Irish Convict Troubled Waters
Tom O'Connor
Having tempted fate and revisited Ireland, Maurice O’Brien is grief-stricken at the state of his homeland following the devastation of the potato famine a few years earlier. Disease, starvation and forced immigration have all but depopulated many parts of the country. His family no longer exists, and the country is in ruins. Maurice decides to return home to New Zealand but finding a ship heading for New Zealand proves difficult, and he is forced to find work in England to survive.
In this book, Irish Convict; Troubled Waters, Maurice O’Brien decides to return home to New Zealand after revisiting Ireland but finding a ship home proves difficult, and he is forced to find work in England to survive.
At last, he finds a ship bound for New Zealand. After an eventful voyage across the oceans, the ill-fated Oliver Lang limps into Port Nicholson with her cargo of 300 British settlers. Maurice rights a few wrongs before the final leg across the Cook Strait to his waiting Maori wife and children.
When it comes to conflict between Maori and Pakeha, Maurice is faced with deciding which side he is on. The one thing he is certain of; he is no longer an Irishman, he is a mariner, whaler and bar-room brawler. Who does he stand for?
Each chapter is based on true stories from around New Zealand from Nelson to Wellington, Cook Strait, Rangitoto Island, and Taranaki. He also spends time in Plymouth, England and County Clare, Ireland and the Seas in between.
Where to buy
Irish Convict Troubled Waters
Tom O'Connor
Having tempted fate and revisited Ireland, Maurice O’Brien is grief-stricken at the state of his homeland following the devastation of the potato famine a few years earlier. Disease, starvation and forced immigration have all but depopulated many parts of the country. His family no longer exists, and the country is in ruins. Maurice decides to return home to New Zealand but finding a ship heading for New Zealand proves difficult, and he is forced to find work in England to survive.
In this book, Irish Convict; Troubled Waters, Maurice O’Brien decides to return home to New Zealand after revisiting Ireland but finding a ship home proves difficult, and he is forced to find work in England to survive.
At last, he finds a ship bound for New Zealand. After an eventful voyage across the oceans, the ill-fated Oliver Lang limps into Port Nicholson with her cargo of 300 British settlers. Maurice rights a few wrongs before the final leg across the Cook Strait to his waiting Maori wife and children.
When it comes to conflict between Maori and Pakeha, Maurice is faced with deciding which side he is on. The one thing he is certain of; he is no longer an Irishman, he is a mariner, whaler and bar-room brawler. Who does he stand for?
Each chapter is based on true stories from around New Zealand from Nelson to Wellington, Cook Strait, Rangitoto Island, and Taranaki. He also spends time in Plymouth, England and County Clare, Ireland and the Seas in between.
Where to buy