Stolen Faith

Belfast, 1944: American soldier James McCann meets the beautiful and impetuous Rose Rafferty. They fall in love, but their romance is forbidden – and war separates them.

Boston, present day: James's children are celebrating his life when they find a wartime letter that changes everything. They have a half-sister, born in an Irish mother and baby home, stolen by the nuns and exported to the US.

Their search for justice will cross oceans and generations. It will uncover secrets and lies, revealing the abuse of the most innocent in society by the most powerful. It will pit them against Church and State and shine a light into the darkest corners of Irish history.



Born in Belfast in 1964, James McVeigh studied to be an engineer for a year but, after the Hunger Strikes and the death of Bobby Sands, joined the IRA and became involved in the conflict.

While in prison, he studied with the Open University and achieved an Honours Degree in History. Upon release he went on to attend Queens University and achieved his Masters Degree in Human Rights. He joined Sinn Féin and became the head of the party in Belfast, and served as a counsillor for 8 years. Stolen Faith is his first novel.



a definite page-turner



a very readable account of the abuse of power and how it has affected so many. It uses true events effectively and would make a harrowing introduction to anyone unaware of Ireland’s appalling treatment of unmarried mothers and their babies in the not too distant past