An Ulster crucible of creed and social class

The House Where It Happened By Martina Devlin Ward River Press, €17

In The House Where it Happened, Martina Devlin’s compelling new novel, a servant girl opens a window on a little-known episode of witchcraft in Irish history. Set in the 18th century in the remote community of Islandmagee, it offers a below-stairs perspective on an emerging Ulster Scots society.

Islandmagee is “a fertile wee nook” that lies “a wheen of miles” from Carrickfergus in Antrim. “It has been a God-fearing place since the Scotch ...