TY - BOOK AU - Lynch,John TI - The convict and the soldier SN - 9781877059957 U1 - A823.4 23 PY - 2016/// CY - Glen Waverley, Victoria. PB - Sid Harta Publishers Pty Ltd KW - Convicts KW - Fiction KW - Soldiers KW - Historical fiction KW - lcgft KW - Australian fiction N2 - HISTORICAL FICTION. AUSTRALIAN. The story is set in the 1850s and begins in County Clare, Ireland. A young Irishman Michael Keogh, a shipwright, returns home to assist Edmund, father in his small farm. Simultaneously, a wealthy British Army Officer, John Hall, arrives at a posting in the town ofKilrush, County Clare. Both eventually travel to Australia in the eventful 1850s, together with an erratic and devious Colonel Paul Lang. The picturesque Clare country side becomes the backdrop to the dramatic death of a vicious Constable and brings Michael to the attention of the authorities. During this time Michael helps an Irish rebel, Brendan Devlin, to escape to America. Later Brendan would repay this favour to Michael. A concurrent story also occurs in Clare. During an eviction of a poor farmer, Michael is arrested charged and sentenced to seven years transportation to Van Diemen's Land ER -