The Auld Sod

Book excerpt: When thousands of Irish sailed to America to escape The Great Famine of the 1850s, most treasured among their belongings were memories of Eire . . . the auld sod, they called it. And, when the hallowed turf of The Old Course at St. Andrews is described in the parlance of Scots, it is revered as the auld sod. Echoes of these proud Gaelic voices come to life in the adventures of The Auld Sod. Set in the British Isles of the 1920s, a good-natured Scot, a headstrong Irishman, and a disagreeable Brit collide in a rollicking tale of treachery and intrigue. Innocent lives are shattered by crimes of passion, but beneath the anguish of loves lost and friendships betrayed is a study in reconciliation. Men shaped by centuries of hatred, face an age-old dilemma . . . continue the barbarity of their ancestors, or embrace the more principled behavior found in their beloved game of golf. Midst a rich tapestry of linksland, our characters advance the notion of golf as more than mere sport, but rather, the moral high ground. Within a cauldron of ethnicity and religion unique to Ireland, we find hope for an end to ancient conflicts. And, in full view of the frailties that make us human, The Auld Sod celebrates the qualities we hold most dear . . . love, honor, and the will to press on.