Maelcho was published in London by Smith, Elder, and Co., in 1894. It is an historical novel, set in Ireland, and concerned with resistance to Tudor conquest. Its narrative is concerned with the period of the second Desmond Rebellion (1579-83), which began in the province of Munster, and is called after its leader, Gerald Fitzgerald, the 14th earl of Desmond. James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, a cousin of the earl, landed in Ireland in July 1579 with a small force of Irish, Spanish and Portuguese troops. Despite Fitzmaurice’s untimely death, the rebellion gathered momentum, the Earl of Desmond assumed its leadership, and Munster became engulfed by war. The Lord Deputy of Ireland, Arthur Grey, responded by destroying …
Smith, Catherine . "Maelcho". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 February 2013; last revised .
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34890, accessed 03 July 2015.]