Athenry: A Famine Tale of Love and Survival

'1840s Ireland was a country rife with absolute cruelty and horror. Somehow, love managed to stay alive there. Dunne's Athenry captures this masterfully.' —Phil Coulter, Irish music legend and author. 'An epic story, a delightful read, with a poetic flow.' —Malachy McCourt, New York Times Bestselling Author 'Epic storytelling at its finest. From the first page, you're swept into a world of heartbreak and hope that will stay with you forever. This is the Irish Famine novel we've been waiting for.' —Michelle O'Mahony, OM-History Consultant, author of Famine in Cork City and contributor to The Atlas of the Great Irish Famine

'Tell her I'll come back to her; tell her I'll find a way.' Ireland, Autumn 1845. The potato blight turns green fields black overnight. A million will die. A million more will flee. But Liam O'Donaghue refuses to watch his family starve. In the shadow of Galway's cliffs, Liam has carved out a life training Connemara ponies while working on his landlord's estate and loving his wife Máire. When their newborn son arrives, their happiness seems complete. But when the Great Famine strikes with merciless fury, survival becomes the only currency that matters. One desperate night. One choice that changes everything. Torn from the only world he's ever known, Liam must find his way across unforgiving landscapes, oceans and continents. From the desperation of the famine, where a man's life is worth less than a bag of grain, to the abundance of Australian gold rushes, where he meets his friend Kumba. Together, they journey onward to the California gold rushes, chasing fortune and the hope of return. Meanwhile, Máire faces her own battle to keep their son alive in a land where hope itself has withered. From the green hills of Connemara to shores unknown, this is the story of love tested by impossible odds and the fierce determination of the Irish heart. An epic historical saga of survival, sacrifice and the unbreakable bonds of family.

© 2025 Mercier Press (Ebook): 9781917453950

Release date

Ebook: 23 August 2025