Thomas Francis Meagher had many lives. He was a dashing young speaker before he was a convict in Tasmania. Then he would reemerge in United States becoming a general in the Civil War and eventually the acting governor of Montana Territory before his mysterious death. Through all the changes there was one constant that drove Meagher: his love of Ireland and his desire for Irish Independence from British rule.

Born in 1823, Meagher witnessed the Irish Famine and the ruthlessness of British rule. Though he came from a well to do family he spurned the comfortable life and instead spoke out against the British which lead to his exile and the journey that would take him from his beloved homeland. The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero examines his incredible life that would impact both Ireland and the United States. The author Timothy Egan has won a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

Christina Callison

Christina Callison has been blogging about books for the library’s website since 2006. She has read hundreds of books that include mysteries, fantasies, horror, thrillers, non-fiction, general fiction, and some science fiction. She continues with her goal of finding new books and authors to recommend.