Author Note - WHAT THE WIND KNOWS

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

In the summer of 2016, after doing a little research on my family tree, I traveled to Dromahair, Ireland, to see the place where my great-grandfather, Martin Smith, was born and raised. He emigrated to the States as a young man; my nana said he got involved with the local IRB, and his parents sent him to America because they didn’t want him getting into trouble.

I don’t know if that’s true, as Nana has been gone since 2001, but he was born the same year as Michael Collins, in a period of reformation and revolution. Nana had written a few things on the back of a St. Patrick’s Day card one year about her father, my great-grandfather. I knew when he was born, I knew his mother’s name was Anne Gallagher, and his father was Michael Smith. But that’s all I knew. Just like the main character in What The Wind Knows, I went to Dromahair with the hopes of finding them. And I did.

My parents and my older sister took the trip with me, and the first time we saw Lough Gill, my chest burned, and my eyes teared. Every step of the way, it felt like we were being guided and led. Deirdre Fallon, a real-life librarian—libraries never let you down—in Dromahair directed us to the genealogical center in Ballinamore. We were then directed to Ballinagar, a cemetery behind a church in the middle of fields. When I asked how we would find it, I really was told to pray or pull over and ask someone, just like Anne was told to do in this book. I won’t ever forget how it felt to walk up that rise among the stones and find my family.

The townland where my grandfather was born was called Garvagh Glebe, just like in the story. But Garvagh Glebe is not a manor, and it is not next to Lough Gill. It is a rather barren and rocky stretch of land, a true “rough place” up in the hills above Dromahair where there is a wind farm now. When I saw those big windmills, the title was born. What the Wind Knows was inspired by these events and by ancestors I’ve never met but feel like I know.

I couldn’t give my main character my great-great grandfather’s name (Michael Smith) because Michael Collins was such a central figure in the book, and I didn’t want two Michaels. So Thomas Smith was named for two of my Irish grandfathers, Thomas Keefe of Youghal, County Cork, and Michael Smith of Dromahair, County Leitrim. We also have a Bannon branch that I can’t get a lock on. Maybe there will be another book about John Bannon.

Even though this book has a strong dose of the fantastical, I wanted it to be a historical novel as well. The more research I did into Ireland, the more lost I felt. I didn’t know how to tell the story or even what story to tell. I felt like Anne when she told Eoin, “There is no consensus. I have to have context.” It was Eoin’s response to Anne, “Don’t let the history distract you from the people who lived it,” that gave me hope and direction.

Ireland’s history is a long and tumultuous one, and I did not wish to relitigate it or point fingers of blame in this story. I simply wanted to learn, understand, and fall in love with her and invite my reader to love her too. In the process, I immersed myself in the poetry of Yeats, who walked the streets my great-grandfather walked and who wrote about Dromahair. I also fell in love with Michael Collins.

If you want to know more about him, I highly suggest Tim Pat Coogan’s book, Michael Collins, to gain a deeper appreciation of his life and his place in Irish history. There is so much written about him, and so many opinions, but after all my research, I am still in awe of the young man who committed himself, heart and soul, to his cause. That much is not in dispute. Of course, Thomas Smith is a fictional character, but I think he embodies the kind of friendship and loyalty Michael Collins inspired among those who knew him. I did my best to blend fact and fiction, and many of the events and accounts I inserted Thomas and Anne into actually happened.

Any mistakes or embellishments to the actual record to fill in the historical gaps or to further the story are well intentioned and are completely my own. I only hope when you are finished with What the Wind Knows, you have a greater respect for the men and women who came before and a desire to make the world a better place.
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Published on January 07, 2019 10:25
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message 1: by BetĂĽl (new)

BetĂĽl I love this book so much!


message 2: by Sissi (last edited Jan 09, 2019 07:05AM) (new)

Sissi Drake I'm an Irish immigrant grandchild too. My grand father was born in Co Down and left Ireland with one of his brothers. He arrived in norther Italy in 1920 and met my grandmother and built his family here. He had 13 sibilings but we met only the family of one of our cousin, probably because some of them were dead without children or emigrated in other countries.
Also for me it was a great emotion to meet them in Ballynahinch, to see the house were my grandfather was born and my ancestor's graves but I'm not a big expert on Ireland history. This book could be a great occasion to learn something about that and take a trip down my roots.


message 3: by Karen (new)

Karen I can’t wait to read it. We’re all a little bit Irish!


message 4: by Roxana (new)

Roxana I'm so excited for this!!!
I've never been able to track down my ancestors, because my family comes from a 3rd world country - where keeping records was last on their mind. A lot of information has been lost. I've only met my maternal grandmother, and have heard stories of my other (3) grandparents. I do feel and believe that Genealogy is very important, and imperative for those that can to find as much as possible. I love that you were able to do this, not just for yourself, but for your children and those generations that are to come.


message 5: by Shabby (new)

Shabby  -BookBistroBlog I loved this book so hard.
Amazing !!!!


message 6: by Mary (new)

Mary Mooney I can't wait to read this one. My Great-great-great-grandfather came from Ireland and i want to research from what part. I have been told Northern Ireland and other parts too. Had a cousin do research years ago and he said when he found out we use to live in castles, he stopped looking. LOL


message 7: by Shabby (new)

Shabby  -BookBistroBlog Mary wrote: "I can't wait to read this one. My Great-great-great-grandfather came from Ireland and i want to research from what part. I have been told Northern Ireland and other parts too. Had a cousin do resea..."

Then this book is for you. Set against the backdrop of irish revolution, you'll be dropped right in the center of the agitation. And inside view. Happy reading!!


message 8: by Iris (new)

Iris Henderson I absolutely adored this book and I just could not put it down. I am not Irish but am tremendously interested in Ireland. I love it's history and become so involved in stories about the Potato Famine, The Rising in 1921/22 with Michael Collins, and everything about it. I feel I have a connection to Ireland somehow as I just can't seem to get enough to read about it. I went last year with my two daughters to The Wild Atlantic West Coast and it was fantastic. I love the scenery, the atmosphere, the people who are so warm and friendly and the music is totally magical. I have told many friends about 'What the Wind Knows' as it made such an impression on me.


message 9: by Chelsea (new)

Chelsea Hudson I finished the book 2 hours ago and can’t sleep. I can’t atop thinking about the story. It’s beautiful and brilliant. I am a McGinnis and have tracked my ancestors back to Norther Ireland - scotch Irish. I visited the west of Ireland last year for the first time and absolutely irrevocably fall in love with Connemara region. Reading this book just tugged at my heart strings even more and I feel a need to go back.... and soon. Brilliant story!


message 10: by Nancy (new)

Nancy Hartmann Shabby wrote: "I loved this book so hard.
Amazing !!!!"


ME TOO!!! WHAT A GREAT BOOK!!


message 11: by T. Sandoval (new)

T. Sandoval What the Wind knows is my favorite book of all time, Love this book so much I've listened to the audio book 3 times this year. I'm sure the movie offers are rolling in; can't wait for it.


message 12: by Shabby (new)

Shabby  -BookBistroBlog T. Sandoval wrote: "What the Wind knows is my favorite book of all time, Love this book so much I've listened to the audio book 3 times this year. I'm sure the movie offers are rolling in; can't wait for it."
Yesssss. Have you read her other books?


message 13: by T. Sandoval (new)

T. Sandoval Yes, I've read From Sand and Ash - Hard to get into but really liked it.
Where the Lost Wander - same
The Smallest Part - didn't care for it - didn't like the ghosts. I really wanted to because it takes place where I grew up...but I feel like she used ghosts to make the story work.


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