What do you think?
Rate this book
The Irish in the South, 1815-1877
The only comprehensive study of Irish immigrants in the nineteenth-century South, this book makes a valuable contribution to the story of the Irish in America and to our understanding of southern culture.
The Irish who migrated to the Old South struggled to make a new home in a land where they were viewed as foreigners and were set apart by language, high rates of illiteracy, and their own self-identification as temporary exiles from famine and British misrule. They countered this isolation by creating vibrant, tightly knit ethnic communities in the cities and towns across the South where they found work, usually menial jobs. Finding strength in their communities, Irish immigrants developed the confidence to raise their voices in the public arena, forcing native southerners to recognize and accept them--first politically, then socially.
The Irish integrated into southern society without abandoning their ethnic identity. They displayed their loyalty by fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War and in particular by opposing the Radical Reconstruction that followed. By 1877, they were a unique part of the "Solid South." Unlike the Irish in other parts of the United States, the Irish in the South had to fit into a regional culture as well as American culture in general. By following their attempts to become southerners, we learn much about the unique experience of ethnicity in the American South.
The Irish who migrated to the Old South struggled to make a new home in a land where they were viewed as foreigners and were set apart by language, high rates of illiteracy, and their own self-identification as temporary exiles from famine and British misrule. They countered this isolation by creating vibrant, tightly knit ethnic communities in the cities and towns across the South where they found work, usually menial jobs. Finding strength in their communities, Irish immigrants developed the confidence to raise their voices in the public arena, forcing native southerners to recognize and accept them--first politically, then socially.
The Irish integrated into southern society without abandoning their ethnic identity. They displayed their loyalty by fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War and in particular by opposing the Radical Reconstruction that followed. By 1877, they were a unique part of the "Solid South." Unlike the Irish in other parts of the United States, the Irish in the South had to fit into a regional culture as well as American culture in general. By following their attempts to become southerners, we learn much about the unique experience of ethnicity in the American South.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2001
6 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 27, 2021
some good research and important arguments but can we please stop referring to Confederate war actions as "acts of valor"??????
March 6, 2021
America is said to be a melting pot. “The Irish in the South 1815-1877” is the story of one ingredient in that pot. We often think of the Irish as northern immigrants but, this work demonstrates that a smaller number of Irish integrated themselves into Southern society.
The chapters describe the Irish milieu from which their subjects emigrated, place the Southern Irish into the Diaspora, explains their occupations, faiths, politics and roles in the Civil War and attitudes toward slavery and freedmen. The topical organization results in some chronological dissonance but not so great as to interfere with the cohesion of the saga. The similarities and distinctions between predominantly Protestant Scotch-Irish and later, generally Catholic Irish immigrants are examined.
I am an Irish-American, although my lines inhabited northern states, so I have an interest in Irish and Irish-American history. I found that author David T. Gleeson has skillfully intertwined events and personalities in Ireland with those in the American South. He explains the role of Irish in the building of the South and how they affected, and were affected by its politics. The concentration of Irish in Southern cities mirrors their concentration in the North. Like any good book, its focus on one segment of society sheds light on many other segments. This book illustrates differing views on race between Irish in the South and those in Ireland. Readers will gain an understanding of the societal and political roles of the Know-Nothing movement that are often overlooked in other histories. This tome demonstrates that, as they were integrated into Southern society, Irish adopted its culture while maintaining their own ethnic and religious identity.
I greatly enjoyed this book both for what it taught me about Southern Irish and how it intersected with what I knew about Irish in Ireland and in the northern states, including somethings that were handed down in family lore. It encourages me to read more about people mentioned on its pages. That alone is enough to earn it five stars.
The chapters describe the Irish milieu from which their subjects emigrated, place the Southern Irish into the Diaspora, explains their occupations, faiths, politics and roles in the Civil War and attitudes toward slavery and freedmen. The topical organization results in some chronological dissonance but not so great as to interfere with the cohesion of the saga. The similarities and distinctions between predominantly Protestant Scotch-Irish and later, generally Catholic Irish immigrants are examined.
I am an Irish-American, although my lines inhabited northern states, so I have an interest in Irish and Irish-American history. I found that author David T. Gleeson has skillfully intertwined events and personalities in Ireland with those in the American South. He explains the role of Irish in the building of the South and how they affected, and were affected by its politics. The concentration of Irish in Southern cities mirrors their concentration in the North. Like any good book, its focus on one segment of society sheds light on many other segments. This book illustrates differing views on race between Irish in the South and those in Ireland. Readers will gain an understanding of the societal and political roles of the Know-Nothing movement that are often overlooked in other histories. This tome demonstrates that, as they were integrated into Southern society, Irish adopted its culture while maintaining their own ethnic and religious identity.
I greatly enjoyed this book both for what it taught me about Southern Irish and how it intersected with what I knew about Irish in Ireland and in the northern states, including somethings that were handed down in family lore. It encourages me to read more about people mentioned on its pages. That alone is enough to earn it five stars.
April 16, 2018
Some more pre-Atlanta reading. A bit heavy at times, very much a historical work. I found it interesting and definitely useful to know a bit more of the background of the Irish in the American South.
June 2, 2008
The story of the other 10%. Yellow fever in New Orleans. Dumped on the beach in Corpus. Buying slaves in Charleston. It all looks different down here.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews