During Ireland's potato famine, Fergus and his family leave for America. He cuts a branch of blackthorn tree so he can take a piece of Ireland with him and whittles it into a shillelagh. Each St. Patrick's Day, Fergus tells the story of how he came to America, and of the shillelagh that brought him. Many years later, Fergus's granddaughter Kayleigh is given the shillelagh, making her the keeper of the family story. Full-color illustrations.