Best-selling Irish author and filmmaker Mary Pat Kelly will hold a public reading and book signing for her latest novel, Irish Above All, at Fairfield University’s downtown bookstore on Wednesday, March 13, at 7 p.m. The free event is open to the public and presented by the University’s Irish Studies program.

Irish Above All is the third installment in Kelly’s celebrated historical fiction series, which features previous best sellers Galway Bay (2009) and Of Irish Blood (2015). It draws upon the author’s own family heritage to provide a thrilling portrait of Irish-American life in the early twentieth century.

“Mary Pat Kelly’s trilogy is an accurate portrayal of Irish culture, history, and tradition, with a narrative voice that thoroughly engages the reader,” said Marion White, co-director of the University’s Irish Studies program. “Audiences will benefit from hearing her speak in a way that makes the Great Starvation come alive and shows us why Irish emigration is an American story. By reading her works, we gain a deeper understanding of the immigrants’ struggle to survive, which is something that can still be seen in today’s America.”

Named one of the Top-100 Irish Americans by Irish American Magazine, Kelly’s deep knowledge of all things Irish informs her books, films, and academic work. In addition to her historical fiction series, she is a frequent contributor to Irish America Magazine and has worked as a screenwriter for Paramount and Columbia Pictures. As a filmmaker and producer, her credits include Proud starring Ossie Davis and Stephen Rea, three award-winning PBS documentaries, Good Morning America, and Saturday Night Live. A graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, she received her PhD in English from the CUNY Graduate Center. 

For more information on Kelly’s book reading and signing, contact Professor White at mwhite@fairfield.edu, or Irish Studies co-director, William Abbott, PhD, at wmabbott@fairfield.edu.