Customer Reviews

A Place Called Tranquility: An Irish Story

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Review:



Nothing is more intriguing to me than a story based on real people in real times. Irish ancestry or not, you will enjoy this compelling story of a family in Ireland who actually lived during the times and events of the story. Arthur Hamill has taken genealogy to another level in that he has not only recorded names, dates, and places of his ancestors, but he has made them come alive amongst the trials and troubles of late 18th Century Ireland; and in a way that is informative; but not boring as many historical novels are.

Arthur is a true storyteller; which is a well known talent of the Irish. For centuries all history was handed down orally - told around open fires - fireplaces and front porches. Arthur has taken this ancestral gift and beautifully recorded his story on paper. No matter what you think you know about Ireland, you will never feel the same about this country after reading this delightful book.

He weaves his family, the history of Ireland, and the love of "A Place Called Tranquility" into a beautiful love story - love between husband and wife; parents and children; patriot and country; and God. They had the same type of experiences we know today - love, marriage, birth, and death - in a little known place near Ballyclare in Antrim, Ireland near the Valley of the Six-Mile-Water in the Province of Ulster; which is in Northern Ireland. Their ancestry is that of Scot-Irish; their faith Presbyterian; but this is not a story about any one single part of their lives - but in totality, a story of life from a broader point of view.

"A Place called Tranquility," is his first book and the second is "Across Saltwater Bridge" which continues the saga of the Hamill family through the 19th century and their departure from their beloved Ireland to Prince Edward Island and eventually to America. I have read and immensely enjoyed both. I highly recommend them for people who are interested in real places and real people.

Arthur is adept at making his characters warm, loving, kind, and interesting; but also brave and courageous. He has artfully told a story - fact and fiction - so affectionately combined - that you find yourself becoming a part of that time when Ireland was struggling for independence - freedom from English rule - and struggling to make a meager living off of the land. You become attached to the family members as if they were your own. You will be deeply affected by the character of Tommy.

You will learn about customs, trades, and everyday activities of the 18th Century Irish and particularly about an important era when a great battle was fought by the United Irishmen - a movement striving to gain independence at about the same the American Colonies were fighting for theirs. This book is well researched, documented and historically intriguing.

To me this was an Irish parallel of "Little House On The Prairie" since it tells of similar struggles - one family in Ireland - and the other in America. But the message is clear and the same - family.

And of course, you will be eager for Book Two - "Across Saltwater Bridge" already in print. Other books are sure to follow.

First, my disclaimer: I am the author's distant cousin, and had a vested interest in reading the book about our common ancestors. Having said that, it is an easy read and a great glimpse into the history of Antrim and how people lived in the second half of the 18th century. To understand Northern Ireland today, you need to have a good idea of its history, and this book helps with an important era. While it is a fictionalized account of real people, the events are all plausible and give you a good sense of how most of the people of the north of Ireland did not want to be involved with the violence, but how it caught many in its grip. We visited many places mentioned in the book during a recent holiday, and many of the people living there today reminded me of the people trying to make their way in the book.

I read Mr. Hamill's first book ("A Place Called Tranquility") about 5 months ago and loved it. I'm of irish descent on both sides of my family (both Catholic and Protestant). This book was as if I was allowed to enter someone elses family for years an watch their lives unfold. I was very pleased when the continuation came out ("Across the Saltwater Bridge"), taking me further along in their expanding family and lives. I recommend these two books highly for anyone who enjoys a family history, Irish or not.