Thomas Cahill writes on the great catastrophe that became known as the Famine. The mass exodus of people during and following this period would forever change the course of Irish and American history. The potato blight that arrived in Europe in the summer of 1845 was, like the potato itself, an American export. The fungus that caused the blight was a microscopic organism … [Read more...] about Why Famine Came To Ireland
Thomas Cahill
Weekly Comment:Our Summer Reading List
By Irish America Staff
FICTION Every Breath You Take By Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke The latest thriller and newest undertaking in the Under Suspicion series by Mary Higgins Clark, co-authored with Alafair Burke, shows that the author’s talent for weaving an intense, fast-paced suspense story has not diminished in the slightest over the course of her career. The book finds protagonist … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment:Our Summer Reading List
The Last Word:
Who the Irish Really Are
The shocking news leapt across the airwaves and sped along the Internet – the Irish, by national vote, had declared gay marriage equal to the straight version. Gay marriage, something virtually unknown just a few years ago, had been approved as fully lawful and valid within the borders of the Irish Republic. Had been approved, not just by a majority of Irish voters, but by … [Read more...] about The Last Word:
Who the Irish Really Are
What Are You Like?:Thomas Cahill
Thomas Cahill is a bestselling author and scholar whose landmark book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, marked its 18th anniversary in 2013. The book, which spent two years on The New York Times bestseller list, tells the story of fifth-century Irish monks who copied, and thereby preserved, almost all of what has survived of Western classical poetry, history, oratory, and … [Read more...] about What Are You Like?:Thomas Cahill
Book Reviews
A Sampling of the Latest Irish Books. ℘℘℘ RECOMMENDED Acclaimed historian Edward T. O'Donnell goes from the Ice Age to Michael Phelan ("The Father of American Billiards") in his breezy history 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Irish American History. O'Donnell, professor of American History at Holy Cross College, covers topics ranging from Ireland Before 1850, Religion, … [Read more...] about Book Reviews