Patricia Trainor O’Malley. (Courtesy photograph.)
On this St. Patricks’ Day, it’s appropriate to take a closer look at the personal lives of Irish immigrants.
Haverhill author Patricia Trainor O’Malley has transcribed, edited and interpreted the stories of two Irish families from their letters to Haverhill immigrants. The book, “So Far from Home,” relates letters written during the late 19th and early 20th centuries from the Donovans of Dreenlamane, Ballydehob and the McCarthys of Ballinlough, Leap. Both homes were in south-western County Cork.
The Donovans and the McCarthys wrote letters to their family in America, and Dan Donovan and Nora McCarthy, both of Haverhill, saved the combined 200 letters.
“Combined, they offer a rare retrospect of the daily rural life west of Cork and the Irish perception of life in America,” the book’s publisher notes.
The book is available at reputable book sellers as well as Amazon.