The American Irish
A Political and Social Portrait
University of Massachusetts Press
An acknowledged classic, this work is a well-researched and entertaining history of the Irish in the United States. The author's goal in writing the book was to explore those areas in which the Irish have made a significant contribution to American culture, including politics, religion, literature, drama, and such specialized activities as prizefighting and law enforcement. The text is highlighted by twenty-one photographs.
A magnificent book in every respect--the perfect St. Patrick's Day gift, at least for those Irish-Americans who still have enough sense of humor to disagree agreeably.'—Commonweal
'I know of no book about the Irish in America that tells this story as sympathetically and as honestly. . . . A valuable quality of the book is its feeling for the way in which the Irish see themselves.'—New York Times Book Review
'Shannon writes extremely well. . . . The finest thing in the book is a long, detailed, beautifully poised comparison between the political and social situation of the Irish in New York and Boston.'—New York Review of Books
'Because of Bill Shannon we have a richer understanding not only of Irish wit, but of the many other dimensions of Ireland's hold on the United States.'—Senator Edward M. Kennedy
The late William V. Shannon was a member of the New York Times editorial board and United States ambassador to Ireland from 1977 to 1981. At the time of his death he was University Professor of History and Journalism at Boston University.
