Galway Bay

Aug 27, 2012 Judi/Judith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, books-i-want-to-read-more-than-once, excellent-fictionalized-history

Honora has been pledged to the Catholic church, to join their order of nuns, when one ordinary day, a tall dark stranger walks out of the sea on the Bay of Galway, and then walks up to her. They know that they are deeply in love at first sight! I know this must sound like a mushy gushy romance novel but it is actually the historical tale of Honara, Michael and their devotion to their children and family. This is a thoroughly researched novel based on the author's great, great grandmother who sur...more

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Mar 25, 2009 Carey rated it 5 of 5 stars

At sunrise on June 23, 1839, her sister Maire's wedding day, Honora Keeley stands on the Silver Strand of Galway Bay and gazes out. The Bay is her home and her family's livelihood since her father is a fisherman in the village of Bearna. She is sixteen years old and pledged to the church. She will join the convent as a novice nun in a few months, a great honor to so poor an Irish family as the Keeleys.

But that morning will change the course of Honora's life. Out of the sea, fresh from an early s...more At sunrise on June 23, 1839, her sister Maire's wedding day, Honora Keeley stands on the Silver Strand of Galway Bay and gazes out. The Bay is her home and her family's livelihood since her father is a fisherman in the village of Bearna. She is sixteen years old and pledged to the church. She will join the convent as a novice nun in a few months, a great honor to so poor an Irish family as the Keeleys.

But that morning will change the course of Honora's life. Out of the sea, fresh from an early swim, walks a beautiful young man, tall, dark haired. Michael Kelly. Within the space of an hour there is no going back, fate has brought them together and they are determined to be married.

There are obstacles. Michael is not a fisherman, has no land or money. But, despite the problems, they are wed and they are happy. Maire is not, she is quickly widowed and then is forced to become a servant to a tyrant landlord. She is the one bleak spot in the otherwise happy life of the Kellys. They have a small farm at the top of a hill overlooking the Bay and, though the work is hard and the rent high, they manage to feed their growing family and find joy together.

"I was used to the give-and-take of a large family, where one broke in on the other, splintering sentences, bouncing thought away from meaning. But Michael and I listened to each other, each waiting as the other found words for what we'd never said before, never even thought before, giving shape to dreams and to fears. I'd no idea I was such a worrier - the ifs and buts that flowed out of me. Michael teased them away."

And then the unthinkable happens. In 1845 the potato harvest, the staple of the Irish peasant diet, is blighted and rots in the ground. The hunger and suffering that winter is terrible. When the potato crop fails two out of the following three years, the result is millions of deaths. The landlords and the British rulers do not care and attempts to help are mired down in bureaucracy and are ineffectual.

Honora watches her children starve, her neighbors die, and she dreams of finding the means to escape, to buy passage to another place where her family can live and grow: America. She is far from the only one, the ships are filled with Irish immigrants trying to find a better life. The voyage is dangerous and many die before they even reach North America. But some make it and they send back the means for the next one to escape. An entire race of people, trying to rescue each other.

She does escape, with her family and Maire's. Not without losses and terrible grief, but Honora has strength of spirit, strength of character, strength of will to sustain her loved ones and find a place where they can prosper.

All great historical fiction is rooted in fact and Galway Bay is no exception. Mary Pat Kelly is the great-great-granddaughter of Honora Keeley Kelly. The author has followed the great Irish storytelling tradition and created this fictionalized account of her own ancestors, an epic saga of one family's journey through one of the darkest hours in human history. It is a story of faith, of family lore and ancient tales, of great suffering and the triumph of the human spirit.

I am, as so many Americans must be today, part Irish. This book brings home the terrible destruction of the Great Hunger in a way that has never been clear to me before. Because it is personal story, one family's struggle that could be any family from that place and that time. Fiction, maybe, but with the weight of truth behind it.(less)

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Mar 25, 2012 Declan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Where do I begin?

Firstly, I was really disappointed with the first hundred or so pages. Being Irish I found a great deal of it patronising and I also found some of the writing crude. After about 90 pages, I promised my self I'd close the book and not reopen it if one more person thanked god for the Pratties.

Soon after this the famine came to be and everything changed: the story really came to life. We saw the lengths that people would go to in order to survive, the difficulties in getting help...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Juliet Doubledee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ireland, romance, history, favorites

Couldn't have finished Galway Bay at a better time, St. Patrick's Day. This book was so much more than I had expected, and gave me a good feeling for what the Irish went through during the Potato Famine, and what led many to emigrate to America.

Written in a first person perspective by Honore Keeley Kelly, this book tells the story of a young woman who evolves from a school girl (who had aspirations of becoming a nun) into a strong woman who will do whatever needed to help her family survive the...more Couldn't have finished Galway Bay at a better time, St. Patrick's Day. This book was so much more than I had expected, and gave me a good feeling for what the Irish went through during the Potato Famine, and what led many to emigrate to America.

Written in a first person perspective by Honore Keeley Kelly, this book tells the story of a young woman who evolves from a school girl (who had aspirations of becoming a nun) into a strong woman who will do whatever needed to help her family survive the Potato Famine, emigration to America, and participating in the U.S. Civil War. Set in the mid 1800s in the village of Bearna, off Galway Bay, Honore and her family must deal from day-to-day with the social bias' that they as Irish Catholics are considered the underclass by the landowning Anglo-Irish gentry, and little more than pack animals. Catholics made up 80% of the population during this period, the bulk of whom lived in conditions of poverty and insecurity not allowed to own land, thus forced to rent homes from the land owners. The majority of their yearly income went towards this rent, and at anytime they could be evicted (rent paid or not). Honore's family brought in much of their income from fishing the bay and selling the catch in Galway City. Since most the profit went towards rent, they depended on the potatoes they grew on the side to sustain their family. Others in the village tended the crops of grain that are grown on the Anglo-Irish gentries land. They also lived on potatoes they grew at home, because they couldn't afford to buy the Anglo-Irish owned grain at market price. This system enslaved the people of Ireland to depend on the potato for daily nutrition.

The book begins in June 1839, the day of Honore's older sister Maire's wedding; she has just been accepted into the first Catholic Convent to be established in 200 years in Galway City, and is unsure about her future. As she walks along the beach near her home looking out onto Galway Bay her eyes are drawn to a dark object bobbing in the waves. At first she thinks it is only a seal, but as the object gets closer she realizes that it is a person. Rushing to the shore to see if she can assist if this person is drowning, Honore comes face-to-face with Michael Kelly, and instantly the two are drawn to each other. Honore realizes at that moment that she will not be joining the convent but instead her life will be with this handsome, dark haired young man with the sparkly blue eyes.

The book then takes off describing the trials and tribulations of the young couple; from introducing Michael to her family, getting her parents to understand she no longer wants to join the church, and finally assuring them that he will be able to support her as his wife. Michael is not a fisherman, like her father, brothers, new brother-in-law Johnny, or any of the other men she knows. Instead Michael has been raised to be a blacksmith, and aspires to compete in the yearly Galway Races on a mare he has raised himself named Champion. In the end he does enter the race after being sponsored by the Honorable Marcus Lynch (who rents to Honore's family), and against the odds wins. The prize money is set aside to rent a parcel of land (to be divided between farming, raising horses, and trying to set up a forge for blacksmithing) which the couple will live on after marrying. From the beginning of their marriage though they are harassed by a cruel land owner, Major Pyke, who feels it his right to abuse the tenants. Also, there is friction with the local priest, as he is unwilling to release Maire from her marriage vows when her husband Johnnie is lost in a freak storm at sea, because the body was never found. This leads to much trauma for the widow, and for Honore.

By 1845 the couple have built on their dreams with fertile land that Michael's half-brother Patrick has taught them to farm, a thriving horse breeding business, and three children. One evening just before the harvest season begins they see a strange fog hovering above their potato crop and smell the putrid stench of rot. They find most all the spuds are now balls of black mush infected with an unknown fungus. This marks the beginning of the famine. With the blight wiping out the potato crop many who have grown dependent on this food source begin to die. The landlords and the British rulers do not care and attempts to help are mired down in bureaucracy and are ineffectual. It is estimated that over 1 million people die (20-25% of the population) during the famine which ran from 1845-1852.

Honora watches her children starve, her neighbors die, miscarries a baby because of malnutrition, and begins to search for a means of escape so she and her family will not perish. After praying year after year for a good season of potatoes, and only a forth of the crop being edible, it's decide in order to survive they must join the millions who are booking passage to America. The voyage is dangerous and many die of the fever before they even reach North America. But some make it and they send back the means for the next ones to escape. An entire race of people, trying to rescue each other.

In many places in the book you can't help but feel touched as you hear of the agony these people went through and how heartless their government was. To them America represented a new beginning and something to give them hope for.

Unfortunately, for many upon arrival during this time period they were exposed to America's problem, the slave issue, and the Civil War. In some cases families who had been separated during travel found themselves on opposite sides of the issue, and brother was forced to fight brother.

So much was discussed in this book, and when I finally reached the end to realize it was roughly based on the authors family history (Honore was in fact the author May Kay Kelly's great-great-grandmother) it touched me even more. I strongly recommend this book to those who love history, and those who enjoy a touching love story!(less)

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Mar 13, 2009 Corinne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: advance-reader-s-copy

I have never actually used the phrase "tour de force" when describing a book, but I can't think of anything else that defines a work that covers as much ground as Galway Bay. We meet Honora Kelley when she's a young woman, the world ahead of her, living in a costal village on Galway Bay on the western shores of Ireland. The story begins in the "before times," when Ireland is under the harsh hand of the British and the Irish have little to their name beyond the potato to eat and the joy of each o...more I have never actually used the phrase "tour de force" when describing a book, but I can't think of anything else that defines a work that covers as much ground as Galway Bay. We meet Honora Kelley when she's a young woman, the world ahead of her, living in a costal village on Galway Bay on the western shores of Ireland. The story begins in the "before times," when Ireland is under the harsh hand of the British and the Irish have little to their name beyond the potato to eat and the joy of each other's company. When Honora finds true love and begins her own family, the situation in Ireland becomes frantically desperate.

I hate to give away much of the plot of a book, but I can't NOT tell you that Honora's journey eventually leads her far from the homeland she loves, because the author's depiction of a mid-19th century immigrant experience is one of the elements of this book that makes it so powerful. I can't imagine the amount of research that went in to creating such a believable depiction of Chicago during that time period. As someone very familiar with Chicago, it was thrilling to read a history of the city between the lines of a story that I could not put down.

Life was not easy for Honora. I didn't bother to count the number of times that the sheer magnitude of trials Honora went through brought me to tears. I rooted for her, I cried for her and the people she loves. As hard as her experiences were, though, I felt like she triumphed. Honora's love of her family, her imperfections, her willingness to scrabble forward, whatever the cost, these qualities made her an incredibly sympathetic and realistic protagonist. The Irish love of stories and tales, song and music are a constant thread throughout, woven through the generations and tying them together.

Galway Bay is a glorious yarn, stretching from the hills and beaches of Ireland to the streets of Chicago. For all of it's 500+ pages, I wouldn't leave out a one. An Irish-American history that must simply be read to be believed.(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Ada Bonnefoi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: immigration

Mary Pat Kelly has made the life of her great-grandmother Honora Keeley Kelly (1822 - 1899) into a decades-spanning work. The daughter of a fisherman from Galway Bay married Michael Kelly and farmed with him a small piece of land. During the difficult 1840s, the Irish sell almost their entire harvest to apply the totally overpriced rent for their miserable little houses. For their own food needs they are dependent on the potato crop. In the mid 1840s, due to fungal infestation are three bad harv...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mary Pat Kelly’s GALWAY BAY is a 551-page story of the Keeley and Kelly families beginning in Ireland in 1839 all the way to their lives in Chicago and their get-together at the Chicago World Fair in 1893. While the book is fiction, it is based on the lives of Mary Pat Kelly’s own ancestors and stories told to her by her cousin, Sister Mary Erigina, who lived to be 107. She grew up on these stories told to her by this book’s narrator, Honora Keeley Kelly, who really was Mary Pat Kelly’s great-gr...more

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Sep 12, 2010 Jerilyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

It feels like an accomplishment to finish this book--it was nearly 600 pages long. It took me a while to get into it, but when I did, I really enjoyed it. I never knew much about Irish history or the Great Starvation. I only knew that their potatoes were wiped out in a blight several years in a row and many people died of starvation. I never understood why losing the potato crop was such a big deal, but now I do after reading this book. It's because the landlords took all their other food from t...more

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Feb 23, 2010 Shane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not unlike 'Trinity' by Leon Uris, (one of my favorite books albeit lengthy,) Irish culture, folklore, history and eventual emigration to the United States are the themes running through the story. Historical fiction as a genre is always a rewarding read for me. Compassionate characters, hard decisions and the resilience to survive depict the human condition in a way that reminds us about what our ancestors might have been faced with not so long ago - whether of Irish descent or any other ancest...more

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Sep 10, 2009 Wendi rated it 5 of 5 stars

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 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...more 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 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.(less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Mom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Oh, what a lovely book! Of course, I'm of Irish heritage and grew up surrounded by family members and family friends talking of "the auld country," its beauty, its poetry, its generous people. This book reminded me so much of my Granny, her "whist" and "Amerikay," her tales of the fairies and ancient Irish heroes, and whispered stories of relatives who were "active in the cause."

The story is based on the author's family history and it felt real and immediate. The descriptions of the potato bligh...more

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May 07, 2009 Eileen Souza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: europe, historical-fiction

This was a very very good book about the Great Starvation (known to Americans as the potato famine)and the process of emigrating to the US. It's also a story about family, and survival. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The only reason it did not receive 5 stars was because although I rushed to finish it to the end, and felt a good sense of satisfaction when I finished it, it did not leave me thinking about it for days afterwards, wondering what happened to the characters. It's hard to get 5 stars in my w...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Mandolin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hunger, loss, despair and death....the story of the Irish who suffered through the Great Potato Famine of the mid-nineteenth century is a dark one but is also one of triumph, as the author of Galway Bay adeptly shows in this sweeping epic that follows Honora Keeley and her family from the idyllic "before times" when she met her dashing husband Michael Kelly through the horrible years of loss both in Ireland and in her new homeland of America and into a promising future. The horrors not only of t...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Betty rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those interested in historical fiction and those with Irish ancestry

Shelves: favorites

I have ancestors who suffered through the potato famine in Ireland, came to Amerikay and settled in Chicago much like the characters in Galway Bay. And my great-grandma was also named Honora as is the main character. (Though great-grandma was born in Vermont, not Ireland.) I had to read this book! I was not disappointed.

Not only was the story of the famine heart-wrending and fascinating, but so was the early history of Chicago. I grew up in Chicago and the names and places were brought to life i...more

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Jul 13, 2009 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love historical fiction, and picked this up after reading a great review. I highly recommend it to anyone who's Irish, wants to be Irish, has visited Ireland, or can relate to hardship. Basically, everyone. Be forewarned - it is a thick book and can be time-consuming to get through, not to mention emotionally wrenching.

We've all heard about the potato famine, and the lack of respect for the Irish once they got to America, but we really have no idea what it was truly like. That's what's so grea...more

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Jul 29, 2009 Anthony Murphy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a must read for people interested in historical fiction. It is one of the best written books I have ever read and seemed to be realistic, but at the same time remain pretty positive of the whole life experience of Honora Kelly. Yes, some characters in this story do die and other terrible things do happen, but the characters seem to learn and grow from these expereinces instead of being overly haunted by these circumstances. This story also really explains much about the Potato Famin...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, recently-read

this is an epic tale of Irish immigration from the potato famine

This is an epic tale of one family's experiences during Ireland's potato famine and their eventual immigration to America. The poverty and humiliation of Irish life under British rule is very detailed. The Irish lived in primitive conditions and were considered to be ignorant, dirty, and a pestilence that needed to be erradicated. The potato famine and British indifference to the suffering, caused such wide spread desperation, that...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly, was a really great story about the Irish Potato Famine and one family's travels to America. Interestingly, they came through New Orleans (which I never knew was something that happened with transatlantic immigrants -- I discovered that the term 'The Big Easy" derives from the fact that big transatlantic ships found it easier to get into the MS Delta than into New York Harbor) and they settled in Chicago.

The book finishes up in the 1890s at the dawn of the Irish Ind...more

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Sep 29, 2009 JoAnn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-reads

This book got my attention. From the very first page, it becomes one of those books where the characters become a part of your family and you are with them!

This is a historical novel of the generations and lives of those in Ireland who live through the Great Famine and find their way to America.
Steeped in this marvelous journey, is a wondrous love story. A story that is not overdone or romantically overstated. Simply, a connection that two people make from the moment they set eyes on one another...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Virginia Myers rated it 5 of 5 stars

I found this book very interesting which in itself is not surprising because historical fiction is my favorite type of book.

I have to admit that at times, the book seemed to move a little too slowly for me. I was a little tired of reading on and on about how the Irish peasants were starving and the English govt is diabolically refusing to help them in any way - it left met thinking the English govt was guilty of a sort of genocide. Admittedly, I had never given much thought to how long the Iri...more
I found this book very interesting which in itself is not surprising because historical fiction is my favorite type of book.

I have to admit that at times, the book seemed to move a little too slowly for me. I was a little tired of reading on and on about how the Irish peasants were starving and the English govt is diabolically refusing to help them in any way - it left met thinking the English govt was guilty of a sort of genocide. Admittedly, I had never given much thought to how long the Irish people were gripped by the potato blight and how terrible those years were for them. For sure, I had never asked myself - why didn't the government do something other than watch them starve. So - the author's continued discussion of it did make quite an impression upon me. I wanted her discussion of this subject to end and the Irish people prayed for their starvation to end.

The plot of the book involves an Irish Catholic family from 1839 until 1893. Some of this family eventually immigrate to America during the book. In the early pages the author introduces the major characters (two sisters), gives the details of their lives, and sets the stage for their hard decision to leave the land they both love. All of this is in the publisher's description of the book so I am not really spoiling it for future readers.

History books describe the 200 years after the English government led by Oliver Cromwell took the land from the Irish Catholics, but I do not recall the history books discussing how brutally the land lords were to the peasants. So this book was a real historical eye opener for me. The book also describes a part of American history for me and opened my eyes to parts of that history that I had not known or thought about before. So I give the author an A+ for enlightening me in a pleasurable manner.

There are many themes in the book that would promote good dialogue by a discussion group.

I thought the character development was quite good – I could relate to the two sisters quite well. I think that some of the minor characters were not as realistic but that did not distract me from the main story of the book.

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May 02, 2009 Anne McLaughlin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was one of those wonderful family sagas full of history and heartache. It has stark descriptions of the famine and its toll on the Irish, but also depicts the Irish courage, feistiness, stubbornness, and optimism in the face of absolute bleak desperation. I loved that it was full of Gaelic terms and the references to Irish stories and folklore. It wasn't the typical Irish coming to America story - it was more realistic, maybe because it focused on the two sisters and what they had to do for...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Arthur rated it 3 of 5 stars

This novel starts off really, really well. Its treatment of the Irish-British "problem" and the Potato Famine is awesome. Characters well-developed and the harsh reality and the strength of the Irish are honestly portrayed. After the Kelly family barely escapes and finds its way to "Amerikay," I think the book begins to struggle. The story is still interesting enough--and the fuller development of Patrick is quite good--but attempting to tell the story of the family and its involvement in the Ci...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Lindsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a beautifully written story about the author's great, great grandmother that encompassed her life in Ireland to emigrating and settling in the US. I read a lot of historic fiction books yet never have I read one set in Ireland (w/ the exception of Angela's Ashes) so I found the history of Ireland, The Great Starvation, the treatment of the Irish by the English all very interesting. I never really knew too much about the history of Ireland and the poor reputation the Irish had when they...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010

Galway Bay relates the story of one woman’s journey from childhood to adult, and at the same time from the shores of Galway Bay to Chicago. The time period is 1839 to 1893. Honora Kelly is the main character and the story is told first person through her voice. It is at times a heartbreaking tale of loss, starvation, war, and oppression. The Irish potato famine of 1846-49 is recounted in vivid detail as Honora and her family first struggle to survive in Ireland and then struggle to survive just...more Galway Bay relates the story of one woman’s journey from childhood to adult, and at the same time from the shores of Galway Bay to Chicago. The time period is 1839 to 1893. Honora Kelly is the main character and the story is told first person through her voice. It is at times a heartbreaking tale of loss, starvation, war, and oppression. The Irish potato famine of 1846-49 is recounted in vivid detail as Honora and her family first struggle to survive in Ireland and then struggle to survive just to leave for a new life in America. The English (“Sassenach” in Gaelic) are presented as oppressive as ever in trying to exterminate the Irish through eviction and starvation. All of the Irish grown food (livestock, oats, barley, wheat, etc.) is taken and exported to Britain, leaving the Irish with only the potato (“pratties”). When the blight hits the Irish are devastated. Honora and her family, after much trial and hardship, finally leave for America. Landing in New Orleans and traveling the Mississippi to Chicago. There they find welcome by the Irish community in a Chicago suburb and manage their way along until the Civil War. Many Irish fought and died on both sides, often times against each other. The book ends with Honora aged and reflective; wondering how she is to pass on Ireland’s storied history to her issue. So many have left their homeland and lost their sense of being Irish, but she sees that deep down, there is something there that each clings to that stirs in their identity and makes them Irish. I appreciated the author’s willingness to allow Honora to cling steadfastly to her Roman Catholic faith. Honora unabashedly continued to uphold her faith through every trial; even when the Sassenach would give the Irish charity during the famine if they would just convert to Protestantism, Honora and her family continued their faith. During the Civil War, when her children were away and in danger, Honora prayed for them and her other family by making Stations every day of the week, having a Holy Hour in front of the Eucharist every night, and saying Rosaries. All in all, a great story, even if it does tend a little too much toward the romantic at times for my tastes. I love Ireland, being Catholic, and staying true to who you are. This book is about all three.(less)

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May 24, 2009 Cassie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really loved this book and I would give the first 3/4 of the book 5 stars. However, the last 1/4 of the book was not nearly as entertaining or exciting as the first 3/4 and I was a little disappointed in this. Because I felt myself getting a little bored near the end, it took me forever to finish and I accrued $6.25 in library late fees getting it finished! With that said, though, the book was still excellent and I am still thinking about all I learned about the Irish, the Potato Famine, the r...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Books Ring Mah Bell rated it 4 of 5 stars

About 10 pages in, I nearly set this down and walked away for good. Why?

1. Instant true love as the main character sees a man come out of the water (with a boner, no less, cause she's a hottie)

Love at first sight is pure poppycock. I almost threw the book.

2. All the, "I'm from county so and so, next to county so and so, where this famous person lived after coming from county of so and so".
zzzzzzzzzz.

3. All that Irish! I guess I should have looked upon it as a lesson in a part of my heritage (w...more

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Mar 25, 2009 Teddy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical Fiction lovers

Survival Against the Odds

Honora Kelly of Galway Bay had her life worked out. She was to become a nun. Her parents wanted this for her and she was quite willing. She was just about to start her days in the convent when she saw a mysterious man and his horse rising out of the sea. This man, Michael was to change her destiny forever.

It was love at first site, Honora wasn't going to be a nun after all. Yes, her parents were disappointed as they wanted a better life for her. Yes, in Ireland, the co...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Natalie Grange rated it 4 of 5 stars

I visited Ireland last year. I experienced the countryside and a memorial to those lost in the great starvation. This story really brought that experience to life.

I enjoyed the characters, the writing, and the history that spans generations. I never fully understood why my ancestors would leave such a beautiful land for something so unknown as America.

Beautiful story. My only complaint was that it seemed that the book and wrap up of the last generation was squished into a couple of pages. The...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Irene rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a family saga that follows two sisters, daughters of a subsistence fishing family in the 1830s through the Irish potato famine to their emigration to Chicago and establishment of their grandchildren as part of the American middle class scattered across the continent. The author is able to convey the struggle and strength, the joy and faith of an average Irish American family of the period. It is well researched and gains further credibility being based on the author’s ancestors. Maybe th...more

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Mar 15, 2009 Holly (2 Kids and Tired) rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Epic" is the first word I would use to describe Galway Bay. The words "rich" and "lyrical" would follow. Mary Pat Kelly fully captures the tragedy and triumph of the 19th century Irish emigration.

Michael and Honora Kelly, young newlyweds, begin their life together on a small patch of land overlooking Galway Bay. Michael is a bagpiper and blacksmith by trade. He's the owner of a prized racehorse and plans to breed her and sell the colts. Honora's family are hardworking fishermen and she and Mic...more

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Goodreads Ireland: February-March Quarterly Irish Read	42	31	Oct 26, 2012 11:43am
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4554304-galway-bay?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344266534l/4554304.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4554304-galway-bay?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly[/url]

Galway Bay

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