This is the story of two dreamers — a visionary Irishman who dreams of recreating an historic 19th century ship and sailing her to America, and the author, an octogenarian American who becomes obsessed with the Irishman's dream and surmounts the age barrier to become a signed-on crew member. Building the ship is plagued by every imaginable problem — cost overruns, tangled ownership, legal and financial squabbles — and three years go by before she is ready to sail. The faith of many is strained, but the ship finally triumphs over her troubles and completes a memorable transatlantic voyage. The book includes background on the famine years, a blow-by-blow account of the Jeanie Johnston's stormy birth, authoritative descriptions of the ship and a colorful day-by-day diary of the 59-day voyage. It is illustrated with 43 photographs of the ship's construction and the voyage.