cover of Galway BaySaint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) alumna Mary Pat Kelly has embarked on a national book tour for her newly published novel “Galway Bay,” and on Thursday, April 30, she will give a special book presentation at SMWC.

Kelly's presentation, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7 p.m. on April 30 in the Presidents' Room of the Mary and Andrew Rooney Library at SMWC. The presentation will include readings from “Galway Bay,” special Irish music performed by SMWC music faculty, a book signing and light refreshments. Books will be available for purchase at the event.
In “Galway Bay,” one family’s epic journey captures both the tragedy and triumph of the Irish-American experience — and echoes the myths and legends of Ireland herself.

In a hidden Ireland where fishermen and tenant farmers find solace in their ancient faith, songs, stories, and communal celebrations, young Honora Keeley and Michael Kelly wed and start a family. Because they and their countrymen must sell both their catch and their crops to pay exorbitant rents, potatoes have become their only staple food.

But when blight destroys the potatoes three times in four years, a callous government and uncaring landlords turn a natural disaster into The Great Starvation that will kill one million. Honora and Michael vow their children will live. The family joins two million other Irish refugees—victims saving themselves—in the emigration from Ireland.

Danger and hardship await them in America. Honora, her unconventional sister Máire, and their children help transform Chicago from a frontier town to the “City of the Century.” The boys go on to fight in the Civil War and enlist in the cause of Ireland’s freedom.

Spanning six generations and filled with joy, sadness, and heroism, “Galway Bay” sheds brilliant light on the ancestors of today’s forty-four million Irish Americans.

A review of the book in the March 9, 2009, edition of “People Magazine,” states “… Kelly’s tale is so rousingly epic that it can’t help but reach readers’ hearts.” The book was also featured and reviewed in the February/March 2009 edition of “Irish America Magazine.” The article states that Galway Bay “captures the essence of the Great Starvation and the 19th-century Irish-American experience,” and the author of the article indicates that the book is better than good, “in fact, it’s great.”

Mary Pat Kelly

As an author and filmmaker, Kelly has told various stories connected to Ireland. Her award-winning PBS documentaries and accompanying books include “To Live for Ireland,” a portrait of Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume and the political party he led; “Home Away from Home: The Yanks in Ireland,” a history of U.S. forces in Northern Ireland during World War II; and “Proudly We Served: The Men of the USS Mason,” a portrayal of the only African-American sailors to take a World War II warship into combat, whose first foreign port was Belfast. She wrote and directed the dramatic feature film “Proud,” starring Ossie Davis and Stephen Rea, based on the USS Mason story.

She has also written two books about Martin Scorsese, “Martin Scorsese: The First Decade” and “Martin Scorsese: A Journey.” During interviews, she often talks about how she was introduced to Scorsese during her time at SMWC.

“I was introduced to Martin Scorsese through an article if found in Sister Mary Olive's Green Room and then wrote to him with the help of Sister Marie Denise,” Kelly said. “She was the advisor on my senior thesis in which I compared a short film of Martin Scorsese to James Joyce's story Grace. So, Ireland and movies in one package and Providence took care of the rest…I'm very grateful for all The Woods and the Sisters of Providence have given me.”

Kelly worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter for Paramount and Columbia Pictures and in New York City as an associate producer with Good Morning America and Saturday Night Live, and wrote the book and lyrics for the musical Abby’s Song. She has also written “Good to Go: The Rescue of Scott O’Grady from Bosnia,” a novel, “Special Intentions,” and she is a frequent contributor to “Irish America Magazine.”

Born and raised in Chicago, she lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with her husband, Web designer Martin Sheerin from County Tyrone. Kelly graduated from SMWC in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in English and theatre. She also holds a Ph.D. from the City University of New York. On May 2, during the SMWC Commencement Ceremony, the College will honor her with the 2009 Distinguished Alumna Award.

More information about Kelly and “Galway Bay,” is available online at www.marypatkelly.com. “Galway Bay” can be purchased in bookstores or through several online stores, including:

For more information about Kelly's presentation at SMWC, contact Lynn Hughes, executive director of college relations, at 812-535-5212 or LHughes@smwc.edu.