1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish-American History

by Edward T. O'Donnell

Virtually every chapter of American history has been shaped by the millions of immigrants who have arrived on these shores over the centuries. And none more so than the Irish. As historian Edward T. O’Donnell documents in 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History , Irish immigrants have played a central role in the defining the American character and identity. For more than four hundred years the Irish have fled British oppression, religious persecution, and during the famine years in the 1840s, mass starvation to begin a new life in America. Here, while enduring poverty and discrimination, the Irish released their long-suppressed talents as entrepreneurs, leaders, scholars, soldiers, builders, athletes, writers, and artists.

1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History is a comprehensive and vividly illustrated celebration of Irish enterprise, talent, and courage. Organized around such broad subjects as culture, politics, business, religion, and sports, it engagingly profiles the Irish American presidents and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and highlights the ten most important works of Irish American fiction, while offering many surprises. Alongside the exploits of Irish American soldiers like General Philip Sheridan, O’Donnell tells the incredible story of Jennie Hodgers, a Belfast-born woman who served in the Union Army disguised as a man. Elsewhere Bing Crosby shares the stage with Willis O’Brien, the brilliant pioneer of film animation and the man who brought Nat King Cole to life. Entrepreneur Henry Ford is featured with Rose O’Neill, inventor of the wildly popular Kewpie Doll. And throughout readers will find answers to questions like who was the Murphy who dreamed up “Murphy’s Law?”; why is a do-over shot in golf called a “mulligan?”; what exactly does it mean to “scream like a banshee?”; and did Mrs. O’Leary’s cow really start the Great Chicago Fire of 1871?

Written with the understanding that so much of the Irish experience in America is inseparable from the history of the Emerald Isle, 1001 Things also devotes substantial coverage to the history of Ireland.

These ingredients combine to demonstrate how the Irish have shaped America–and make 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History the ideal book for Irish Americans eager to discover more about their rich heritage.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ireland, History

368 pages, Paperback

First published February 26, 2002

About the author

Edward T. O’Donnell is an Associate Professor of History at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Holy Cross College and his Ph.D. in American History from Columbia University.

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well organized and with a well-balanced cache of information. Highly recommended for Irish Americans looking to start getting more in touch with their culture!

[Barbara Clifford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall good book some sections dragged but kept my interest.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend sent me a fact I had never heard about Irish History, so I wanted to do some research. This book was fascinating, but didn't touch on the subject I am looking for --so I will be reading lots more books here to try to discover this bit of history.

It's interesting to learn how the Irish and English became such enemies. There was no specific incident, but the first I read of any animosity began when Edward the Bruce (d. 1318) brother of Robert the Bruce, king of Scotland invaded Ulster in 1315. He tried to expel Anglo-Saxons from Ireland, and establish a Scotch-Irish independent state. After his death, the English were shocked at how the Anglo-Saxon's there began to be assimilated into the Irish culture there instead of visa versa.

To halt this problem, Britain passed the Statutes of Kilkenny in 1318 which severely hindered any expansion of the Irish culture there. The statutes forbade intermarriage. Anglos weren't allowed to speak Irish, wear Irish clothing, ride on Irish saddles, employ Irish minstrels or poets. They drew a mark on the map ( the Pale of Settlement) that became a boundary between Irish enemies and obedient Irish.

The statutes didn't work. Later (1395) King Richard II tried to push his Lordship over the Irish. Even though he was able to get the kings to pay homage, it was really 3 Irish Earl Families that had power over the people. In 1466 Ireland decreed that it was in independent country from Britain. Since Britain was embroiled in the War of the ROSES at the time, it couldn't fight it until the war ended in 1495.

[Susan Emmet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked O'Donnell's way of organizing by short passages the history of Irish immigration and history and life in America.
Beginning with Ireland before 1850, he tracks the Irish waves of immigration to America and beyond and then follows with sections on politics/law, nationalism, religion, the military, culture, science and medicine, business/innovation and sports.
So many lives and stories are "snippeted" and often interwoven. The crooks and idealists, the movers and shakers in Ireland and America, are touched and revealed. I was struck again by the breadth and depth of Irish influence in so many areas, as well as amazed by immigrants' touch, feel, hard work, devotion to family/church/tradition, and raw outlaw-ness.
America is a land of such diversity and in this time of - yet again - raw conflict over values and programs, I applaud O'Donnell's attempt to highlight the Irish in this country.

[Peggy]

I really enjoyed the book, it is full of fascinating facts about Ireland and some of the people that emigrated to the United States. Anyone who is interested in learning more about Ireland and it's people would enjoy reading this book.