East truly meets West in 1924 when a wealthy Indian Maharajah, Prince Ranjitsinhij, iconic cricketer and loyal supporter of Empire, becomes the landlord of a Ballynahinch estate in remote, Roman Catholic, Republican Connemara. Charismatic and benevolent, known as 'The Ranji' he endeared himself to the local comminity and became part of the folk memory of Connemara. From rare documents in public and private archives and from the personal reminiscences of the people who worked for him, for the first time, Anne Chambers brings the intriguing story of Ranji: Maharajah of Connemara to light. While focusing on Ranji's association with Ireland, the book also reveals the troubled and darker side of Indian autocrat, his indebtedness, his addiction to western life, his political inflexibility and his romantic attachments.