Alexander modules of irreducible $C$-groups

A complete description of the Alexander modules of knotted $n$-manifolds in the sphere $S^{n+2}$, $n\geq 2$, and irreducible Hurwitz curves is given. This description is applied to investigate properties of the first homology groups of cyclic coverings of the sphere $S^{n+2}$ and the projective complex plane $\mathbb C\mathbb P^2$ branched respectively alone knotted $n$-manifolds and along irreducible Hurwitz (in particular, algebraic) curves.