Galway Bay - Mary Pat Kelly

In a rousing tale that echoes the myths and legends of Ireland, young Honora Keeley and Michael Kelly wed and start a family. So begins one Irish family's epic journey, in this novel that captures the tragedy and triumph of the Irish-American experience. nIn the bestselling tradition of Frank Delaney, Colleen McCullough, and Maeve Binchy comes a poignant historical family saga set against the Famine.

n In a hidden Ireland where fishermen and tenant farmers find solace in their ancient faith, songs, stories, and communal celebrations, young Honora Keeley and Michael Kelly wed and start a family. Because they and their countrymen must sell both their catch and their crops to pay exorbitant rents, potatoes have become their only staple food. n n But when blight destroys the potatoes three times in four years, a callous government and uncaring landlords turn a natural disaster into The Great Starvation that will kill one million.

Honora and Michael vow their children will live. The family joins two million other Irish refugees--victims saving themselves--in the emigration from Ireland. n n Danger and hardship await them in America.

Honora, her unconventional sister Mv ire, and their seven sons help transform Chicago from a frontier town to the City of the Century. The boys go on to fight in the Civil War and enlist in the cause of Ireland's freedom. n n Spanning six generations and filled with joy, sadness, and heroism, Galway Bay sheds brilliant light on the ancestors of today's forty-four million Irish Americans--and is a universal story you will never forget.n