Bastard Sons of Ireland is a work of fiction loosely tethered to historical events and people. Real and fictitious characters are interwoven throughout in an attempt to transport the reader back in time. In some instances dates are vague and names have been changed for the sake of flow and continuity. Bastard Sons of Ireland is the story of the McGill family and their tumultuous journey from Ireland to nineteenth century New York. It is a story of desperation and courage; anguish and hope; disappointment and faith.
Excerpt
We stood at the rails in silence, transfixed on the shore where the rolling surf met land and composed a spellbinding masterpiece of sound. The ship creaked with the ebb and flow of the water as we neared the port. We were sick, starving and half-dead but those of us who remained alive felt waves of awe and gratitude as we absorbed the scents and sights of the new world; our new world. There was a sense that the years of abuse, neglect and poverty would end here. We left behind the bloody battlefields of our ancestors and came with very little beyond the dream of a new life. It was a life we were willing to die for.
First Place Winner in historical fiction in the Purple Dragonfly Awards for excellence in children's literature, and named a U.P. Notable Classic.
Feel like you are in the moment nearly 100 years ago with a young girl, daughter of Finnish immigr
