WHEN IRELAND FELL SILENT takes the reader back to 1845-1849 to County Mayo in a gripping, suspenseful story that reveals the actual causes of the Great Irish Famine as told through the eyes of a fictional family named Reilly. While the centerpiece of the novel is their struggle to survive, the story also celebrates Irish culture with scenes of a wedding, a pilgrimage, Christmas traditions, an American wake, Irish proverbs, and more. Engaging characters face the same injustices endured by the millions who once lived, died, or fled this island and draw the reader into their anxiety, hopes, and desperation. The actions and attitudes of powerful policy makers and leaders are true to their documented record. Actual events and voices from that time reveal the forces at work as Ireland fell silent.