Excerpt: The Irish Ties That Bind by Michael J. Hopkins
- Archaeolibrarian
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Book details:
Book Title: The Irish Ties That Bind: A Shared One Hundred-Year Journey
Series: n/a
Author Name: Michael J. Hopkins
Publication Date: August 20th, 2026
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 356
Genre: Historical Fiction / Irish Historical Fiction
Any Triggers: systematic oppression, famine, religious and political conflict, racial and ethnic injustice, gender inequality, alcoholism, war and combat trauma
@mjhop.bsky.social @cathiedunn.bsky.social
@MJ3Hop @thecoffeepotbookclub
@mjhop44 @thecoffeepotbookclub
From the green hills of southern Ireland to the heartland of America, four families are united by faith, perseverance, and an enduring legacy that spans generations.
As famine and hardship drive Irish immigrants across the Atlantic in the mid-nineteenth century, the Power and Coughlin families plant new roots in the American Midwest. Their daughters answer a higher calling, joining the fledgling Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. Through the remarkable leadership of Sister Emily and Sister Samuel, these women help shape a religious community that will educate thousands and leave an indelible mark on the nation.
Their story intertwines with those of the Cullen and Hynes families, whose lives are transformed by the sisters’ influence. Seeking refuge from the unrest of postwar Chicago, they settle in Dixon, Illinois, where friendship, faith, and family bind them to another rising family—the Reagans. As Ronald Reagan grows from a small-town boy into a radio broadcaster, actor, and emerging public figure, the lives of ordinary and extraordinary Americans intersect in unexpected ways.
Set against the backdrop of immigration, the Great Depression, two world wars, and the dawn of the Cold War, The Irish Ties That Bind is a sweeping historical saga of courage, devotion, and the families whose quiet strength shaped generations. It is a powerful testament to the bonds of family, faith, and heritage that endure long after history's tides have turned.
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(Father Mazzuchelli and the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa)
“Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli was born on November 4, 1806, in Milan, Italy, into a family of merchants and bankers. He rejected the idea of a family legacy built on material wealth, choosing instead to pursue a life filled with spiritual richness derived from the Word of God via Jesus Christ. He committed himself to serving as a Dominican priest and a member of the Order of Preachers. . . . In 1846, Father Mazzuchelli founded a college for men in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin, located on eight hundred acres of land purchased from George Wallace Jones. In the following year, he established the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters on August 4, 1847. . . .
On Easter Sunday, April 8, 1860, Bridget Power’s two eldest daughters, Catherine and Anastasia, entered the novitiate period as “Sister Gertrude” and “Sister Veronica,” respectively, with the Dominican Sisters. On August 15, 1861, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary and Lady Day of Harvest for the Irish, Ellen Power, at age seventeen, became a novice and was given the name “Sister Mary Emily.” . . . [In 1867], Sister Mary Emily officially became the leader, assuming the title of Prioress or Mother General. Since Mother Emily was only twenty-three years old, potentially, she could provide several years of stewardship and stability for an organization that had recently lost the leadership of a few key people. . . . Still, no one could have anticipated the longevity and quality of Mother Emily’s tenureship as the North Star . . .
Ellen Theresa Coughlin’s exemplary record made her acceptance into the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation in September 1885 a simple formality. On August 15, 1886, she was received as a novice and given the name “Samuel.” After 1901, Sister Samuel’s role as a Dominican Sister substantially expanded . . . Following the death of Mother Emily [in 1909], Sister Samuel assumed the title of ‘Acting Mother General.’”
A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, Michael J. Hopkins earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Beloit College, subsequently obtaining a degree in history from Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. He furthered his academic pursuits by completing a Master of Arts in the Humanities at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Mr. Hopkins concluded a distinguished forty-year tenure in secondary education, having served as a social studies instructor at Darlington High School for thirty-nine years.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he dedicated many years to coaching basketball, baseball, and football at the same high school. His contributions to athletics were formally recognized in 2021 with his induction into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Following his retirement from education, he has transitioned into a career as an author. In 2025, he published his autobiographical memoir, Embracing A Competitive Life: Trials, Triumphs, and 150 Life Lessons in Six Decades of Competition, which chronicles his experiences as both an athlete and a coach.
Author Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MJ3Hop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjhop44/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-J.-Hopkins/author/B0H6P6XRN6
Tour hosted by: The Coffee Pot Book Club
Thank you so much for featuring my book today, September 8th, on your website as part of the book blog tour established by The Coffee Pot Book Club. Michael J. Hopkins