Proud of a descent from a famed warrior king, and fighting at the side of another in one of Ireland’s most decisive battles against a foreign invader, the Whelans are heirs to a truly illustrious heritage.
They ultimately paid a terrible price for taking up the sword of freedom, while many of their descendants forged much different lives for themselves in foreign lands.
In the creative world of art, Michael Whelan is the American illustrator and artist who has executed artwork for books by Stephen King and Anne McCaffrey, in addition to album covers for The Jacksons and Meat Loaf.
In music, Bill Whelan is the acclaimed Irish composer credited with having sparked off immense international interest in traditional Irish dancing and Celtic music – particularly through Riverdance which, accompanied by a display of Irish dancing, was composed for the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin in 1994.
The stirring and poignant tale of the Whelans is chronicled here.
