BOOK CAPTURES LIFE OF WAR VETERAN
Book captures life of war veteran
A BOOK launch telling the story of the life of Patrick McCrystal entitled, 'The Long Road to Freedom', by Mary McCartan, takes place at the Living History Park at Gortin Glens, Omagh, on Thursday, August 25.
After book signings and refreshments at 7.30pm, the official launch will begin at 8pm, with the book being made available in local shops from Saturday, August 27. Author of the book, Mary McCartan, explained the premise of the book.
She said: "Most men returning from World War 2 never spoke about their experiences. Still in their youth, they simply closed the book on the past and started a new life. The young Irish fellas returning, especially to the North, were forced to bury their history even further down and completely deny it for their own safety
"Patrick McCrystal was one of those men who arrived home alive with a story of horror. But he locked that story inside for 53 years, before being forced to tell it. This is his story A first hand experience of a lifetime of war through the eyes of one peace-loving man, who has seen the devastation of some of the most gruesome attacks on civilian populations in the 20th Century."
Continuing, Ms McCartan explained how the book details how the death of Mr McCrystal's daughter, Geraldine Breslin, in the Omagh bomb atrocity in 1998, also impacted on the former soldier's life.
"Patrick found himself in Malta in 1940 trapped in the most bombed place in world history. After surviving the Siege of Malta he ended up in the frontline as the Germans slaughtered British Troops on Leros. As a POW., Patrick helped bury the tens of thousands of German civilians killed in Dresden by Allied attacks.
"Returning home to peaceful normality, war found him again in 1969. Raising a family through the Northern Ireland Troubles was difficult and Patrick suffered the loss of his daughter in the bombing of his hometown of Omagh in 1998.
"This is the survival story of a man who has seen the best and worst of human nature and truly understands the sacrifice of travelling the long road to freedom."
A BOOK launch telling the story of the life of Patrick McCrystal entitled, 'The Long Road to Freedom', by Mary McCartan, takes place at the Living History Park at Gortin Glens, Omagh, on Thursday, August 25.
After book signings and refreshments at 7.30pm, the official launch will begin at 8pm, with the book being made available in local shops from Saturday, August 27. Author of the book, Mary McCartan, explained the premise of the book.
She said: "Most men returning from World War 2 never spoke about their experiences. Still in their youth, they simply closed the book on the past and started a new life. The young Irish fellas returning, especially to the North, were forced to bury their history even further down and completely deny it for their own safety
"Patrick McCrystal was one of those men who arrived home alive with a story of horror. But he locked that story inside for 53 years, before being forced to tell it. This is his story A first hand experience of a lifetime of war through the eyes of one peace-loving man, who has seen the devastation of some of the most gruesome attacks on civilian populations in the 20th Century."
Continuing, Ms McCartan explained how the book details how the death of Mr McCrystal's daughter, Geraldine Breslin, in the Omagh bomb atrocity in 1998, also impacted on the former soldier's life.
"Patrick found himself in Malta in 1940 trapped in the most bombed place in world history. After surviving the Siege of Malta he ended up in the frontline as the Germans slaughtered British Troops on Leros. As a POW., Patrick helped bury the tens of thousands of German civilians killed in Dresden by Allied attacks.
"Returning home to peaceful normality, war found him again in 1969. Raising a family through the Northern Ireland Troubles was difficult and Patrick suffered the loss of his daughter in the bombing of his hometown of Omagh in 1998.
"This is the survival story of a man who has seen the best and worst of human nature and truly understands the sacrifice of travelling the long road to freedom."
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/2017
Published Date: 25-Aug-11
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