Steel Shamrocks: The Sons of Annie Mckenna
About this ebook
In 1830 Hugh McKenna, a widowed farmer and father of eleven, left his home in Ireland's County Tyrone for economic survival in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Arriving in Quebec on a "timber ship," Hugh and the family walked the twelve hundred miles to a new life in the raucous, burgeoning gateway to the American West. Thus began nearly a hundred years of trial and triumph for Hugh's widowed daughter-in-law Annie, and two of her sons, Bernard and Charles. Through financial struggle, fire, civil war, flood, labor unrest, political corruption and reform, they met their challenges with fortitude and civic devotion. Whether defending the Union from Antietam to Appomattox or helping to build a new industrial and political order, the McKenna men and their remarkable mother are emblematic of the many contributions Irish-Americans have made to a great city and a great nation.
Praise for David Quinn's It May Be Forever: An Irish Rebel on the American Frontier "Let it be said first that It May Be Forever: An Irish Rebel on the American Frontier is an excellent, very enjoyable book... It is a fascinating tale and the depth of the author's research evident... The writing is first rate..." - Francis Hamit - The Self-Publishing Review "A beautifully written historical novel filled with excellent research and characters! Highly recommended!" - USABookNews.com "It's a book that should be listed among the great Irish diasporic accounts, told with skill and artistry..." - Peter Berresford Ellis - Noted Celtic scholar, writer, and novelist "...the scenes depicted have a truly authentic ring... a life of extraordinary adventure peopled with extraordinary characters." - Pauline Ferrie - EmigrantOnline.ie "What's unique about this biography turned novel is the real life information threaded throughout like golden wire." - Janet McGrane - CelticReader.com Visit the Author's Website: www.david quinnbooks.comAbout the author
David M. Quinn was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and grew up near Washington, D.C. He attended Wheeling Jesuit University (B.A.) and Fordham University (M.A.). After thirty years in industry, David left the corporate world. Following his passion for genealogy led him to uncover remarkable stories within his family history. First was that of his great, great uncle Michael Quinn, as told in the historical novel, It May Be Forever — An Irish Rebel on the American Frontier. Later, drawing upon his maternal ancestry, David gave us the remarkable story of Captain George W. Dow, who is the narrator of the true story, Leviathan’s Master - The Wreck of The World’s Largest Sailing Ship. Steel Shamrocks recounts the story of his wife's ancestors, the McKennas of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. David and his wife Betsy reside in Frederick, Maryland. They have three grown children and five grandchildren.
