Lost Sons
by Tom O'Connor
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An ordinary life for young Maurice O'Brien is difficult in 1830s Ireland under British rule. Things get worse when his brother is caught by the authorities, causing trouble, and transported away as a convict, never to be seen again. As Maurice transitions from a boy to a man, he does his best to fill the role of his absent brother and live up to the expectations of his parents, his community, Father Coley, the Landlord, the oppressive English laws, and God Almighty himself. Flirting with the landlord's daughter is the least of his struggles when he meets a midshipman of the British Navy. Maurice must fight for his life, and it sets him on a journey to a new life of wild and dangerous adventure in lands far from home. These are the true stories of the people, men and women, who were sent to the British penal colonies of Australia. Most never saw their families again and simply disappeared behind the curtain of time. Little is known of their lives, deaths, or final resting places. They are the lost sons of Ireland. Tom O'Connor is a historian and writer specialising in Maori and New Zealand history.
About the Author
Tom O'Connor is a journalist and historian who has specialised in Maori issues for more than 40 years. He was born into a pioneering family who settled on land at Kawhia in 1906 and where he began school in 1949. As a Maori Affairs journalist for the Marlborough Express in Blenheim during the 1980s, he met and spent time with, kaumatua from several iwi who introduced him to details of local history, both written and oral, which, when added to what he knew of Ngati Toarangatira from North Island history led to this and subsequent historic novels.