The Road to Bantry — John Ross

The Road to Bantry is a heart-warming story of a family who struggled for three years to stay alive during Ireland's Great Famine. In each of the years of 1845-1852, blight destroyed virtually all of Ireland's potato crop. The destruction, coupled with the British government's indifference, resulted in the death on one million Irish men, women, and children and forced the emigration of two million to nations around the world. The tragedy occurred even though Ireland grew more than enough food to feed its starving populace. In desperation Tim and Cate Shea fled with their children to America in 1848. By using their wits and guile they made their way halfway across the continent to join Tim's brothers in their log cabin farms north of Chicago. When gold was discovered in California, Tim hiked across the plains and mountains to California while Cate raised the children and ran the farm. Tim returned weighted down with the gold he'd mined. This fictional story is based on the true life adventures of my Great Great Grand Parents, Timothy and Catherine Shea.