The Woman from Kerry (30 page)
Read The Woman from Kerry Online
Authors: Anne Doughty
‘Not at all, Rose,’ he said, grinning, as he pulled the door closed behind them. ‘Sure you’re that grand now with your new dress, nobody would ever know.’
My own great-grandmother came from Kerry. I must thank her for inspiring this tale.
Without the help of my friends in Armagh I could not have recreated the world in which she lived. Once again, I thank Armagh Ancestry, the Irish Studies Centre, the Robinson Library and Armagh Books, who took such trouble to find me material I never knew existed.
But my greatest debt this time is to my husband, Peter, a historian, who not only helped me thread my way through the many accounts of the period 1861 to 1889, but kept me company on windy mountainsides and in damp churchyards.
My mistakes are my own and I hope will not detract from a story I have long wanted to tell.
THE HAMILTONS OF BALLYDOWN
In the closing years of the nineteenth century Rose and John Hamilton have much for which to give thanks. As well as the new-found security of living in their own home at Ballydown, outside Banbridge, John is a valued employee and friend of Hugh Sinton, owner and director of four textile mills in the district.
But life still continues to challenge. Change makes demands on both John and Hugh who feel responsible for the large workforce whose jobs depend on keeping machinery and processes up to date. Illness is no respecter of persons even among those who are adequately fed and nourished.
Most challenging of all for Rose and John is watching James, Sam and Hannah and their last-born, strong-willed Sarah, make their own choices and mistakes. That is when they both have to draw on inner reserves of courage and steadiness to face both pain and joy.
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A
NNE
D
OUGHTY
was born in Armagh, Northern Ireland. She is the author of twelve novels including
A Few Late Roses
which was longlisted for the Irish Times fiction prize. After many years living in England she returned to Belfast in 1998 and wrote the first of the novels that make up the Hamiltons series.
The Woman from Kerry
The Hamiltons of Ballydown
The Hawthorns Bloom in May
A Girl Called Rosie
For Many a Long Day
Shadow on the Land
On a Clear Day
Beyond the Green Hills
Allison & Busby Limited
12 Fitzroy Mews
London W1T 6DW
www.allisonandbusby.com
First published in Great Britain in 2003.
This ebook edition first published by Allison & Busby in 2014.
Copyright © 2003 by A
NNE
D
OUGHTY
The moral right of the author is hereby asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–1730–9
