Young Hardress Cregan is a collegian and a rogue, with a wicked, roving eye. Although he is courting his wealthy cousin Anne, he has also embarked on a passionate love affair with the lowly – but very beautiful – Eily O’Connor. Hardress knows that his family would never approve of this match and he should abandon his new fancy. But his lust overwhelms his conscience and he embarks on a fatal deception – secretly marrying Eily while succumbing to his mother’s machinations and becoming engaged to Anne. How will Hardress extricate himself from this dilemma? Together with his hunchback half-brother, Danny Mann, he hatches a deadly conspiracy…

Originally published in 1829, and inspired by a celebrated criminal case, The Collegians was a sensation in its day. It made Killarney a tourist attraction, and its thrilling plot – involving love, rivalry, secrecy, and betrayal – inspired many imitations.