The Columbia Guide to Irish American History

Once seen as threats to mainstream society, Irish Americans have become an integral part of the American story. More than 40 million Americans claim Irish descent, and the culture and traditions of Ireland and Irish Americans have left an indelible mark on U.S. society. Timothy J. Meagher fuses an overview of Irish American history with an analysis of historians' debates, an annotated bibliography, a chronology of critical events, and a glossary discussing crucial individuals, organizations, and dates. He addresses a range of key issues in Irish American history from the first Irish settlements in the seventeenth century through the famine years in the nineteenth century to the volatility of 1960s America and beyond. The result is a definitive guide to understanding the complexities and paradoxes that have defined the Irish American experience.

Throughout the work, Meagher invokes comparisons to Irish experiences in Canada, Britain, and Australia to challenge common perceptions of Irish American history. He examines the shifting patterns of Irish migration, discusses the role of the Catholic church in the Irish immigrant experience, and considers the Irish American influence in U.S. politics and modern urban popular culture.

Meagher pays special attention to Irish American families and the roles of men and women, the emergence of the Irish as a "governing class" in American politics, the paradox of their combination of fervent American patriotism and passionate Irish nationalism, and their complex and sometimes tragic relations with African and Asian Americans.

Timothy J. Meagher is associate professor of history and curator of the American Catholic History Collections at Catholic University. He is the author of several works, including The New York Irish (with Ronald Bayor) and Inventing Irish America: Generation, Class, and Ethnic Identity in a New England City, 1880 to 1928, winners of the James Donnelly prize for the Best Book in Irish American history.

Bill Mulligan:
A remarkable accomplishment, impressive in both the breadth and depth of its scholarship.

This book is indispensable for collections on Irish American history and politics... Essential.

Agnes H. Widder:
Very well done...an excellent starting point for readers new to the topic.

James A. Cox:
The Columbia Guide to Irish American History is a 'must have' for any student, professional or lay person.

For those interested in getting a broad overview of Irish American history, pop culture and sociology... an excellent read.

Jay P. Dolan:
Anyone interested in the history of Irish America will welcome this book.

If you want a heroic effort at encapsulating Irish American history, this is your book.