A wistful eye

the long version

It is 1910 and fifty-six year old William Henry Kelly, a caulker at Belfast's Queen's Island shipyard, is engaged in building the White Star liner Titanic, when Belle, his beloved wife of 30 years, is brutally murdered. Based on the true story of the author's great grandfather, this is an account of life in Belfast's shipyards and working class districts during the turbulent first quarter of the 20th century. Set against the background of the construction and demise of Belfast's iconic but ill-fated super liner, and the effects of the First World War on industrial and community relations in Belfast, it tells the story of an ordinary but intelligent working man's battle with social injustice and with the demons within himself. This tale of a hard-working man, whose personal tragedy is eclipsed by by that of the doomed ship and her fifteen hundred lost souls, is told with humour, pathos and an affection for the characters.