Complex sentence: Some 26 "Joan Butler" novels were published in the years prior to 1956--the year that Robert and the family left Ireland for some years-moving to Vancouver Island where Robert's brother had settled after the War.
Split into simpler sentences: Some 26 "Joan Butler" novels were published in the years prior to 1956--the year that Robert and the family left Ireland for some years. They moved to Vancouver Island where Robert's brother had settled after the War.