The Irish Americans: A History - Softcover

“Dolan's book is scholarly and earnest, and will probably become the standard reference on the history of Irish America.” ―San Francisco Chronicle

“No matter how many times it is told, the story of these immigrants is awe-inspiring... Jay P. Dolan tells this familiar story with the care and consideration befitting someone holding the title of professor emeritus of history at the University of Notre Dame -- as Irish-American an institution as New York St. Patrick's Day Parade. Mr. Dolan is nothing like the Irish storyteller (seanchaí) of old whose imagination, as Yeats wrote, is always "running off to Tír na nÓg," the earthly paradise of Celtic mythology. He is judicious and accurate, unemotional and lucid.” ―Wall Street Journal

“Dolan doesn't whitewash history: he notes the ‘rogues' gallery of Irish politicians' and continuing pockets of Irish-American poverty. His writing is colorful and comprehensive with impeccable scholarship evident throughout.” ―Publishers Weekly

“This compact, well-written, and enjoyable survey of three centuries of Irish American history is a celebration of that experience....[An] excellent work of ethnic history.” ―Booklist

“An impressive synthesis of recent scholarship and his own lifelong research, Jay Dolan's The Irish Americans: A History is the ideal book for Americans of Irish descent who want to learn more about what being "Irish American" really means.” ―Kerby Miller, author of Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Irish Exodus to North America

“Jay Dolan has written a superb history of the Irish in this country, both scholarly and popular. Indeed on publication it became the best available story of the Irish in America. He covers the poverty of the immigrants, their loyalty to one another, their struggles to create a place for themselves in this country against intense hostility and deep-seated prejudice, and their ultimate success despite all their enemies. The book explains why so many Americans who have an option to choose their own ethnic identity decide that they want to be Irish.” ―Andrew M. Greeley

“Jay Dolan here distills the ripe fruit of a lifetime's learning in a fast-paced, wide-ranging narrative that provides an illuminating account for the general reader of one of the most remarkable immigrant experiences in all of American history.” ―Professor John Joseph Lee, co-editor of Making the Irish American: History and Heritage of the Irish in the United States

“Whether you know a lot or a little about the Irish in America, Jay Dolan's The Irish Americans: A History will engage and enlighten. A foremost chronicler of American Catholicism, Dolan has produced a concise and incisive account of an immigrant group whose impact has been profound. This lively and clearly written contribution to a full understanding of how the Irish have changed America (and vice versa) deserves the widest possible audience.” ―Peter Quinn, author of Looking for Jimmy: A Search for Irish America

“Jay Dolan has achieved a remarkable feat: He has told the sweeping story of the Irish in America with a great appreciation for its complexity, its tragedies, and its triumphs. The Irish have transformed the United States, and have been transformed themselves into something we call Irish-America. Dolan explains how that process worked and why the story of Irish-America remains relevant at a time when we continue to argue about immigration and assimilation.” ―Terry Golway, author of The Irish in America