in Peter Tremayne's international bestselling mystery series and, indeed, to those interested in all his work both as Peter Tremayne and his non-fiction work as the Celtic Scholar Peter Berresford Ellis. It is provided free of charge through the courtesy of The International Sister Fidelma Society.

We would like to point out that this is a Society of volunteer workers, entirely funded by membership subscription. We provide not only this website, but all subscribing members to the Society get our print magazine, The Brehon, sent to them three times a year, and are updated on all activities.

Why not join us? Click on THE SOCIETY link above and find out what we have to offer, and to join our ever-growing organization.

MOST FREQUENTLY GIVEN ANSWER... Depends if you are following the UK publications or the US publications:

The 4th Féile Fidelma, the three day international gathering of fans in Cashel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, will be taking place from Friday, September 7 to Sunday, September 9. Once again, a great line-up of speakers is being arranged, and the registration fee covers the reception by the Mayor of Cashel, all the talks, the Féile dinner and a conducted tour of one of the Fidelma locations mentioned in the books by the archaeologist who has been excavating the site recently.

Needless to say, the author, Peter Tremayne, will be starting the weekend on Friday evening with "An Evening With Peter Tremayne." Booking instructions will soon be sent out as available through the Cashel Arts Fest website (WWW.CASHELARTSFEST.COM). So get prepared – make sure you put those dates in your diary and, what better than making the trip to Cashel as part of your vacation in the wonderful, scenic and historic lands of Fidelma’s country – Ireland?

Registration fee has been set at $195 for the full weekend's activities, including all speakers, mayor's reception and interview session with Peter Friday evening, all speakers on Saturday, as well as the formal dinner (not necessarily black tie, but coat and tie for the gentlemen, and appropriate garb for the ladies) that evening at Cashel Palace Hotel. It will also include the tour of the archaeological work being done at Rath na Drinne (Rath na Drinner appears in the Fidelma books as the site of Ferloga’s Tavern - recent excavation show it is dated far older than 7th century.

Registrationfee has been set at $195 (until May 1 – after that the fee increases to $225 per person) for the full weekend's activities, including all speakers, mayor's reception and interview session with Peter Friday evening, all speakers on Saturday, as well as the formal dinner (not necessarily black tie, but coat and tie for the gentlemen, and appropriate garb for the ladies) that evening at Cashel Palace Hotel. It will also include the tour of the archaeological work being done at Rath na Drinne (Rath na Drinner appears in the Fidelma books as the site of Ferloga’s Tavern - recent excavation show it is dated far older than 7th century).

Keep in mind, Cashel is not a large town. Hotels and B&B’s will fill up quickly, so you may choose to book your room(s) as quickly as possible to ensure you get the accommodations you wish. As always, we highly recommend Bruden Fidelma – The Sister Fidelma Guesthouse, themed throughout with Fidelma artwork and quotes from the books. And, Olivia Quinlan and her husband, the proprietors, have one of the largest collection of Fidelma titles from around the world in their modest parlor library. Those of you who have stayed at Bruden Fidelma before can attest to how lovely the place is – and only a stone’s throw from the main Féile venue, the Cashel Palace Hotel. Bruden Fidelma’s website is www.sisterfidelmabandb.com – you can check with Olivia on current rates and availability, but don’t wait too long…

Peter Tremayne has received the Prix Historia du roman policier historique 2010 - the Historia Prize for a historical crime novel in 2010. The award was given for the French edition of Master of Souls.

Historia is an old established major historical monthly magazine in Paris. The jury, chaired by the chief editor and president of Historia Dr Patrician Crété, also included historians and historical crime fiction experts Catherine Decouan and Liliane Crété, who were unanimous in their decision.

The Sister Fidelma novels have become bestellers in France. Full details of the award will appear in the next issue of The Brehon.

Saturday, 21 August, brought an excellent review of Peter's title The Chalice of Blood in the Irish Independent. The extensive article details the good Sister, her creator, and even mentions this year's Féile.

"Of course there is a formula at work here, but the pleasure is in the world Peter Tremayne has created and into which we can escape. Fidelma is a feminist with a cool brain — a nun with a male companion. Brehon times were so much more liberal...

"So after 21 books, does the formula hold up? Yes. Because the author keeps inventing great new stories. Does the writing hold up? Yes. An example is the first chapter of ‘Dancing with Demons’ in which the king’s murder on the Hill of Tara combines brilliant imagery with savage detail like that found in a Jacobean tragedy...

"If you like a good mystery, cleverly plotted and beautifully written, and have not yet discovered Fidelma, a treasure trove awaits."

As most of you know, for some time there has been a map of Fidelma’s travels available for sale in support of the Society. Most of the books come with a simple lineart map, showing details of that particular novel, but nowhere else will you find a chart noting all of the good Sister’s travels (granted, some are still in far-off lands, remote from Éire, but are so noted on the map).

While the map has always been reasonably well received, we have never been thoroughly satisfied with it. Thus, when it came time to update the map to Peter’s latest title (The Chalice of Blood), we felt a major overhaul was in order.

The new map features all of the same locations, updated with the latest titles, but the map itself is much more aesthetically pleasing. Plus, it is now available in a larger, and easier to read, 23” x 35” size, as well as a smaller 11” x 17” mini poster print.

So, if you’ve been holding out on this map, now is the time to buy one. Or, if you bought one of the original/earlier versions, now’s the time to update! The prints, from CafePress, are extremely well done, and are available unframed, as well as framed in smaller sizes.

You can see these new items – as well as all other Sister Fidelma merchandise, including Féile Fidelma 2010! Items (and 2008!, and 2006!) – via our CafePress shop at http://www.cafepress.com/eclecticon. Just look for the INTERNATIONAL SISTER FIDELMA SOCIETY shop amidst all the others.

In January, 2006, St Martins Minotaur of New York, published a collection of short stories by our favourite author entitled AN ENSUING EVIL. This collection had only one Fidelma mystery and were mainly a collection of mysteries from the 11th to the 20th centuries, demonstrating that Peter Tremayne's talent was not confined to one period or one culture. The stories include some set in Shakespeare's time to some great Sherlock Holmes pastiches. The collection is now in its fourth reprint from St Martin's proving how popular Peter's tales are.

Moreover, the collection was published in German as Das Flustern der Verlorenen Seelen in November 2007. They also decided to add two more uncollected Fidelma short stories to it. And it is already reprinted.

Now the Italians are about to publish the collection with the original contents under the title I neri agenti della notte (Night's Black Angels) the title of the Macbeth murder mystery with which the collection start.

FIRST FIDELMA MYSTERY IN IRISH LANGUAGE

Major collector’s item

Scréach ón Tuama (A Scream from the Sepulchre) has been published as a 36pp booklet by The International Sister Fidelma Society. This is the first time a Sister Fidelma story has appeared in the Irish language.

With the author’s permission and backing, the story has been translated by Dr Gearóid Ó Laoi of Cork. As well as the text, which is written in the standard, now called Caighdeán, there is an introduction about the series and selection of book reviews from the leading Irish newspapers. Maggie Tolderlund of Peuco Editores, Argentina provided the jacket illustration, and there are also colour photographs inside.

The price of this unique booklet is US$9.95 plus postage and packing, depending where you are situated. Click the graphic at right for further details, and to order your own copy/copies of this new title.

A NEW PETER TREMAYNE BOOK

NON-FICTION, AND EXCLUSIVE TO THE SOCIETY!

SISTER FIDELMA'S CASHEL:

The Early Kings of Munster and their Capital

Cashel, Co. Tipperary, is called “Cashel of the Kings,” as for centuries it was the capital of the ancient Irish kingdom of Muman, now called Munster. Cashel has become famous throughout many parts of the world through the international best-selling Sister Fidelma Mysteries of Peter Tremayne.

Sister Fidelma, who resides at Cashel in the seventh century, is sister to the King of Munster, Colgú, who ruled here from AD 666-678, dwelling in his fortress on The Rock of Cashel.

The King of Munster handed over The Rock to the Church in AD 1101, and thenceforth all signs of the royal residence, which occupied it from the fifth century, vanished. New, great ecclesiastical buildings were erected, which now dominate The Rock.

Enthusiasts of the Sister Fidelma Mysteries, visiting The Rock, often ask questions of the guides, wanting to know more about the site when it was a royal residence - desiring to put “flesh” on the architectural and archaeological “bones” that still remain on The Rock.

The lack of information available to visitors (and guides) frequently results in frustration and disappointment. The International Sister Fidelma Society has decided to use the good offices of the author to issue this booklet, in order to provide answers to some of the questions most often asked.

This new 36-page booklet, complete with photos and illustrations, is available for $9.95, with proceeds benefiting The International Sister Fidelma Society. Currently, you can only order this book online (along with all other Sister Fidelma merchandise) through our CafePress site. Click the book cover graphic for more details, and to order this valuable new history.