Irish Heritage Inspires Tale of Survival, Family

On Sunday, author Mary Pat Kelly brought her Irish pride and smarts to for a reading of her book “Galway Bay,” and a book signing.

It was an intimate gathering in which Kelly told stories of her personal trials in Ireland which inspired her to write the novel.

“I’m so happy to be here. I have friends who live in Spring Lake and when I was writing 'Galway Bay,' I got to stay in Spring Lake for some time. I grew up in Chicago being very proud of being Irish,” she said.

Although Kelly, who got her start writing in television, was proud of her heritage, she didn't know where in Ireland her family was from.

“I’d said Cook County, Chicago, because I didn't know. It almost began to be embarrassing that I did not know where in Ireland my family was from,” said Kelly.

She became driven to know where in Ireland they were from. Because they came over in the 1850s, she had never known her grandparents. But her great great grandmother Honora had known a family member who lived to be 107. 

“Honora was able to tell me things so I realized it was possible to find out [where my people were from] and that got me going to find the place. It took me years and now I wanted to write her story because now I had a sense of who she was,” said Kelly.

“Galway Bay” tells Honora’s story. She was a strong woman who survived an incredible disaster that killed two million people — the Great Starvation and Irish Potato Famine.

“How did she get out. It fascinated me. I feel the story of the Great Starvation is not as well known as it should be,” said Kelly.

“I could not put the book down. The minute I finished it I got up and emailed you. I was shocked when you emailed me back in five minutes,” said Eileen McGillan of Cranberry.

“It just flows so well, and you can’t put the book down,” McGillan said later.

“This novel is what I’ve always wanted to do so I was glad to do it,” said Kelly in a later interview.