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The Great Shame

And the Triumph of the Irish in the English-Speaking World

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The Great Shame

By: Thomas Keneally
Narrated by: John McDonough
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About this listen

In The Great Shame, Thomas Keneally—the bestselling, Booker Prize–winning author of Schindler’s List—combines the authority of a brilliant historian and the narrative grace of a great novelist to present a gripping account of the Irish diaspora.

The nineteenth century saw Ireland lose half of its population to famine, emigration, or deportation to penal colonies in Australia—often for infractions as common as stealing food. Among the victims of this tragedy were Thomas Keneally’s own forebearers, and they were his inspiration to tell the story of the Irish who struggled and ultimately triumphed in Australia and North America. Relying on rare primary sources—including personal letters, court transcripts, ship manifests, and military documents—Keneally offers new and important insights into the impact of the Irish in exile. The result is a vivid saga of heroes and villains, from Great Famine protesters to American Civil War generals to great orators and politicians.

"In the style of the best historians, [Keneally] allows the intrinsic power of the tales he tells and the people who populate his pages to draw the reader into a fully elaborated universe."—The New York Times

©1998 The Serpentine Publishing Co., Ltd. (P)2000 Recorded Books 19th Century Emigration & Immigration Europe Modern Social Sciences United Kingdom Imperialism
All stars
Most relevant
Thanks again for all your work and what else is there to say but all is well with the world.

gook

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this is a genuinely lovely book, and it's hard to stop listening once you get started

Fascinating stories that span the globe

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This should be renamed the poor Irish
There's two sides to any story, especially in Ireland.
This book fails to take account of that.
A better listen by far is the BBCs A History Of Ireland In 240 Episodes

The Poor Irish

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very very interesting and informative especially if like myself you are of irish heritage.. highly recomend it

A must read

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If you are interested in Irish history at all you will love this book. Beautifully read in a lilting Irish.

Brilliant book

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