Hallelujah - The story of a musical genius and the city that brought his masterpiece to life

18 November, 1741. George Frideric Handel, one of the world's greatest composers, arrives in Dublin - the second city of the Empire - to prepare his masterpiece, Messiah, for its maiden performance the following spring ...In Hallelujah, Jonathan Bardon, one of Ireland's leading historians, explores the remarkable circumstances surrounding the first performance of Handel's now iconic oratorio in Dublin, providing a panoramic view of a city in flux - at once struggling to contain the chaos unleashed by the catastrophic famine of the preceding year while striving to become a vibrant centre of European culture and commerce.Brimming with drama, curiosity and intrigue, and populated by an unforgettable cast of characters, Hallelujah tells of how one charitable performance wove itself into the fabric of Ireland's capital, changing the course of musical history and the lives of those who called the city home.

Jonathan Bardon is one of Ireland's most eminent historians. A former lecturer in History at Queen's University Belfast, he is also the author of several books now widely acknowledged as classic works of Irish historiography, including A History of Ulster (2001), The Plantation of Ulster (2011) and A History of Ireland in 250 Episodes (2008). In 2002, he was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to community life in Northern Ireland.