Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has revealed the Irish origins to a North American school of magic that will feature in the highly anticipated movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The backstory of Ilvermorny (pronounced ill-ver-morn-ee) School of Witchcraft and Wizardry features in the second instalment of Rowling's Magic in North America collection, and has just been uploaded to pottermore.com for fans to enjoy.
Fans are excited to find out more about the magical history of North America in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and Irish fans in particular will be glad to know that we were part of shaping that world.
The story of Ilvermorny begins in Ireland where orphan Isolt Sayre, born in the valley of Coomloughra, Co. Kerry as a descendant of Hogwarts co-founder Salazar Slytherin, sets sail to America to run away from her evil aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt.
Isolt lands in Massachusetts with a stolen wand and as she wanders through the wilderness, discovers that she is not the only magical person in the New World. After overcoming big challenges, coming into contact with a host of mysterious creatures and facing great dangers, she goes on to found Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the peak of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. That Kerry spirit got her far!
The story of Ilvermorny serves as part of the background to the upcoming Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrell-starring Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which hits cinemas on November 18 and centres on magizoologist Newt Scamander's adventures in New York.
