This book is set in county Westmeath in 1919. The War of Independence has started. The story is about a boy called Colm who plays the fiddle and is very interested in getting involved in the struggle for Irish freedom. Colm wants to join “The Rainbow Chasers” who are the local volunteers fighting for Irish freedom. Colm is only thirteen so he is not allowed join until he is fourteen.
He meets Alice Mc Cluskey a girl from Belfast while waiting for his music lesson after seeing her in the post office. She speaks Irish and shares his love of music. They both want to help the fight for Irish freedom. Between gun-running in the village, Colm hears about an American film maker who is recruiting fiddle players to go to America. He decides to audition and hears tales about his Granddad in America.
However on the way to the audition the car is stopped by the police. He then misses his chance to audition but gets another opportunity when he meets the filmmaker again. It looks like all is going right for Colm and his dreams of going to America until he finds a letter that reveals a family secret. He discovered secrets about his family that change everything he thought was real.
This book is a great read for anyone who likes Irish history. I think if you have read books about 1916 you would enjoy this book as it tells you about what happened after the Easter Rising in Ireland. I liked the book because it was set in a time in history I find interesting. I have read a few books on the Easter Rising and have visited the GPO but I didn’t know much about what happened in the years after 1916.
This book gave me a real insight in what life was like for someone my age during this period in Irish history. I liked the end of the of the book the most because Colm gets to follow his dreams. I disliked the start because it takes a while to get into the story if you don’t understand the historical setting.
I would recommend this book for children aged 10+ and especially to readers who like Irish history. I really enjoyed this book and I would score it 8/10.
By Holly (11), 5th Class, St. Louis Senior Primary School, Rathmines, Dublin 6.
“The Sound of Freedom” by Ann Murtagh, published by O’Brien Press, is now on sale for €8.99
Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher, O’Brien Press, free of charge to Seomra Ranga for the purposes of this review
