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Irish America: Coming Into Clover
Old-time politics, piety, and St. Patrick’s Day parades loom large when the Irish come to the American mind. None truly represents the complex legacy or contributions of the nation’s oldest ethnic group, who rank among the most highly educated and affluent Americans today.
In Irish America , Maureen Dezell takes a new and invigorating look at Americans of Irish Catholic ancestry—who they are, and how they got that way. A welcome antidote to so many standard-issue, sentimental representations of the Irish in the United States, Irish America focuses on popular culture as well as politics; the Irish in the Midwest and West as well as the East; the “new Irish” immigrants; the complicated role of the Church today; and the unheralded heritage of Irish American women. Deftly weaving history, reporting, and the observations of more than 100 men and women of Irish descent on both sides of the Atlantic, Dezell presents an insightful and highly readable portrait of a people and a culture.
In Irish America , Maureen Dezell takes a new and invigorating look at Americans of Irish Catholic ancestry—who they are, and how they got that way. A welcome antidote to so many standard-issue, sentimental representations of the Irish in the United States, Irish America focuses on popular culture as well as politics; the Irish in the Midwest and West as well as the East; the “new Irish” immigrants; the complicated role of the Church today; and the unheralded heritage of Irish American women. Deftly weaving history, reporting, and the observations of more than 100 men and women of Irish descent on both sides of the Atlantic, Dezell presents an insightful and highly readable portrait of a people and a culture.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 26, 2021
A little ethnocentric but I like to read books on this stuff from time to time (I am definitely one of those American Plastic Paddies and I don't even put much effort into it I am pretty lazy about my Irish pride and don't work it too much). Dezell wrote this in 2001 before 9/11. I mean you will learn a lot of the history and social experience of this subculture I am not sure anyone who isn't mostly Irish in ancestry is going to pick this up. It is okay. I think it was more impressive on first reading in 2001 but now it is just okay.
June 3, 2014
Reviewer's Note: I read this originally in 2008, again in 2011 when I finally wrote a review, and reread it yet again just now in 2014. Maybe it's because I've gotten older, but the book has lost some of its charm for me. Dropped my rating to 4 stars but my review still stands, I'd say the same thing now as I did then.
The first time I read Coming Into Clover, I distinctly remember the ending, specifically the way I bolted down the hall, shoved it in my mother's face, and exclaimed, "Read this! It'll feel familiar!" Good times.
My family doesn't identify as Irish American (or anything, really), but I'll be damned if Dezell didn't present a spot on description of every family gathering I've ever rolled my eyes through. From the lightning quick biting wit to the "that's a feeling and we don't talk about feelings" attitude to the Sunday mornings at Mass to the love-hate relationship with alcohol, I spent the pages laughing with recognition or occasionally squirming as she hit a little too close to home on some of the more uncomfortable aspects of the culture. Dezell pulls no punches and doesn't shy away from some of the nastier habits of the culture (the blind eye regarding alcoholism, the racism that marks a cultural history and always seems to pop up in that one family member you wish would just go away, the unfortunate habit certain people have of wearing green checked pants, etc), but she also presents the impressive aspects of a culture you might not even have realized you had, ticking off the positives in a way that can make a reader proud. Dezell presents a wide range of sources and view points, and she does so with a quick, engaging style that makes me suspect she can also claim the charm and "gift of blather" that she expounds within her own pages.
The first time I read Coming Into Clover, I distinctly remember the ending, specifically the way I bolted down the hall, shoved it in my mother's face, and exclaimed, "Read this! It'll feel familiar!" Good times.
My family doesn't identify as Irish American (or anything, really), but I'll be damned if Dezell didn't present a spot on description of every family gathering I've ever rolled my eyes through. From the lightning quick biting wit to the "that's a feeling and we don't talk about feelings" attitude to the Sunday mornings at Mass to the love-hate relationship with alcohol, I spent the pages laughing with recognition or occasionally squirming as she hit a little too close to home on some of the more uncomfortable aspects of the culture. Dezell pulls no punches and doesn't shy away from some of the nastier habits of the culture (the blind eye regarding alcoholism, the racism that marks a cultural history and always seems to pop up in that one family member you wish would just go away, the unfortunate habit certain people have of wearing green checked pants, etc), but she also presents the impressive aspects of a culture you might not even have realized you had, ticking off the positives in a way that can make a reader proud. Dezell presents a wide range of sources and view points, and she does so with a quick, engaging style that makes me suspect she can also claim the charm and "gift of blather" that she expounds within her own pages.
June 26, 2024
Informative, but not beautifully so. 200+ pages of facts & quotes, albeit well-arranged, with the occasional paragraph of connecting implications.
I’d still recommend to people of the Irish diaspora to understand the distance between us and Ireland AND to feel seen, as this quote of a readers reaction to Angela’s Ashes (McCourt) so aptly summarizes: « I always though my family was completely dysfunctional, now I know they’re just Irish. »
The author presented some interesting information regarding alcohol use along Irish and Irish Americans along with the ways we handle these things.
She also highlighted the diversion between the two cultures & ideals of Irishness from both sides of the pond, pointing out that many (especially white) Americans struggle with symbolic ethnicity, only associating with their heritage when it seems convenient. But now that two decades have gone by since publication, I think it’s clearer that we’re trying to understand why we are the way we are when great grandpa couldn’t talk about things like coffin ships and the melting pot doesn’t have the answers. Irish Americans have the added challenge that they might look like Anglo-Saxons but think and act VERY differently, especially if they didn’t have upper class parents.
A couple other favorite quotes:
"Somebody once said to me, 'Boy, you really know how to work a room, and I was insulted,” said Mary Pat O'Connor, a special events planner in Chicago, who saw the comment as a put-down, a suggestion she was behaving like an insincere politician. "But he was complimenting me!
Knowing how to work a room is something the Irish take for granted, but it's a gift. And what about that incredible sense of humor and that awesome ability to laugh at yourself? It's magic. There's nothing like it. Also that sense of purpose and loving people. Some of that has to be a gene thing. And we don't think it's anything special, because they're ours."
« The most deeply rooted cultural traditions are those that people don't think to discuss. Growing up in an Irish family, "taking care of other people is just part of what we always did," »
« Giving away significant sums of money seems to be one of those things the Irish just do and don't like to talk about…. "A lot of Irish give to give, not to take a bow," he said. "In other cultures, it's more important to put your name on the front door." »
« …she seems a study in contradictions.
The late historian Dennis Clark observed, "Almost anything you can say about [Irish Americans] is both true and false." »
I’d still recommend to people of the Irish diaspora to understand the distance between us and Ireland AND to feel seen, as this quote of a readers reaction to Angela’s Ashes (McCourt) so aptly summarizes: « I always though my family was completely dysfunctional, now I know they’re just Irish. »
The author presented some interesting information regarding alcohol use along Irish and Irish Americans along with the ways we handle these things.
She also highlighted the diversion between the two cultures & ideals of Irishness from both sides of the pond, pointing out that many (especially white) Americans struggle with symbolic ethnicity, only associating with their heritage when it seems convenient. But now that two decades have gone by since publication, I think it’s clearer that we’re trying to understand why we are the way we are when great grandpa couldn’t talk about things like coffin ships and the melting pot doesn’t have the answers. Irish Americans have the added challenge that they might look like Anglo-Saxons but think and act VERY differently, especially if they didn’t have upper class parents.
A couple other favorite quotes:
"Somebody once said to me, 'Boy, you really know how to work a room, and I was insulted,” said Mary Pat O'Connor, a special events planner in Chicago, who saw the comment as a put-down, a suggestion she was behaving like an insincere politician. "But he was complimenting me!
Knowing how to work a room is something the Irish take for granted, but it's a gift. And what about that incredible sense of humor and that awesome ability to laugh at yourself? It's magic. There's nothing like it. Also that sense of purpose and loving people. Some of that has to be a gene thing. And we don't think it's anything special, because they're ours."
« The most deeply rooted cultural traditions are those that people don't think to discuss. Growing up in an Irish family, "taking care of other people is just part of what we always did," »
« Giving away significant sums of money seems to be one of those things the Irish just do and don't like to talk about…. "A lot of Irish give to give, not to take a bow," he said. "In other cultures, it's more important to put your name on the front door." »
« …she seems a study in contradictions.
The late historian Dennis Clark observed, "Almost anything you can say about [Irish Americans] is both true and false." »
November 18, 2025
If the narrative that ‘all descendants of Irish immigrants in America care about is drinking beer and fighting’ annoys you, pick up this book.
June 3, 2009
A fascinating look at the past and present of people with Irish Catholic ancestry in the United States. While Irish-Americans are often stereotypically associated with alcohol, St. Patrick’s Day, and the color green, Dezell paints a more complex picture of this ethnic group that includes its flaws and also highlights the fact that Irish Americans rank among some of the most affluent and educated people in the U.S. She discusses their contributions and strengths as well as their weaknesses and failures, focusing on history, religion, immigration, politics, pop culture, and more, while attempting to touch upon the experiences of Irish Americans all over the country. This slim volume will be of great interest to all Irish Americans and anyone who knows them :)
March 8, 2010
So let me get this straight. Some Irish people drink but not all do? Irish people have contributed to the advancement of American society since their arrival? The raucous St. Patrick's Day parades don't represent the epitome of Irish America culture? Knowing nothing really about Irish Americans, I could have figured this out without reading the 100 pages of Dezell I forced my way through. This book is an unorganized assemblage of factoids with no apparent thread or purpose other than for the author's son to have an appreciation of his Irish heritage. I think Irish America deserves so much better.
October 28, 2007
I now can say I understand my family! This answers so many questions about my upbringing and why I see the world the way I do. If you are Irish American, especially from Boston you need to read this!
April 21, 2008
Surprises about Irish Catholics in America include being second richest white ethnic group and second most liberal not suprising incites we tend to drink a lot.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews