The Irish Americans

A History

By Jay P. Dolan

A history of the Irish in America from the 18^th century to the present by one of the nation's most eminent scholars of the immigrant experience.

Jay Dolan of Notre Dame University is one of America's most acclaimed scholars of immigration and ethnic history. In THE IRISH AMERICANS, he caps his decades of writing and teaching with this magisterial history of the Irish experience in the United States. Although more than 30 million Americans claim Irish ancestry, no other general account of Irish American history has been published since the 1960s. Dolan draws on his own original research and much other recent scholarship to weave an insightful, colorful narrative. He follows the Irish from their first arrival in the American colonies through the bleak days of the potato famine that brought millions of starving immigrants; the trials of ethnic prejudice and "No Irish Need Apply;" the rise of Irish political power and the heyday of Tammany politics; to the election of John F. Kennedy as president, a moment of triumph when an Irish American ascended to the highest office in the land.

Dolan evokes the ghastly ships crowded with men and women fleeing the potato blight; the vibrant life of Catholic parishes in cities like New York and Chicago; the world of machine politics, where ward bosses often held court in the local saloon. Rich in colorful detail, balanced in judgment, and the most comprehensive work of its kind yet published, THE AMERICAN IRISH is a lasting achievement by a master historian that will become a must-have volume for any American with an interest in the Irish-American heritage.

Reviews for The Irish Americans

"No matter how many times it is told, the story of these immigrants is awe-inspiring! Jay P. Dolan tells this familiar story with the care and consideration befitting someone holding the title of professor emeritus of history at the University of Notre Dame -- as Irish-American an institution as New York St. Patrick's Day Parade. Mr. Dolan is nothing like the Irish storyteller (seanchaí) of old whose imagination, as Yeats wrote, is always "running off to Tír na nÓg," the earthly paradise of Celtic mythology. He is judicious and accurate, unemotional and lucid."—Peter Duffy, Wall Street Journal Read full review.

Read the excellent interview with the author Jay P. Dolan in the current issue of the The Irish Echo.

Praise for In Search of an American Catholicism:

"This absorbing inquiry answers the often troubling question of what it means to be both a Catholic and an American."—Booklist

"A brilliant study...This well-documented and lucidly written book is essential reading for all Americans interested in religion and politics. Wholeheartedly recommended."—Library Journal

Praise for The American Catholic Experience:

"This book cannot be "recommended.: It must be labeled "essential.""—Spirituality Today

Praise for The Immigrant Church:

"Fascinating reading for those interested in ethnicity, immigration, Catholicism, and religion. Indeed, it will make fascinating reading for anyone interested in understanding the heterogeneous but durable American republic."—Journal of American History

Buy Now

The Irish Americans

A History