Sons of an Ancient Glory
Read Sons of an Ancient Glory Online
Authors: BJ Hoff
ERE'S WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT
BJ H
OFF'S
T
HE
E
MERALD
B
ALLADS
Book 1
Song of the Silent Harpâ¦
“All the color and imagery of a film enliven this storyâ¦Rarely has a novel captured so authentically the enduring faith of the Irish peasant⦔
E
OIN
M
C
K
IERNAN
,
Founder,
Irish American Cultural Institute
Book 2
Heart of the Lonely Exileâ¦
“â¦A brilliant picture of the excitement and drama of life in New York City a century ago.”
I
RISH
B
OOKS AND
M
EDIA
“These are people to admire and care about, people who have struggled with the demons of sickness, death, and despair, and have survived because of their strong faith and trust in God.”
O
HIOANA
Q
UARTERLY
“â¦A captivating, faith-filled saga as exuberant, lyrical, and spirited as the Irish themselvesâ¦A historical saga so rich, so vivid, and so riveting you'll feel like you've gone back in time.”
G
UIDEPOSTS
B
OOK
C
LUB
Book 3
Land of a Thousand Dreamsâ¦
“A big, colorful novel, full of the type of upbeat Christian values to be found in much of Hoff's fiction.”
I
RISH
E
CHO
“â¦Captures the melodic vernacular of the Irish world through a myriad of complex characters in a sweeping story of the battle to survive, on both the peasant lands of the Emerald Isle and on the uncertain streets of New York.”
W
EST
C
OAST
R
EVIEW OF
B
OOKS
Book 4
Sons of an Ancient Gloryâ¦
“Hoff tells a number of striking stories, all involving characters we come to care about immediately. She clearly knows her history, her religion, and her audience, and does a fine job of presenting the first two to the third. This is a series that deserves a lengthy run.”
W
EST
C
OAST
R
EVIEW OF
B
OOKS
Recipient of Christianity Today's Critic's Choice Book Award, Fiction
of an
Ancient Glory
T
HE
E
MERALD
B
ALLAD
BJ HOFF
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE
,
OREGON
Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
BJ Hoff: Published in association with the Books & Such Literary Agency, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370,
www.booksandsuch.biz
.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Previously published in 1993 by Bethany House Publishers.
SONS OF AN ANCIENT GLORY
Copyright © 1993 by BJ Hoff
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hoff, BJ
Sons of an ancient glory / BJ Hoff.
     p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7369-2795-6 (pbk.)
1. Irish AmericansâFiction. 2. ImmigrantsâFiction. 3. IrelandâFiction I. Title.
PS3558.O34395S63 2011
813'.54âdc22
2010021580
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherâexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / LB-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
O
M
Y
R
EADERS:
This book is for you. You have overwhelmed me with your letters of encouragement, strengthened me with your prayers of support, and affirmed the value of the stories by opening your caring hearts to me with your
own
unique stories: stories of your struggles, your sorrows, and your victories.
Storytelling has always been of the utmost importance to the Irish. Because the Gaelic language was outlawed for generations, the ancient art of storytelling was crucial to the survival of Irish culture. For centuries in Ireland, the itinerant
Seanchai
âthe Storytellerâwas the person who kept the legends, the history, the traditions of the people alive.
I believe God has used my own passion for all things Irish to motivate me to take up the tradition of the
Seanchai
and tell the story of Ireland's tragedyâand the long-range effect of that tragedy on both the Emerald Isle and America. But because I also believe that the Irish represent a
universal
immigration experience (having endured bondage, religious persecution, genocide, displacement, and ethnic prejudice), I like to think that the Emerald Ballad novels are not only stories about Irish immigrants, but stories about
all
immigrants. Many of you have written to confirm that belief, and I thank you.
Above all else, I hope
Sons of an Ancient Glory
and all the other Emerald Ballads portray a compassionate God at work among His people, a God who understands our frailties and redeems our failures. Time and time again God charges us in His Word to tell our children and our grandchildren of His deeds. So, as I tell you these stories of the Children of Erin, it is my prayer that you will pass them on. May we all be faithful to tell our childrenâ¦and
their
childrenâ¦of “His deeds, His power, and the wonders He has done.”
Dia linnâ¦
   Â
God bless us.
BJ Hoff       Â
2010Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
My warmest thanks and appreciation to Harvest House Publishers for publishing this new edition of
Sons of an Ancient Glory,
the fourth book of The Emerald Ballad series, and for their ongoing support and encouragement of my work.
BJ Hoff
's bestselling historical novels continue to cross the boundaries of religion, language, and culture to capture a worldwide reading audience. In addition to The Emerald Ballad series, her books include such popular titles as
Song of Erin
and
American Anthem
and bestselling series such as The Riverhaven Years and The Mountain Song Legacy. Her stories, although set in the past, are always relevant to the present. Whether her characters move about in Ireland or America, in small country towns or metropolitan areas, reside in Amish settlements or in coal company houses, she creates
communities
where people can form relationships, raise families, pursue their faith, and experience the mountains and valleys of life.
Â
A direct descendant of Irish ancestors who came to this country before the Revolutionary War, BJ brings a decade of historical research and strong personal involvement to The Emerald Ballad series. Her understanding of the Irish peopleâtheir history, their struggles, their music, their indomitable spiritâlends to her writing all the passion and power of her own Irish heritage. BJ and her husband make their home in Ohio.
For a complete listing of BJ's books published by
Harvest House Publishers, turn to page 377.
P
ART
O
NE
LIGHT OF PROMISE ⢠NEW BEGINNINGS
5 You Will Always Have Your Memories
10 The Arrival of Quinn O'Shea
15 On the Golden Streets of New York
18 A Momentous Occasion at Nelson Hall
P
ART
T
WO
LIGHT OF TRUTH ⢠GATHERING DARKNESS