In County Down, Ireland, in 1767, a nobleman secretly marries his servant, in defiance of law, class, and religion. Can their love survive tumultuous times?

An impoverished tenant farmer sends his seventeen-year-old daughter Mary into service at the home of his Ascendancy landlord. Viscount Kilkeel, the impulsive but idealistic son of Lord Goward, lately returned from the Grand Tour, cohabits openly there with his married mistress - but at least her presence means he is not distracted by pretty servants. When Lady Mitchelstown dies, however, only Mary is willing to lay out the corpse. Impressed, Kilkeel decides to educate her and eventually falls in love. Under the Penal Laws, a Protestant and a Catholic marriage is treasonous, so to the world, Mary is his kept woman, not accepted by Kilkeel's class and shunned by her own.

Encouraged by American independence and the overthrow of the French monarchy, the calls for liberty in Ireland grow ever stronger. Through Mary's influence, James Kilkeel joins the United Irishmen and prepares for rebellion. In the space of a few weeks, around thirty thousand Irish die in the struggle, but the rising is put down without mercy.

Set in County Down, Dublin, and London, Mary Kearney's tragic story is told through letters, diaries, testimonies, and trial proceedings, giving an authentic voice to a tragic period in Ireland's tumultuous history.

The Ballad of Mary Kearney is a compelling must-read for anyone interested in Irish history, told through the means of an enduring but ultimately tragic love.