On an evening in 1846 engaged couple Meg O’Connor and Rory Quinn join in an exuberant moondance. Observing is the parish priest, Father Brian O’Malley. The moondance brings bittersweet memories of Siobhan, the long-dead love of his youth, with whom he still feels a spiritual connection. Within days of the dance, the villagers of Kelegeen awake to find their potato crops destroyed by blight. They’ve been through famine before. But this is an Gorta Mór, a monster the likes of which Ireland has never seen.At first Meg and Rory devise ways to help provide for their families, Meg through her sewing, Rory with his wood carving. But when tragedy and a costly mistake end those means of survival they turn to more dangerous ventures.Father O’Malley reluctantly teams up with an English doctor, Martin Parker, to alleviate Kelegeen’s suffering.When Meg learns of ships carrying Irish passengers to a new life in America she is determined to go and bring Rory and their families after her. It will take all her strength and courage along with the help of her beloved priest and the English doctor to make the plan succeed.

Kelegeen

Literature & Fiction

O'Finlan, Eileen

United States

Ebound Canada

On an evening in 1846 engaged couple Meg O’Connor and Rory Quinn join in an exuberant moondance. Observing is the parish priest, Father Brian O’Malley. The moondance brings bittersweet memories of Siobhan, the long-dead love of his youth, with whom he still feels a spiritual connection. Within days of the dance, the villagers of Kelegeen awake to find their potato crops destroyed by blight. They’ve been through famine before. But this is an Gorta Mór, a monster the likes of which Ireland has never seen. At first Meg and Rory devise ways to help provide for their families, Meg through her sewing, Rory with his wood carving. But when tragedy and a costly mistake end those means of survival they turn to more dangerous ventures. Father O’Malley reluctantly teams up with an English doctor, Martin Parker, to alleviate Kelegeen’s suffering. When Meg learns of ships carrying Irish passengers to a new life in America she is determined to go and bring Rory and their families after her. It will take all her strength and courage along with the help of her beloved priest and the English doctor to make the plan succeed. If you liked Anya's story in Kristin Hannah's Winter Garden you will love Kelegeen by Eileen O'Finlan. Reviewed By Trudi LoPreto for Readers’ Favorite The potato famine is causing everyone in Kelegeen great hardships. Meg and Rory plan to be married but are forced to put it off in order to survive. The food is scarce, sickness and dying plague every household, and without the potato crop there is little or no money, leaving everyone to beg or steal for their next meal. Father O’Malley tries to be there for everyone, as does Dr. Parker, but there is little they can do. Each and every person must make sacrifices, watch their loved ones die, but they all pray and wait for better days. It is hardest on Meg because she is faced with a life altering plan that will surely change her life forever. Kelegeen by Eileen O'Finlan is sad, happy, loving, faithful and a really good book. I was transported back in time to the Potato Famine in Ireland and quickly became immersed in the story. Meg and Rory, their families, their priest and the neighbors jumped off the pages and became very real to me. There is much sadness in Kelegeen but also there is also much love, prayer and faithfulness. Eileen O'Finlan is a talented author who writes with vivid descriptions and creates very real and likable characters. I don’t know if there is going to be a follow-up, but I am hoping that I can once again visit with Meg and Rory and see where the future took them. This is a perfect read for all and especially those who enjoy historical events being brought to life. Kelegeen is a definite winner!

BWL Publishing Inc.

In 1851 Irish Famine survivor, Meg O'Connor, buys passage to America for her younger sister, Kathleen, and arranges employment for her as a maid. Kathleen's feisty spirit soon puts her at odds with her employers, the bigoted and predatory Pratts. Driven from their home, Kathleen ends up on a wild adventure taking her to places she could never have imagined.As a domestic servant in the Worcester, Massachusetts home of the kindly Claprood family, Meg enjoys a life beyond her wildest imaginings. Yet she must keep her marriage to Rory Quinn a secret. Rory, still in Ireland, eagerly awaits the day he will join her. But as the only jobs open to Irish men pay poorly, Rory's imminent arrival threatens to plunge her back into dire poverty.On the eve of the Civil War, while America is being rent asunder by the fight over slavery, Irish Catholics wage their own war with the growing anti-immigrant Know Nothing party. Through grave doubts, dangers, and turmoil, Meg and Kathleen must rely on their faith and the resilient bonds of sisterhood to survive and claim their destinies in a new and often hostile land.

Erin's Children: Sequel to Kelegeen

Genre Fiction

Smokey, an architect employed by Fluffington ArCATecture, lands the account of her dreams -- designing the first ever cat park in Faunaburg. Her boss, Abigail Fluffington, says that if Smokey is successful, she'll become a partner and inherit the business.\nA dream come true? There’s one problem. The proposed park is adjacent to Rodent Way. Activist Jerome J. Ratley, quickly forms R.A.T. (Rodent Action Taskforce) and stages a protest.\nMeanwhile, Smokey’s lovable but quirky sister and cooking savant, Autumn Amelia, is busy dishing up meals too delicious for any fur or feather to resist. And wandering uninvited into the kitchens of local restaurants to improve their recipes.\nTogether with their furred and feathered friends, Smokey and Autumn Amelia must find a way to make the proposed park a reality. But how to abolish the long-standing animosity between felines and rodents?

All the Furs and Feathers (Cat Tales)

Humor & Satire

The Folklorist

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by O'Finlan, Eileen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by O'Finlan, Eileen

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by O'Finlan, Eileen. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Kelegeen

Kelegeen

Erin's Children: Sequel to Kelegeen

All the Furs and Feathers (Cat Tales)

The Folklorist