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.
The Irish Ties That Bind
(Life in Dixon for the Reagan and Hynes Families in the 1920s and 1930s)
“In December 1920, Jack and Nelle Reagan relocated their family from Tampico to Dixon, Illinois, where they settled into a rental home at 810 South Hennepin Avenue. Meanwhile, David and Fiona Hynes had already been part of the Dixon community for over a year, having moved from Hyde Park in Chicago to their residence at 212 West Tenth Street. Although the two families lived only two blocks apart in the middle-class neighborhood, they led separate lives until Nelle Reagan took her sons, Neil and Ronald, to the Dixon Public Library within their first two weeks in the town. Fiona Hynes, a librarian with a degree in library science . . . was on duty. . . . Fiona Hynes and Nelle Reagan fostered a mutual respect and admiration for one another.
Jack Reagan surely found a speakeasy . . . in or around Dixon during one evening not long after Ronald Reagan’s eleventh birthday on February 6, 1922. Ronald was expecting to come home to an empty house after playing basketball at the YMCA. He knew his mom was at one of her sewing jobs. As he neared his house in the moonlight, the passed-out figure of his father lying in the glistening snow near the steps of the front porch came into focus. Jack Reagan was ‘fluthered to the eyes’ or very drunk, sprawled out with his arms outstretched, flat on his back in the snow. This was the first time Ronald was personally confronted with his father’s drinking problem, as well as smelling the distinct sweet corn whiskey aroma . . .
Ronald Reagan looked up to and admired his older brother, although there was a time while living in Dixon that Neil began living within the shadow cast by his more popular younger brother. That shadow, at times, proved to be more encompassing for Neil than he first realized or would ever openly admit to while growing up in Dixon. Nelle Reagan privately maintained a motherly concern . . . in more than just one way.”
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.
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