These characters speak from the heart - the pain and excitement of leaving, the struggle to find work and raise a family and always the longing for home that never goes away. A Cork man drawn into the gangs of 19th century Manchester finds an unlikely escape from his criminal life. A navvy, 'Sure, didn't we build England for them,' is moved by tragedy to make something of himself. A young woman arrives in England expecting the excitement she's read about in magazines, but her matchmaker cousin has other ideas ...Those who crossed the sea carried not only their dreams of a better life, but the strength and good humour to adapt and survive. These fifteen stories portray with precision and honesty the experience of Irish immigrants-focusing on moments of passion, stark reality, and that eternal conflict between where they belong and where they live.