Faded Destiny

Beginning in the turbulent times of Protestant ascendancy in Ireland and ending during the tragic years of slavery in America, this fifty-year saga tells the story of my great-grandfather, Joseph Thomas Gorman.

From the small Irish village of his birth, to the streets of Cork, to the great city of New York and beyond, this compelling story takes you on a journey full of intriguing characters, indelible dangers, and human passions.

When young Joseph witnesses his father’s death at the hands of English soldiers, he sets out to get revenge against the despotic English who have overrun his beloved Ireland. He believes that he has been ordained by God to deliver Ireland from the hands of the English invaders, but a boyish rock throwing incident against the English soldiers goes awry and propels him into a lifelong struggle to find his destiny.

Orphaned and alone, Joseph joins in with a small gang of street urchins and quickly learns how to survive in an uncaring world through panhandling and thievery. A certain turn of events, however, finds him in a desperate situation aboard a small ship headed for the Americas. In the big city of New York, he suffers disappointment and heartbreak when he dares to love someone above his station in life.

This dynamic story takes many twists and turns as he travels further west and chases new adventures across the plains of Ohio and beyond. When the foul stench of slavery wafts across the land, Joseph cannot ignore the call to arms and to where his destiny leads him.