Rebels In The Shadows

by Robert T. Reilly

Dramatizing the very real plight of coal miners in the Pennsylvania anthracite fields in the 1870s, Rebels in the Shadows tells the story of the legendary secret society known as the Molly Maguires. The time is the explosive 1870s; the place, the hard-coal fields of Pennsylvania. The Flannery family, like all the others in Pottsville, barely eke out a living from the mines. Out of frustration and anger, a group of coal miners organizes a secret society to fight the coal mine operators. The mine owners strike back, resulting in atrocities on both sides. In the midst of this upheaval, a charming stranger arrives in town. The newcomer, Red McKenna, quickly befriends fifteen-year-old Sean Flannery, and Sean’s sister, Kitty, falls in love with him. But when raids by the Mollies are ambushed by the Coal and Iron Police, Red is suspected of being a spy for the mine owners. The violence escalates, and the Flannery family is left to deal with the consequences of one of the first truly tragic labor conflicts in America.

Genres: Historical Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1979

About the author

Robert (Bob) T. Reilly was born in Lowell, Massa­chusetts in 1923. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army and saw service as a First lieutenant with the 78th Division in Europe. He was a POW for six months, and received numerous decorations. After the war Reilly completed his Ph.D. at Boston University.

Reilly's Irish interests involve the American Com­mittee for Irish studies and the Irish American Cul­tural Institute, where he held a national directorship. Reilly has lived in Ireland and has also led tours there since 1966.

It was when he was teaching Irish Literature at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, that he had the inspiration to write Red Hugh. "I did it as a bet with myself that I could write a book," he re­calls. His first attempt at the story of Hugh O'Don­nell was rejected by a publisher, so he tossed the manuscript out and started over. This time the tale was successful and became the first of several his­torical fiction books the author has written.

Having married Jean McKenzie of Omaha, Nebraska after World War II, Reilly and his wife had ten children and many grandchildren. Robert Reilly died in 2004.