Not Forgotten

By: Angela Byrne

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

A truly remarkable account, Not Forgotten traces the growth of one family from a small Irish town to a wide network stretching across the globe.

From 1820 to 1860, nearly two million Irish migrated to the United States, mostly due to the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1852. Many died crossing the ocean due to disease and dismal conditions of what became known as coffin ships.

Not Forgotten is the story of love and loss, enchantment and despair, joy and sorrow. Nora Brown was smitten when she met Oliver McManus. After fathering six children with Nora, Oliver disappeared, joining the Irish Brotherhood and leaving his family behind, he never returned. Behind in 1920s Ireland, the whirlwind romance and marriage ends in pain, heartbreak and poverty for Nora Brown. This pain will echo down through generations of sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, leaving the family broken and scattered.

Broken hearted and lost, Nora never lost hope of finding her beloved Oliver. Conversely, one daughter named Kitty wanted only to find him to put him in his place. Years passed and much of the family migrated to Canada and the United States. Kitty found her true love, who aided in her quest to find "the man her mother married."

This is the story of Nora's daughter, Kitty, a girl whose suffering propelled her to grow into a strong, independent woman, feisty and capable. Kitty broke many rules of society with her unwillingness to conform but was highly regarded by all who knew this gifted woman.

This reveals the story of the Irish diaspora: the lives, loves and losses of the thousands who left their homes and families behind to seek their fortune abroad. But most importantly, it is the story of a family.

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