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Gerard Keegan's Famine Diary
Journey to a New World
James J. Mangan FSC

“Everybody should read this book and hope that its like will never have to be written again.”
- The Sunday Tribune

“This rare and atmospheric text…shows us the human side of the historical tragedy.”
- In Dublin

“The diary is a stark but touching…account of one life that represents the pain of a whole people.”
- Meath Chronicle

1847…Gerard Keegan, a schoolteacher, and his young bride left County Sligo to travel aboard the now infamous coffin ships to Canada. This book is based on the diary he kept.

Gerard Keegan charts the reality of famine and emigration – relatives seeking his advice, the walk from Sligo to Dublin, fever on board ship, a fight with the first mate, a catch of fish, storms, sighting whales, the passengers’ first sight of land – and the bittersweet fate of those who survived to reach the promised New World.

Gerard Keegan’s touching; personal diary brings us an account of one life that represents the pain of a whole people. It is also a love story – as the growing love of their young marriage gives Gerard and Eileen the strength to lead their fellow passengers.

Famine Diary shows us the human face of the statistics of the Great Irish Famine. It is a story to be shouted from the rooftops. James J. Mangan FSC reveals all the skill and craft of a master storyteller in this fictionalised retelling of the Keegan Voyage.