The Bad Times: a graphic novel of Ireland's Great Hunger

Christine Kinealy, director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute, has been named one of the most influential Irish Americans by Irish America Magazine. Since completing her PhD at Trinity College in Ireland, Professor Kinealy has worked in educational and research institutes in Dublin, Belfast and Liverpool. Since 2007, she has been based in the United States. In 1997, Christine was asked to speak on the Great Hunger in the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the British Parliament. In the same year, she addressed an Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs in the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Christine has published extensively on modern Irish history, with a focus on the tragic period known as the Great Famine or An Gorta M—r (the Great Hunger). Her publications include the award winning This Great Calamity. The Irish Famine, 1845-52 (1994 and 2007) and Making Sense of History: Evidence in Ireland for the Young Historian (1995). Since 2011, Christine has volunteered to teach at the annual weekend Gael Scoil (Irish school) in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, working with young people aged 4 to 17.

John A. Walsh tells stories. Some are told with words; others with pictures. John's stories are told with both. John's passion for storytelling comes from being the youngest of five children, a lifetime of daydreams and from reading too many comic books. In order to tell stories, he has swept church floors, sold women s shoes, designed advertisements and even carried his own weight in fresh fruit. His graphic novel, GO HOME PADDY, about 19th-century Irish immigration to America, is being serialized online. John lives in Boston with his wife and daughter.