Galway Bay

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

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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.

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This is one of those multi-generational novels that grab you by the heart and soul and does not let go until the last page is turned. I was in love with all these characters from the very beginning. The women in the story have the most indomitable spirits of fictional women anywhere. What they

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lived through to keep themselves and their families alive is absolutely incredible. They showed resilience, courage and an undaunting faith. Ms. Kelly has impeccably captured the voices of these women as wives, mothers, sisters and daughters. She is a spellbinding storyteller.

The history of Ireland and the heartbreak of a life under British rule is so vividly portrayed, it is easy to feel the emotions of the characters, whether it be heartbreak or triumph. Their remarkable faith in the face of extreme adversity is awe inspiring. How the people survived who lived through the famine is amazing to me. What I found particularly enjoyable was the re-telling of some of the legends and beliefs that had been kept alive for centuries.Another part of the story that I really liked was the love of family, home , and country theme. This is discernible throughout the entire book. All these elements put together just made for the most wonderful story. It is quite apparent Ms. Kelly did a tremendous amount of research for this book. The history, although heartwrenching at times, is fascinating. Although it is nearly 600 pages long, the story flowed magically for me and I just loved every sentence. Highly recommended. 5***** rating

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O us Irish descendants rejoice! Here is a book that breathes life into the perpetual struggle of the Irish people.
I loved this book. In fact I wish I wrote it! Because of years of researching my genealogy, the story of my family has been brewing in my head. And Mary Pat Kelly wrote it! This story

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is rich- with love, history, death, betrayal and beauty. It is well written, lyrical and believable. Not since I read Frank Delaneys' Ireland have I felt so connected to my Irish ancestry. Thank you Ms. Kelly!!!!

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On the cusp of entering a convent, sixteen year old Honora Keeley discovers a man in Galway Bay.

He stood, foam swirling around his long legs, hands at his sides - not covering himself. Looking me right in the eye - smiling.

“You’re not drowning at all.”

“I am,” he said. “I am drowning

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in your beauty. Are you a girl at all, or are you a mermaid?” - from Galway Bay, page 8 -

Thus begins Mary Pat Kelly’s novel Galway Bay - a book filled with memorable characters, and love of country and family. But, Galway Bay is first and foremost a family saga which spans nearly sixty years (between 1839 and 1893). It tells the story of the Kelly family- first in Ireland on Galway Bay and then as they move west to America and settle in Chicago. Historically, the novel covers a sad period in Irish history. The Great Starvation (1845 - 1852) killed approximately a million Irish men, women and children when blight wiped out the potato crops and the English government turned a blind eye to the tragedy. The Irish population was further reduced by another million due to mass emigration. Galway Bay’s stalwart and courageous characters also experience the American Civil War(1861 - 1865), the assassination of President Lincoln (1865), the Great Chicago Fire (1871), and the Chicago World’s Fair (1893).

Mary Pat Kelly based her novel on her great-great grandmother Honora Kelly, and it is this character who drives the narrative through her determination to survive and carry the stories of Ireland all the way to America. Weaving together the lives of Honora, her siblings and parents, her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, Kelly unravels a history of the Irish people - including their lore, religion, and work ethic.

Kelly is a good storyteller and makes the reader care about her characters who come alive on the pages of her book. I did find her style of switching from past to present tense a little confusing at times.

I walked between Mam and Granny, carrying Bridget. Da and Michael were just ahead, deep in talk of some kind. They get on so well. Michael’s part of the Keeley men now, with is own fine children, his loneliness filled. - from Galway Bay, page 127 -

But after a time, these tense switches simply became part of the overall writing style of the book and I began to ignore them.

Galway Bay is a sprawling novel and the time period it covered is enthralling. As in all good historical fiction books, this one begs to be devoured long into the night.

Recommended.

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. I will say that I love this book inside and out! It reminds me of other favorite great books such as The Thorn Birds, Angela's Ashes, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Angela's Ashes, East of Eden and the "Fambly" in Grapes of Wrath. It is a book about a family struggling in horrific circumstances, I

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love family sagas. I can't say enough about my journey into this book. Like so many powerful stories of oppression and tyranny this book pulled me through a range of emotions, laughter, tears, and truly heart breaking scenes. I can not recall more heroic characters than Micheal and Honora. Because in my opinion the most noble of people in life are a man and woman as mother and father working together for their family in the most simple in sincere life sustaining tasks. Once caught up in this story I didn't want to do anything else.

This is definitely a favorite book of mine and I am pretty sure it will hold high rank for years to come.

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WOW...historical fiction at its best. This multigenerational novel covers the struggle for survival during the great famines in Ireland and the immigration of one family to America. From the very first of the 600 pages you are sucked into the story and never let go. Obviously well researched and a

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joy to read.

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Perfect for : Personal reading, book club read

In a nutshell: I was very interested in this story as my husband's side of the family can claim ties to Ireland, and my grandmother immigrated here from Norway (yes, NOT Ireland, but in a way, I feel I can understand what she went through on her journey

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here a little better after reading this book). I was hoping to learn a little more about the Irish history, and what it was like to travel to America, and I was not disappointed. This is a wonderfully written story that follows the Kelly family. We get a glimpse of life prior to the the potato famine, and then we see how the Irish were treated as they were starving and trying to survive.

This is a story of strength and survival that will keep you riveted. I was amazed by what I learned, and found that I was enthralled by this family who refused to give up, and instead traveled to America to start over. Even more amazing, Honora Kelly was actually the author's great-great-grandmother, which gives the story even more of a lasting impact.

Extended Review:
Characters: The characters within the book were wonderfully written and developed. I grew very attached to the members of the Kelly family and found myself amazed at what they were able to accomplish.

Story-Line: I can only imagine the amount of time that the author put into her research. The story is amazing and highly detailed, giving the reader quite a nice glimpse into the history of both Ireland and America in the 1800's.

Readability: The book is long, but will capture your attention and hold it from the first chapter, until the end of the book.

Overall: I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Irish immigration to America following the potato famine, and to anyone with Irish ancestors. The strength of the Kelly family, and their will to survive is a wonderful testament. This would also be a wonderful book club read due to the number of things that will spark discussions, although you might want to allow a little more time than normal due to the size of the book.

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I enjoyed this book about Irish farmers who were forced to come to America after the great potato blight in Ireland. However, I kept getting confused with the dialect that is patently Irish; I did not discover until the end that there is a glossary in the back. Duh! At any rate, I did feel that

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once the family was in America, the story dragged a bit, and I found it harder to complete the novel. I'm going to give this another read in the hopes that I'll have a better time with it.

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I am very glad that I had the chance to read this book. This is the type of book that makes the past come alive; I loved the intimate and detailed look into past lives. I will admit for the first 80 pages or slow it was a slow read. I was enjoying it, but it was the type of book I read just a bit

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at a time. Then suddenly it just took off. This book offers and unflinching look at the past without being a horribly depressing book. Yes, it highlights the evils the English were perpetrating and the potato blight that would not die, but it also highlights the little joys in their day to day life. What separates books that wallow in misery and those that do not is hope, and this book is full of hope. Hope for a family, hope for a better life, hope for Amerikay. I feel I have a much better understanding of my ancestors, and I had a fun time while I was at it. :)

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Great concept, but way too many unbelievable circumstances. Honora, a young girl of Ireland born in the 1800's, marries a young man who is a musician. Soon children are born, but times become very hard with the onset of the potato famine. Britain rules Ireland and times become even worse when grain

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is shipped out of Ireland while the Irish peoples starve. Honora's sister, Maire, loses her husband and finds herself working the home of a British overseer and bears him three children. Honor's beloved Michael also dies. Soon Honor and Maire with eight children between strike out for Americkay. Landing in New Orleans, they make their way up the Mississippi to the still new Chicago searching for Michael's brother, Patrick Kelly. Patrick has become somewhat of a legend and hero to the Irish for his work in fighting the British.

The story is easy to read, but there are too many coincidences which make it almost "soap operaish" at times. Patrick's unforeseen appearance on Christmas, the finding of an Irish neighbor's son during the Civil War, etc.

There is a lot of Irish and Chicago history including the Great World's Fair and the affect of the Civil War.

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Galway Bay is an fantastic book. Kelly shows how the events of history unfold to affect one family and the impact over the generations. The characters in this book are amazing. Honora Kelly displays a great strength as she helps save her family from starvation, brings her children to America as a

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widow, and then worries for her boys as they fight in America's Civil War. As a reader, I could feel the strength of the emotions in this book as well as the pangs of their hunger. The characters truly come alive off the pages.

Kelly sprinkles some Irish phrases into the dialogue which adds to the authentic feel of the book. There is a glossary in the back of the book which aids in understanding these terms although many can be understood simply from their place in the text.

Through telling the story of one family, Kelly truly tells the tale of the millions who fled Ireland during the starvation to create new lives for themselves in America. I would highly recommend Galway Bay as a rich, historical novel and as a novel of family. The book also contains a reading guide which would make it an ideal book club selection.

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I loved it!

I won this book from Firstreads last year and I'm upset with myself that it took so long to read it. I loved this book! I will definitely be sending this book to other people and sharing it as much as possible. The author was able to capture the emotions of the characters very well. The way the

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telling of the old Irish folk tales was woven into the story also worked beautifully.

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WOW! This book opened my eyes to what the Irish went through and why so many of them came to the US. A great and educational read with added emotion.

WOW! This book opened my eyes to what the Irish went through and why so many of them came to the US. A great and educational read with added emotion.

I know Barbara Sutton, acknowledged as an adviser to the author, but found Mary Pat Kelly's book while ordering an Italian beef: Kelly was signing books on the patio of Morrie O'Malley's Hot Dogs in Chicago before this year's "Halfway to St. Patrict's Day" White Sox game. The Bridgeport

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neighborhood figures in her family history, fictionalized here to tie her clan Doctorow style to nearly every notable in Chicago history. But the heart of "Galway Bay" is in Ireland, and its early chapters on the Great Starvation have a lyric breadth that Kelly fails to match as her main character joins the Irish diaspora in America. Still, her cultural history helps explain how current affairs are driven by so many centuries-old conflicts. And Kelly is a captivating storyteller. The book suggests that she comes from a long line of them.

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Sweeping family saga spanning six generations of an Irish Catholic family, based on the life of the author’s great-great grandmother. It is a story of the 1840s Irish potato famine, migration to America, the American Civil War, the Fenian Raids in Canada, and the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition

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(Chicago World's Fair). It is a fairly long book. It covers lots of ground with well-researched historical accuracy. The sights, sounds, and Irish cultural traditions are beautifully described. Irish folk tales are nicely woven into the narrative. This family faces numerous hardships, and it was easy to root for them. There is a glossary of Irish words and pronunciations in the back, which unfortunately I did not find until I finished.

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