On open fields where the North meets the South, many will gather to remember the bloody battles that united the states.
In some circles, the memories of the Irish who fought alongside their Yankee counterparts will be toasted.
If you believe Hollywood's treatment, you'd be thinking that those Irish lads walked off the emigrant ships and into a blue coat out of desperation, but you'd be a bit misguided.
The American Civil War served as Ireland's West Point.
Men enlisted to learn how to be soldiers so they could go back to Ireland and stand a decent chance against the British army. America exported cotton to England and unwittingly exported trained soldiers to Ireland.
The story is told in A Terrible Beauty, a novel that traces the long path of Ireland's rebellion from the Fenian movement that found a home in the hearts of Irish soldiers fighting for American unity, through the Easter Rising of 1916.
The plot has twists and turns that reflect the real trajectory of history. Fighting gives way to political intrigue and espionage before the fighting flares anew. Told from the perspective of one family that is divided by a struggle with its roots in the American Civil War, A Terrible Beauty will keep you on the edge of your seat and perhaps bring a tear to your eye.
Newcastlewest Books is offering the e-book for a reduced price, so how can you say no to the bold Fenian men. Pick up a copy, sit back and be transported to an era when there were no holds barred in the drive for independence.
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