The stories in this book include the success stories and also the failures of the Irish and Newfoundland: the stories of bishops and politicians, of thieves and murderers.

McCarthy vividly paints the Irish Roman Catholic experience from the early days on anti-Catholic persecution, when a house could be burned to the ground simply because Mass had been said there, to the triumphant building and consecration of the Basilica in St. John's. He tells of the conflicts that embroiled the Irish, from the faction fights between Irishmen from different countries, to the fiercely partisan involvement of the clergy in nineteenth century elections. But most of all this book tells of men and women who came from a beloved old country to an unknown new one, to search for and create a better life for themselves and their children.

From the legendary voyage of Saint Brendan and the romantic tale of Irish Princess Sheila NaGeira, to trade and eventual settlement, Mike McCarthy's book is a detailed historical account of how the Irish came to take root in Newfoundland. Interspersed are selected letters and corespondence dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, often between officials communicating their plans to drive the Irish off the island. Perhaps the greatest lesson to be taken from this history of the Newfoundland Irish is their incredible strenglth in fighting the oppression - a relislience we can see reflected in ourselves.