Name: Pittsburgh Irish
Brand: Gerard F. O'Neil
SKU: 9781626198296
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Gerard F. O'Neil

Pittsburgh Irish

9781626198296

$21.99

Presbyterians from the Irish province of Ulster were among the first to push the wild frontier west and found the city of Pittsburgh. By the 1840s, the flow of Irish Catholic immigrants had become a flood. Fleeing the great hunger and facing resentment in the city, they established themselves as key members of the community, building railroads and canals and establishing schools, hospitals and fraternal orders. During the Civil War, 156 women, many of them Irish, made the ultimate sacrifice for their new country when the Allegheny Arsenal exploded. The Fenians fought Southern Rebels under a green flag and made a little-known invasion of Canada in 1866. In the twentieth century, the sons and daughters of Erin took on roles as political leaders, labor agitators and entrepreneurs. Exploring tales of saints, sinners and visionaries, author Gerard F. O'Neil offers a beguiling and fascinating history of the Pittsburgh Irish.

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Timothy Walch

Irish Iowa

9781467139700

$21.99

Iowa offered freedom and prosperity to the Irish fleeing famine and poverty. They became the second-largest immigrant group to come to the state, and they acquired influence well beyond their numbers. The first hospitals, schools and asylums in the area were established by Irish nuns. Irish laborers laid the tracks and ran the trains that transported crops to market. Kate Shelley became a national heroine when she saved a passenger train from plunging off a bridge. The Sullivan family became the symbol of sacrifice when they lost their five sons in World War II. Author Timothy Walch details these stories and more on the history and influence of the Irish in the Heartland.

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Elizabeth Deirdre Rice

Irish Immigrants in Michigan

9781467146319

$23.99

To leave or stay was the question for the Irish in the nineteenth century. In Ireland, people suffered persecution, poverty and famine. America offered freedom and opportunity. For those who left and came to Michigan, the land’s abundant natural resources encouraged them to become loggers, miners, fishermen, traders and farmers. Others became rail workers, merchants, lawyers, soldiers, doctors and teachers. Governor Frank Murphy advocated for civil rights. Sister Agnes Gonzaga Ryan administered schools and hospitals. Charlie O’Malley provided generously to suffering Irish people. Lighthouse keeper James Donohue never let physical disability deter him. Prospector Richard Langford discovered iron ore and then left others to mine its wealth. Authors Pat Commins and Elizabeth Rice share one story from each Michigan county about Irish immigrants or their descendants.

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Janet Maher

Waterbury Irish

9781626197350

$21.99

The hard work of nineteenth-century Irish immigrants in Waterbury helped place the city on the map as the Brass Capital of the World.

In the early years of immigration, the Irish still had a hard road before them, filled with prejudice and social exclusion. Irish Catholics would hold Mass in secret, but eventually beautiful churches were built, attracting the most revered clergy in Connecticut. Soon Irish and Irish Americans established themselves as city leaders and professionals in the community. Dr. Charles A. Monagan was a founding member of St. Mary's Hospital, while his son John later became mayor. Some achieved fame through their excellence in sports, such as Roger Connor, whose long-standing record for career home runs was unbeatable until finally broken by the one and only Babe Ruth. Detailed research and oral histories from living descendants bring to light the remarkable Waterbury Irish legacy.

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Matthew Jude Barker

The Irish of Portland, Maine

9781626190566

$21.99

The Irish have influenced the city of Portland since it was first established in the seventeenth century. Today's vibrant Catholic community owes its origins to Irish immigrants in Portland's earliest days, when beloved leaders like Father Ffrench provided solace to souls far from home. The church helped them adapt and adapted along with them, affecting the city in many ways. Portland's Irish faced discrimination, especially in the years before the Civil War, when anti-Irish sentiment surged and burnings and violence erupted, like the June 1855 Rum Riot. Despite this, many Portland Irish took up arms for the United States in the Civil War, and their participation in this conflict helped them become assimilated. Join local expert Matthew Jude Barker as he explores the triumphs and challenges of the Irish of Portland before the twentieth century..

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David D. McKean

Lowell Irish

9781467117845

$21.99

Irish immigrants streamed into the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts, at the start of the Industrial Revolution, fleeing poverty and later the Great Hunger. Irish families established a neighborhood called the Acre, and some rose to roles as successful business owners who shaped the history of their new home. Hugh Cummiskey emigrated from Northern Ireland to become a powerful work gang leader and businessman who in turn hired newly arrived immigrants. The first recorded celebrations of St. Patrick's Day began in 1833, as new residents celebrated their Irish roots and American future with traditional music and parades. Today, the community still honors its Irish history. From tales of politicians and entrepreneurs to the everyday struggles of the average immigrant, author David McKean traces the history of the pioneer members who established Lowell as an industrial powerhouse.

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Arthur Mitchell

South Carolina Irish

9781609491871

$21.99

Since the colonization of South Carolina in 1670, Irish people have been instrumental in shaping the state's history. These humble Irish immigrants, overcoming a legacy of prejudice, soon became the heroes of Palmetto culture. The Palmetto State has a truly lucky past--Sullivan's Island is named after the Revolutionary War hero Captain Florence O'Sullivan, and two Irishmen signed the Declaration of Independence on behalf of South Carolina. Arthur Mitchell, distinguished professor and Irish historian, recounts the trials and triumphs of the Irish and their kin in South Carolina.