Laura Wilson

How I Survived the Irish Famine Laura Wilson

A fictionalized account of one family's survival of the Irish famine. Told through the eyes of 12-year-old Mary O'Flynn, the story begins in the summer of 1845 when the O'Flynns' entire potato crop is destroyed by the blight. In the increasingly desperate times that follow, the family struggles to survive, finally gaining passage on one of the over-crowded "Coffin" ships bound for North America. Here they begin the process of rebuilding their lives on into adulthood. Original colour photography of artefacts and interiors helps to convey the drama of the O'Flynns' struggle to survive and, together with Mary's journal entries aims to create a moving account of a critical period in the history of Ireland.