Galway Bay [Hardcover]

Mary Pat Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 2009

Here at last is one Irish family's epic journey, capturing the tragedy and triumph of the Irish-American experience. In a rousing tale that echoes the myths and legends of Ireland herself, young Honora Keeley and Michael Kelly wed and start a family, inhabiting a hidden Ireland where fishermen and tenant farmers find solace in their ancient faith, songs, stories, and communal celebrations. Selling both their catch--and their crops--to survive, these people subsist on the potato crop--their only staple food. 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 in one of the greatest rescues in human history: the Irish Emigration to America. Danger and hardship await them there. Honora and her unconventional sister Maire watch their seven sons as they transform Chicago from a frontier town to the "City of the Century", fight the Civil War, and enlist in the cause of Ireland's freedom. The Kelly clan is victorious. This heroic story sheds brilliant light on the ancestors of today's 44 million Irish Americans.

In the author's colorful and eclectic life, she has written and directed award-winning documentaries on Irish subjects, as well as the dramatic feature Proud. She's been an associate producer on Good Morning America and Saturday Night Live, written books on Martin Scorsese, World War II, and Bosnia, and a novel based on her experiences as a former nun - Special Intentions. She is a frequent contributor to Irish America Magazine and has a PhD in English and Irish literature.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Kelly uses a well-known chapter in Irish American history as a springboard for a vividly lavish historical novel. The mid-nineteenth-century potato famine in Ireland resulted in approximately one million deaths and one million emigrations. After leaving a desperate and depleted Ireland, Michael and Honora Kelly make their way to America. Eventually settling in Chicago, the Kellys and their children struggle to survive and thrive in the “Promised Land.” This multigenerational family saga mirrors the experiences of countless other immigrants who transformed both their own lives and the face of America. Kelly does an admirable job of conveying both the despair and the determination that gripped a generation of Irish immigrants. Through the eyes of the extended Kelly clan, the reader is treated to a panoramic overview of the Irish American experience. --Margaret Flanagan

Review

"After reading her novel, Galway Bay, you might wonder if Mary Pat Kelly knows everything about 19th century Ireland, the Great Famine, and the emigrant experience in America. But it's her exploration of the human heart that moves you. Against landscapes beautiful and bleak she brings her characters to unforgettable life. As they say in Ireland, 'Take your ease with this book.' You'll need time for laughter and tears and pure magic." (--Frank McCourt, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of ANGELA'S ASHES )

"Historically accurate epic of the Irish potato famine veers into gothic romance territory but keeps its eye on the Fenian prize. A satisfying tale, with few surprises for those who know the territory, but no false steps." (--Kirkus )

Mary Pat Kelly's GALWAY BAY combines two traditional Irish gifts--the gift of hypnotic storytelling, and the gift of rich poetic language. It enables us to see the Irish, and Irish-American experience, in a way we would never have imagined." (--Mary Gordon, bestselling author of MEN AND ANGELS )

"GALWAY BAY" is a wonderful story of triumph against the odds. It's the story of the Irish in America: what they gave and what was given, the things they lost and what was never lost--humor and faith and a strong belief that tomorrow would be a better day. Kelly's knowledge of Ireland and Irish-American history is awesome." (--Patricia Harty, Co-Founder of IRISH AMERICA MAGAZINE )

"GALWAY BAY is a lyrical mix of history, romance and riveting narrative. A wonderfully rich, rousing, engaging tale of Irish survival and triumph, it brings enlightenment as well as enjoyment. Mary Pat Kelly's prowess as a storyteller enlivens every page." (--Peter Quinn, American-Book-Award-winning author of BANISHED CHILDREN OF EVE )

"In this engaging novel, Mary Pat Kelly brings to life a critical era of Irish-American life, illuminating a part of our history that remains too little known." (--Eric Foner, Bancroft-Prize-winning author and Columbia University Professor )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (February 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446579009
• ISBN-13: 978-0446579001
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Galway Bay Is An Unforgettable Story, February 12, 2009

By 

R. A. Taylor "avid reader" (FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Galway Bay (Hardcover)

Not knowing much about Irish history, and only knowing that in the 19th century there was something called the potato famine, I looked forward to reading Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly. I learned an enormous amount about Irish history and the horrors of the potato famine.

Galway Bay is the story of the Kelly family starting in the "before times", that time before The Great Starvation. The inhumanity shown the Irish by the English, the landlords, and the agents, during the potato famine is incredible, treating the Irish as less than human. But the Kelly family vows to survive, and survive they do--on less food than many of us throw away in one day. As more and more Irish die of starvation, the English have great plans for taking over the land left idle and so begin evicting those who remain. With nowhere to go, the Kelly's make their way to America, first to New Orleans and then Chicago.

This is a marvelous sweeping family saga told with an ear to the Irish bent to storytelling. The story swept me in and held my attention with every page. Honora Kelly, the main character telling the story, was actually a real person, the great-great-grandmother of the author. She is perhaps the strongest woman I have ever read about, surviving unbelievable hardships all the while loving and raising her children and making her way in America. This is a woman I will long remember.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the story of their time in New Orleans and Chicago was not long enough. I wish the author had added another 100 or so pages and made this time longer. The description of the life and times of early Chicago was just fascinating and I would have loved to read more. But that is a small complaint compared to the grand scope of this story and the wonderful characters portrayed.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Irish history or anyone with Irish ancestors. If I could award half stars, I would definitely give this book 4-1/2 stars.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The History of Early Ireland at its Best, February 18, 2009

By 

Ann Allyn Slessman "Annie" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Galway Bay (Hardcover)

GALWAY BAY
Mary Pat Kelly
Grand Central Publishing
$26.99
ISBN: 978-0-446-57900-1
551 pages
Reviewer: Annie Slessman

Wow...wow..and wow again! Mary Pat Kelly's new novel, Galway Bay, is one of the best-written works of fiction I have read this year. Containing the history of the blight that killed so many crops and people in Ireland in the 1800s. Horror stories of people lying dead in their homes from starvation will stay with the reader for a long time.

The story's main character, Honora Keeley Kelly, born in 1822 marries at age 16 when Michael Kelly emerges from the sea and captivates her heart. Kelly is a wanderer, equestrian extraordinaire, blacksmith and soon to be, farmer that keeps his family close and learns to love the land. The story of Honora and Michael's family members brings a reader to tears and strengthens their own resolve to be stronger in the face of adversity.

When the blight ends, Michael and Honora finally have a wonderful crop to see them through the year without the threat of starvation. Their joy is short lived when the soldiers take their crops and threaten to take their lives.

Several heroes materialize in this story. Honora, Michael, Michael's rebellious brother, Patrick Kelly and Honora's sister, Maire. Patrick sparks the Irish rebellion and takes his fight to Amerikay (America) to build strong opposition to the current government and landowners (mostly English) in Ireland. Maire sacrifices herself when a landowner threatens to take Honora as his own. Maire has lost her husband to the sea and feels she is better equipped to handle the landowners demands than Honora.

The Kelly family's migration to Amerikay makes for some interesting reading as it includes a history of early Chicago and its demographic makeup.

The 551 pages of this work appear a bit intimidating. However, a reader will have no trouble getting through the work, as you will not be able to put it down until you have read the last word.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BRILLIANT READ, February 4, 2009

By 

Thomas Mcguire (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Galway Bay (Hardcover)

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for richly drawn characters and a compelling story.

Author Kelly relates the saga of her great, great grandmother, Honora Kelly. After losing her husband to the famine in Ireland, Honora journeys to America with her five children and settles in Chicago.

Kelly's descriptive writing captures what life in 19th century Ireland and Chicago must have been like.

For lovers of historical fiction and the telling of a good tale, "Galway Bay" is a must read.