“Irish Americans is a really fascinating look at, well, Irish Americans, who are much maligned in the United States. Like many readers, I always assumed that the Irish came en mass to the US due to the Great Famine. Dolan corrects that, going into some detail about earlier Irish immigration, particularly Ulster protestants (aka Scotch-Irish) who emigrated long before the Famine ever occurred.
Dolan then looks at the link between the immigrants, their Irish patriotism, and the intense link between the struggles for a free Ireland. There is a tremendous amount of focus on both this, and religion, particularly Catholicism (Dolan's specialty) and how both helped the Irish as they adjusted to life in the New World and the horrible prejudices they endured in Protestant America.
The book is extremely well-written and fascinating, filled with interesting historical people who really bring the book to life. If you're looking for a book that will give you a good history of the Irish in America, this is the book for you.”
missed wrote this review Friday, December 12 2008.
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