Episode 1

Thomas McNulty recounts how he, having fled Ireland when orphaned during the Great Famine, made his way across America as part of the U.S. Cavalry.

With his long-time friend and companion John Cole, Thomas witnesses the birth of America - from the atrocities committed against the Native Americans to the horrors of the Civil War - and, ultimately, finds his own family and identity.

Written by Irish author and Man Booker Prize finalist, Sebastian Barry.

Read by Stanley Townsend.

Omnibus of the first five of ten parts abridged by Neville Teller.

Producer Gemma McMullan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2016.