DARBY'S ROAD is literary fiction set in history by author, MAURA GALLAGHER, who has also written under her pen name, CLU GALLAGHER. It is a stand alone novel, the second in her collection, THE SCATTERED SEEDS TALES FROM THE GREAT MELTING POT. It replaces her first publication of the novel titled THE ROAD TO RIGHTEOUSNESS which she has retired. It is set in the 19th Century in Ireland and America and is suitable reading material for young/adult readers and readers of all ages who enjoy fiction set in history.
In 1855, Thomas Darby Martin, a member of one of the most prestigious Protestant families in Ireland, loves his family and his country more than anything or anyone in his life except for 'MARY', the woman who has shunned him for another man. He couldn't imagine ever having to leave his beloved homeland but when he kills Mary's husband in a bar room brawl, his family draws the line. They banish him to America taking away his Irish birthright. Only twenty-five years old, his reputation has spread all across western Ireland. He pursued his vices of liquor, women, and gambling instead of portraying virtues that the Martin family had established over decades. In the past, the had gone to great lengths to cover up Darby's bad behaviors and save the family name. However, elders will no longer tolerate his antics. They order him to change his name and arrange for him to be a stowaway on a ship headed to America. Hidden away from view on the ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Darby makes plans to avoid capture by the law. He decides that he has no choice but to use lies and deception if he wants to live. He must convince everyone that he is indeed a righteous man and he vows that he will never share the sordid details of his former life in Ireland with anyone, not even the young and lovely woman he spies on the ship, 'Brigid Anne Finnegan'. Falling in love with her from a distance, he promises that he will find her when the ship docks in Baltimore and he will have a life with her, one that was not possible back in Ireland with Mary.
Along with all of the other Irish immigrants in the mid nineteenth century, Darby faces a rocky road in America. The country is in a great deal of turmoil and his road to happiness is not going to be an easy one. There is a Civil War brewing and life for most of the Irish immigrants is difficult at best. As fate would have it, he meets Brigid and is completely taken with her sudden infatuation with him. Brigid has a dark past of her own. Their mutual lies weave a web of deception that impacts the lives of those who love them but especially for, Tommy, Brigid's love child. he idolizes Darby, especially after Darby joins the Union Army and fights in the Battle of Gettysburg.
About the Author: MAURA CLU GALLAGHER sometimes known by the pen name, CLU GALLAGHER was born on May 21, 1947 in Pittsburgh, PA. After graduation from high school she worked as a secretary while attending non-degree evening classes at Carnegie Mellon University studying ART. In 1970, she earned a B. S. Degree in Art Education from Edinboro PA State Teachers College (now Edinboro University) followed by a Master's Equivalency from the University of Pittsburgh and the Penn State Continuing Education Programs. She taught Art and Computer Education in the Pittsburgh area public schools until 2001, when chronic illness forced an early disability retirement.
