An Irishman’s Story of Survival

By Jack Cashman

Every life is a tapestry of challenges, with resilience as its weft and weave. Amidst the torrent of trials that threaten to engulf one’s spirit, there stand the unyielding souls who, with a spark of defiance in their eyes, dare to face the tempest and emerge on the other side. They are the survivors, the dauntless hearts who tread the rocky path with an unwavering resolve.

Kevin O’Donnell is a beacon of such indomitable spirit, grappling with life’s relentless waves that seek to subdue him. In the turbulent era of mid-20th century, the world could be a harsh, unforgiving place for a young Irish lad. Yet, within Kevin lies a burning desire to carve out his niche, to transcend the barriers that life hurls his way and grasp the reins of a fulfilling existence.

Can his resolute will and earnest endeavor outshine the adversities that loom? Can he navigate the maelstrom and anchor himself to the shores of a prosperous life? Traverse the chapters of his journey within these pages, and unveil the saga of a young man’s undying spirit amidst the trials of time. Through Kevin’s eyes, explore a testament to the enduring human spirit that resonates with every beating heart that refuses to yield to life’s storms.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Feb 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9798889109884

Jack Cashman

An Irishman’s Story of Survival is the story of a young Irishman who escapes the Great Hunger, survives a perilous journey across the Atlantic and makes a life for himself in his adopted country. It is the latest historical novel by Jack Cashman who resides in Hampden, Maine with his wife Betty near their two sons and five granddaughters. Visit him on the web at jackcashman.com Other books by Jack: An Irish Immigrant’s Story Three Steps to the Making of An Assassin One Man’s Mission American Valor

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About the Author

An Irishman’s Story of Survival is the story of a young Irishman who escapes the Great Hunger, survives a perilous journey across the Atlantic and makes a life for himself in his adopted country. It is the latest historical novel by Jack Cashman who resides in Hampden, Maine with his wife Betty near their two sons and five granddaughters.

Visit him on the web at jackcashman.com

Other books by Jack:

An Irish Immigrant’s Story

Three Steps to the Making of An Assassin

One Man’s Mission

American Valor

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all people of Irish descent who had ancestors die or have to leave their home land to avoid starvation including my own ancestors on both the Cashman and the Grady side. The Great Hunger in Ireland was a horrible tragedy that should never be forgotten.

Copyright Information ©

Jack Cashman 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Cashman, Jack

An Irishman’s Story of Survival

ISBN 9798889109860 (Paperback)

ISBN 9798889109877 (Hardback)

ISBN 9798889109884 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023921087

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

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An Irishman’s Story of Survival is a book of historical fiction. The characters in the book are purely fictional, but they are woven into actual historical events. The book’s characters’ roles in those events are products of the author’s imagination. However, the events depicted are quite real.

Ireland’s great hunger brought on by the European potato blight was one of history’s great tragedies. Poor tenant farmers were driven from their homes and left to starve. The death toll from starvation and related diseases reached one and a half million people. An equal number fled the country to avoid that fate. The voyages across the Atlantic were often perilous with a good percentage of passengers dying on board. These events are all too real and all too tragic. The events took place when Ireland was ruled by Britain and the lack of any humanitarian response from Westminster exacerbated a horrible situation. The starving native Irish received more aid from the distant shores of America than from their ruling class neighbors.

Similarly, the shipbuilding industry in New England in the mid-nineteenth century as depicted in the book was an important component of the economy. Shipyards in Maine and Massachusetts fed the fishing industry as well as the growing seaborne trade.

Finally, the 109th Massachusetts was indeed a fighting unit in the civil war. The unit was made up primarily of Irish immigrants. The unit included an Irishman named David Cashin, who was an ancestor of the book’s author.

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Chapter I

Charles Evans sat at his desk in the library of the Manor House on his estate in Gleana Saili, Ireland reviewing ledger accounts. At fifty-two years of age, Charles still cut an imposing figure at six feet tall with a trim shape and a full head of white hair atop his still handsome face. It was June 1847, and Evans was finishing his review of the ledger that kept the financial records for his family’s estate. These reviews required him to make at least two and, some years, three or even four trips to Ireland. He would much prefer to stay in London where he lived very comfortably in a far more civilized environment.

He often quoted the saying from Samuel Johnson that when you are tired of London, you are tired of life. He never tired of London, and his three- or four-day stays in Ireland were far too long and extremely tiresome. Such was the life of a British aristocrat, simply burdened with such taxing duties. He sat at his desk wearing high London fashion for day wear, a shirt with a high stiff collar covered by a frock coat with straight trousers, always the proper gentleman.

His family had owned the Irish estate for centuries dating back to King James I in the early 1600s. Great tracts of land were confiscated by the English in those years with ownership transferred from Celtic peasants and their chieftains to the wealthy aristocracy of England. The confiscation of millions of acres laid the groundwork for the system of wealthy English landowners subletting to Irish peasants who were in turn exploited to work the land for the financial benefit of the estate. It was a system created by years of brutal fighting. The act of union, which came into effect in 1801, was the final step in the process of British subrogation. The act abolished the Irish Parliament, placing total control of the country into Westminster with the authority passed through Dublin Castle.

Over time, the landowners hired middlemen to oversee the estates, supervise the tenant farmers, and take care of the financial interest of the owners by handling the farm production and seeing to it that the money from the marketing of the production ended up in England with the landowners. Thus, Charles Evans was required to make the trips to Ireland to review the ledgers to make sure of a proper accounting of each transaction. It was tedious work for the likes of Charles Evans but still necessary work. The feudal system created by the ruling English had kept Ireland a poor country for centuries. Any wealth in the country was held by and controlled by the ruling class for the benefit of the absentee landlords back in England.

A Frenchman named Gustave de Beaumont, traveling in Ireland in the 1830s, wrote, In all countries, paupers may be discovered but an entire nation of paupers is what was never seen until it was shown in Ireland. That assessment was made prior to a coming blight that would make the situation even worse. The large farms, like that of Charles Evans, grew large crops of oats and grains that were exported to England along with cattle, sheep, and vegetables raised and cared for by the poor Celtic tenants. As a reward for their labor, these Celtic tenants were given small tracts of land to grow their own food for their families while the major production from the estate would wind up on dinner tables in England. As the peasant Celtic population grew to six million, their tracts of land for their own food production became smaller and smaller.

Three-quarters of the cultivable land was used to grow cash crops for the wealthy owners, while three-quarters of the population had to live on the production of one-quarter of the cultivable land. By the 1800s, it was widely the case that the only crop that could be grown on the limited space that would bring a large enough volume to feed the families was the potato. That reality had become a problem as this was 1847, Black 47, the worst year of the Great Hunger. A potato blight had hit all of Europe in 1845, and it was particularly widespread in Ireland with its damp climate. The consequences of the blight were also more intense in Ireland because of the dependence of the peasant Celts on the potato to survive.

Black 47 was the third and worst year of starvation as thousands of the native Celtic population were dying from starvation and diseases like typhus that were famine-related. Food production in Ireland had not decreased. In fact, production of everything but the potato increased. It was only the potato that suffered, but the other food production was kept away from the peasant Celts by the ruling English, even as they starved. Many of these tenant farmers had already been evicted from their modest mud huts by their landlords.

Those that were able fled to the cities such as nearby Cork City where people were literally dying in the streets. In rare cases, absentee landlords paid for passage to North America for the evicted Celts just, so they could be rid of them. Having deployed troops to assist the constabulary in keeping the starving peasants from food, the British response to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Celts was tantamount to genocide. Such were the conditions as the proper gentleman, Charles Evans, reviewed the records of his estate.

On this day, Charles Evans’ estate manager or middleman, Nigel Bennington, sat across the desk in silence awaiting the report from his master. Nigel, a short, mousey-looking man, had been managing the property for nearly twenty years, enjoying a good life in the Manor House while supervising the four tenants farming Celtic families to whom he had leased small tracts of land partly in exchange for their labor in the fields and tending to animals. Nigel employed his own middleman, Ian Stark, a short, rugged fellow with no fear, to handle the more unpleasant tasks that the ‘Lord of the Manor’ felt were beneath him. Nigel had not yet evicted any of his Celtic tenant families, but he knew a decision had to be made soon.

As the potato crops failed, he had provided enough food to the four families to keep them alive, if just barely alive. He knew full well that Charles Evans would not approve, so he tried to conceal his generosity. The small amounts of turnip, cabbage, and carrots he had fed them were barely enough to keep them going but far more than was the case for other estate managers. He had to try to keep the amount of produce he siphoned off to them small enough to go unnoticed.

He had even provided meat to the families on occasion, but it was more difficult to hide that from ledger accounts, so it did not happen often. His man, Stark, had advised against it, but he had done it anyway. He knew as he watched his master pour over the books that he may be made to pay a price if it was noticed that there was a drop in volume, so he waited in silence as Charles Evans finished his examination.

The moment finally arrived as the ledger was closed and Evans sat back in his chair, stroking his chin, staring across the desk at his middleman. The uncomfortable silence dragged on until Nigel could take it no more.

Is everything satisfactory, Charles?

Again, a pause before an answer was offered. No, Nigel, it is not. This entire country has declined into a disease-infected rat hole while my estate manager has sat by watching the deterioration, giving away what is rightfully mine in a pitiful attempt to stem the tide of the inevitable.

Nigel was not totally surprised by the reprimand, but the vehemence of the attack was a bit more severe than expected. His master was visibly upset, making no attempt to hide his anger.

I’m not sure how I should respond to your statement or how I’m supposed to respond to the conditions that surround us, Nigel said. The potato blight is not the fault of our tenant families, yet it is they who suffer, they who may starve. What am I to do in this situation?

Well, let me enlighten you. The troubles these peasants find themselves having to deal with are of their own making. They have existed for generations wallowing in their own ignorance and sloth. They lack the intelligence, as well as the ambition, to do anything to improve their conditions, so now things have come to a head for them after centuries of lazy dependence on our generosity. Their situation is not our problem, Nigel. It is theirs. Their lack of attention to their own sustenance is to blame for their current plight. His tirade was an accurate summation of the view held by the British aristocracy of the native celtic people of Ireland.

You have given them food from my farm production to replace potatoes they caused to be infected. Don’t bother to deny it because Stark already informed me of it, and this ledger confirms the fact.

Nigel was not surprised to hear of the disloyalty of Ian Stark, but it certainly did not help his cause. Stark would cover his own ass by showing more loyalty to Charles Evans than to himself.

I could not just sit here in the Manor House with plentiful food while watching these families starve to death. They have worked these fields for us for years.

You would not have to watch them starve to death if you had acted properly and evicted them in a timely fashion, but you lacked the courage to carry that out.

But, Charles, where would they go? How would I replace their labor?

Evans could hear no more of this as he slammed his fist down on the desk while hollering, It is none of your concern where they go. They are not our problem. His anger reddened his face and spit flew from his mouth as he spoke in a rage.

He regained control of himself after a short stare at his manager that lasted until Nigel finally looked down at the floor. More calmly he continued, What’s more, your generosity at my expense has done little to stave off the inevitable. How many of the four tenant families have sickness?

All of them, Nigel answered while still looking down at the floor.

So their burial will soon be also at my expense, Evans said while shaking his head. Let me make this clear to you. Evict them all tomorrow. Have Stark gather the locals who work for him, contact the constable to come and assist them, and then get them out. I mean out by tomorrow night.

Within the week, I want their pitiful mud huts destroyed, so there is no trace of them ever being here. Hire a few more workers to cover what little work you were getting from the lazy, good-for-nothing rabble you got rid of and start running this place properly. I want to see more cattle being raised for that’s where there are high profits. Raising cattle is far less labor intensive, so you will not have to replace all that much labor. Get rid of the rabble, and we will have more room for cattle.

I will be leaving tomorrow early, and when I return in two or three months, I want any trace of them gone, including their stench. I want to see two or three times the amount of cattle we are currently raising. If these instructions are not carried out, you will be. Have I made myself clear?

Yes, Charles, I will do as you say, Nigel spoke, looking down at the floor in order to conceal his gritted teeth. The task ahead of him was one he wished he could refuse to undertake. He had no choice, as this was the only life available to him. If Evans sent him away, nobody else would have him, a fact that he knew all too well. These British aristocrats stuck together, so a dismissal by Charles Evans would leave him no place to go. In some ways, his own plight was as pitiful as the peasants he had to evict.

Chapter II

Within a short time after his tongue-lashing at the hands of Charles Evans, Nigel had summoned his man Stark to the Manor House to begin the process of following the directions he had received during the tongue-lashing. He greeted Stark pointing out his unhappiness at Stark’s confession to Evans, disclosing Nigel’s practice of providing meager amounts of food to the starving peasants.

I had no choice in the matter, sir, responded Stark. Sir, Evans is no fool. He had made the rounds and observed the remains of food from his crops in two of the huts housing peasant families, and he saw the relative good health of the occupants. I could not have lied to him.

He actually went near these people to see for himself? Nigel could not recall Charles Evans ever allowing himself to be near the peasants.

Yes, sir, and I would add that he was totally and obviously repulsed by having to be anywhere near the rabble. This, of course, was no surprise to hear. British aristocrats like Evans viewed the Celtic peasants as little more than farm animals.

This was an unprecedented action on the part of the Lord and master of the estate. As difficult as things had become in Ireland, Nigel was amazed at Evans’ willingness to tour the peasant population and the huts they called home. Be that as it may, he did have to understand the position Stark was in when confronted by Evans. Lying to him would have been useless as well as full of consequences. Stark would be sent away as fast as the peasants.

At this point, we have no choice but to comply with his wishes, so you have four families to evict and four mud huts to destroy. How much sickness are we to deal with among the four? He asked this more out of concern for the inconvenience than concern for the families.

There is a bit with at least a couple of the families.

Are any of them completely incapacitated?

Not at this point. They can all travel although it will be difficult.

The two plotters made plans to bring in the constabulary first thing in the morning to assist with the unpleasant task of throwing four families out of their homes. They would advise them all to travel to nearby Cork City to seek medical and government assistance. Unlike the families they would be evicting, they had both been to Cork City and they were both well aware that conditions in the city were absolutely desperate. Medical facilities were beyond capacity; typhus was rampant and very sick; and starving people were being turned out into the streets to die. Several churches had set up soup kitchens, attempting to provide a bit of food for the starving, but these, too, were overwhelmed.

Government assistance was nonexistent leaving very little chance for survival for the poor. They had to keep this knowledge from the peasants they were about to evict so as to give them some hope that there would be relief in Cork. Basically, they would be banishing the four tenant farmer families from the miserable conditions in which they were living, sending them to almost certain death. The peasants themselves would leave with some hope of salvation in their hearts. The two plotters knew there was no hope.

While the two men sat in the Manor House discussing the actions, they would have to take the next morning, four peasant tenant farmer families living on the estate had no idea what lay in store for them. All four were suffering from hunger as well as disease brought on