Historians often note that women in ancient Ireland were legally equal to men. Under the Brehon Laws women were afforded the right to own property, seek an education, and even sue for divorce. Celtic women were also handy on the battlefield, often taking up arms and marching into battle alongside their brothers, uncles and husbands. Author Helen Walsh Folsom believes this unique heritage accounts for what she sees as their passionate, fiery spirit. Folsom's new book "Ah, Those Irish Colleens! Heroic Women of Ireland" is filled with the stories of the incredible lives of more than a dozen Irish women. There's Deirdre of the Sorrows, whom a druid predicted would grow into a beautiful woman but would be the cause of much strife among men; Grace O'Malley, pirate and seafarer from the 1500s; and even Mary O'Connor, the muse to the poet who wrote "The Rose of Tralee." Folsom proudly proclaims that she herself is of "Celtic descent." A writer and former newspaper columnist, she is also the author of "St. Patrick's Secrets." ($16.95 / 295 pages / Cumberland House)