Ireland's Minstrel

'An enchanting biography of an enchanting man' Christopher Bland, Books of the Year, Sunday Telegraph' This fine, affectionate biography restores the much-lovedbut- too-long-forgotten author of Irish Melodies to his proper place in the Romantic pantheon. It makes excellent use of the newly published six volumes of Moore's journals and gives a scintillating picture of Regency London.' Richard Holmes 'Linda Kelly adds another winner to her gallery of Regency portraits with Tom Moore, the Irish poet who was Byron's best friend, outsold Wordsworth and charmed a whole society - a sparkling and delightful book.' Claire Tomalin Literary Review, 1 September 2006 'Nothing is more difficult to convey in a biography than the personal charm of its subject...and it is greatly to Linda Kelly's credit that she triumphantly does so.' - P.J. Kavanagh Irish Independent Sat September 2 2006. 'Linda Kelly has written a fast moving and extremely readable biography of the Irish Minstrel.' - Caethal MacCabe. Irish Independent, Sunday 10 September 2006. 'Linda Kelly's balanced and fluent writing gives a fresh insight into Thomas Moore.' Ireland on Sunday, 27 August 2006. 'Kelly's meticulously researched and entertaining book seeks to rescue Moore from snobbish critics and show his true achievement.' - Alex Moffat. Spectator, 26 August 2006. 'Linda Kelly tells the story with pace, clarity and an appropriately elegant touch. David Crane. Sunday Times (Biography) 'Pleasingly succinct biography'. - Miranda Seymour.BYRON JOURNAL'this fascinating biography''If any single work is capable of bringing about the kind of wide-scale revaluation of Moore predicted by Kelly, it is her own.''her study leaves no doubt as to the breadth and relevance of Moore's writing or his place at the centre of the literary, social and political life of the Romantic period'