James McVeigh

James McVeigh is a trade union activist from Belfast. He was born just off the Falls Road, where the story of Stolen Faith begins. Upon leaving school, he started studying to be an engineer, but after the hunger strikes and the death of Bobby Sand, he became involved in the conflict. He served sixteen years in prison before being released as part of the Good Friday Agreement. While in prison, James studied for a history degree, and when released, he went to Queens University and achieved a Masters in Human Rights. He has written two history books, Executed and Goodbye Dearest Heart, and this is his first novel.

As a young child, James stayed in Tuam as part of a church-organised break from the civil conflict in Belfast. When he returned decades later, he stumbled across the Tuam shrine and began to learn the tragic story of the mother and baby home and its secret burial chamber, a septic tank. This book is a tribute to all the women and children who died in or survived these terrible institutions.