The Irish Dresser

The Irish Dresser: A Story of Hope During the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mor, 1845-1850) by Cynthia G. Neale was one of my first purchases at IBM. It is written for the young adult level, but I knew I wanted to read it because my Irish line came to the states after the famine and I wanted to get a better perspective on what that meant for the lives of my ancestors.

The author does a wonderful job painting a picture of the what life was like in famine Ireland and through her characters she expresses the frustrations that life offered those living through this time. Along with the story of living through the Great Hunger she gives the readers a look at the emigration of the Irish and what life consisted of on the coffin ships to America.

I highly recommend this book for anyone in the preteen world that you know of, especially those with Irish heritage. It is important to hare what our ancestors went through in Ireland, it gives you a great respect for your family that lived through this dreadful period.

*Disclaimer: I purchased this book with my money. I am an Amazon affiliate, the small amount of money I make through these links helps to support this website and continue my genealogy education.