Download or read book An Irish American Odyssey written by Colum Kenny and published by University of Missouri Press. This book was released on 2014-08-22 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The O’Shaughnessy brothers’ story takes place between 1860 and 1950 in Illinois, Missouri, New York, and Ireland. They were the children of an impoverished immigrant who fled the famine in Ireland and his Irish-American wife.An Irish-American Odysseyis the tale of this first-generation immigrant family’s struggle to assimilate into American society, highlighting their perseverance and determination to seize opportunities and surmount obstacles, all the while establishing a legacy for their own descendants in American art, advertising, journalism, and public service. TIME magazine called James O’Shaughnessy “the best in the business” of advertising, and he became the first chief executive of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Earlier, he was a “star” reporter at the Chicago Tribune, and James and Francis were centrally involved in founding and maintaining the Irish Fellowship Club. Francis was also the first graduate of the University of Notre Dame to be invited to deliver its annual commencement address, while Martin was the first captain of Notre Dame’s official basketball team. An attorney, John represented the alleged victim in a notorious “white slavery” case. Thomas (“Gus”) became the leading Gaelic Revival artist in America as well as a promoter of Italian-American heritage, campaigning successfully to have Columbus Day enacted a public holiday. The remarkable rise of the O’Shaughnessy brothers proves the American dream is attainable.

Download or read book Journey an Irish American Odyssey written by Michael B. Melanson and published by . This book was released on 2016-05-26 with total page 646 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A narrative nonfiction exploring Irish history, customs, and traditions as told through the lives of ordinary people who lived through extraordinary times.

Download or read book Anne Devlin Hamill written by Anne Devlin Hamill and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Green Suede Shoes written by Larry Kirwan and published by Da Capo Press, Incorporated. This book was released on 2005-02-24 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This rock 'n' roll Angela's Ashes begins in County Wexford, Ireland, in the late 1950s, a now unrecognizable, priest-fearing backwater suffocating in superstition and strangled by sexual fevers. After an escape to the Bronx, Larry finds himself, like a musical Zelig, side by side with the Ramones and Blondie at CBGBs; the brothers McCourt, Lester Bangs, and Nick Tosches at The Bells of Hell; the Guinness soaked regulars of Paddy Reilly's; Cyndi Lauper while she ascends and burns; Joe Strummer, Rick Ocasek, Neil Young, and Shane McGowan. The shootings at the Academy and the tragic death of soundman Johnny Byrne punctuate the revels and excesses and presage the gloom cast by 9/11 and the loss of Father Mychal Judge and so many friends. Green Suede Shoes remembers three decades of a lost New York, and celebrates the music and song in which it now lives.

Download or read book American Odyssey written by Robert E. Conot and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 808 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Green Suede Shoes written by Larry Kirwan and published by Brandon/Mount Eagle. This book was released on 2005 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This memoir by Black 47 front man Larry Kirwan begins in Wexford and traces the impact on a young Kirwan of his Irish Republican grandfather, his mysterious and often absent deep-sea sailing father and his first bandleader Elvis Murphy. These influences propelled him to the Dublin of the early 70s and later Kirwan emigrated to New York, where he eventually formed the political rock band Black 47. He gives a dry-eyed and unsparing account of the tumultuous trajectory of Black 47 and of the band's ongoing political commitment and opposition to the war in Iraq.

Download or read book Seamus Heaney s American Odyssey written by Edward J. O’Shea and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-12-30 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seamus Heaney’s American Odyssey describes, with a new archive of correspondence, interviews, and working drafts, the some 40 years that Seamus Heaney spent in the United States as a teacher, lecturer, friend, and colleague, and as an active poet on the reading circuit. It is anchored by Heaney’s appointments at Berkeley and Harvard, but it also follows Heaney’s readings “on the road” at three important points in his career. It argues that Heaney was initially receptive to American poetry and culture while his career was still plastic, but as he developed more assurance and fame, he became much more critical of America as a superpower, especially in the military reaction to 9/11. This study emphasizes “the heard Heaney” as much as the “writerly Heaney” by listening in on key poetry readings at different times and to recorded but unpublished lectures on American and British poets at Harvard. It includes accounts by his creative writing students, aspiring poets, who testify to his mentoring as well as modeling for them how one can be “a poet in the world” as he was most strikingly.

Download or read book A Song for Mary written by Dennis Smith and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 1999-06-12 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A moving memoir of growing up Irish Catholic & poor in New York City. Told in the first person, this lyrical remembrance is a powerful odyssey of one young man coming of age in a confusing & sometimes hostile world.

Download or read book Searching for the Promised Land written by Edward Deevy and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The religious odyssey of a former Irish priest in America during the civil rights movement and after.

Download or read book Land of the Free written by Thomas Curtin and published by . This book was released on 2019-08-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book By Pluck and by Faith The Odyssey of an Irish American Family written by Lansing Bergeron and published by Outskirts Press. This book was released on 2018-06-28 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John James Brett and Mary Walsh found the prospect of beginning their married lives together in 1880's Ireland daunting. A future of almost certain poverty, or at the very least, extreme difficulty and depravation, would be facing them, and the potential for improvement of social and political conditions seemed remote. To raise children under existing circumstances would be fraught with challenge and danger. While not as high as during The Great Famine, or the lesser famine of 1879 and 1880, infant and child mortality rates were still extremely high, with severe food shortages, poor sanitation and hygiene, and of course poverty, being the primary contributing factors. And, should they be blessed and fortunate enough to be able to successfully raise their children to adulthood, the prospects for their future to be bright and prosperous would be negligible. Rather than accept the inherited circumstances, John embraced the concept of emigrating to the "promised land" of America. While cautious and reluctant at first, Mary soon captured the vision and became a strong supporter and advocate, regardless of the danger and profound uncertainty involved. 'By Pluck and by Faith' is the saga of John and Mary Brett, their children, and the generations that proceeded. As the seven children grow and mature, we trace their lives, and ultimately the lives of their children's children. These chronicles examine three generations of tragedies and triumphs, occasions of resounding success and of abject failure; hedonistic excess, sinfulness and even lawlessness, in juxtaposition to piety, discipline, virtue and prudence. The book will also hypothesize, projecting the impact that the nebulous and ill-defined concept of "fate" will have had on each of their lives.

Download or read book Lessons from the Holy Wars written by Rob Asghar and published by Wheatmark, Inc.. This book was released on 2010-01-15 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An immigrant's son shuns his heritage and his homeland, only to see them come to dominate headlines in a manner that forces him to come to a deeper understanding of himself and his world. This notable collection of personal stories and cultural insights illuminates anew the grand American immigrant experience. Just as notably, Lessons from the Holy Wars is invaluable for anyone seeking insight into the encounter-or collision-of Islam and the West. Filled with wonder and wit, it offers a revealing perspective on the events of our day.

Download or read book Giant s Causeway written by Tom Chaffin and published by University of Virginia Press. This book was released on 2014-12-15 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1845, seven years after fleeing bondage in Maryland, Frederick Douglass was in his late twenties and already a celebrated lecturer across the northern United States. The recent publication of his groundbreaking Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave had incited threats to his life, however, and to place himself out of harm's way he embarked on a lecture tour of the British Isles, a journey that would span seventeen months and change him as a man and a leader in the struggle for equality. In the first major narrative account of a transformational episode in the life of this extraordinary American, Tom Chaffin chronicles Douglass’s 1845-47 lecture tour of Ireland, Scotland, and England. It was, however, the Emerald Isle, above all, that affected Douglass--from its wild landscape ("I have travelled almost from the hill of ‘Howth’ to the Giant’s Causeway") to the plight of its people, with which he found parallels to that of African Americans. Writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, critic David Kipen has called Chaffin a "thorough and uncommonly graceful historian." Possessed of an epic, transatlantic scope, Chaffin’s new book makes Douglass’s historic journey vivid for the modern reader and reveals how the former slave’s growing awareness of intersections between Irish, American, and African history shaped the rest of his life. The experience accelerated Douglass's transformation from a teller of his own life story into a commentator on contemporary issues--a transition discouraged during his early lecturing days by white colleagues at the American Anti-Slavery Society. ("Give us the facts," he had been instructed, "we will take care of the philosophy.") As the tour progressed, newspaper coverage of his passage through Ireland and Great Britain enhanced his stature dramatically. When he finally returned to America he had the platform of an international celebrity. Drawn from hundreds of letters, diaries, and other primary-source documents--many heretofore unpublished--this far-reaching tale includes vivid portraits of personages who shaped Douglass and his world, including the Irish nationalists Daniel O'Connell and John Mitchel, British prime minister Robert Peel, abolitionist John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln. Giant’s Causeway--which includes an account of Douglass's final, bittersweet, visit to Ireland in 1887--shows how experiences under foreign skies helped him hone habits of independence, discretion, compromise, self-reliance, and political dexterity. Along the way, it chronicles Douglass’s transformation from activist foot soldier to moral visionary.

Download or read book Politics Culture and the Irish American Press written by Debra Reddin van Tuyll and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2021-02-03 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Revolutionary War forward, Irish immigrants have contributed significantly to the construction of the American Republic. Scholars have documented their experiences and explored their social, political, and cultural lives in countless books. Offering a fresh perspective, this volume traces the rich history of the Irish American diaspora press, uncovering the ways in which a lively print culture forged significant cultural, political, and even economic bonds between the Irish living in America and the Irish living in Ireland. As the only mass medium prior to the advent of radio, newspapers served to foster a sense of identity and a means of acculturation for those seeking to establish themselves in the land of opportunity. Irish American newspapers provided information about what was happening back home in Ireland as well as news about the events that were occurring within the local migrant community. They framed national events through Irish American eyes and explained the significance of what was happening to newly arrived immigrants who were unfamiliar with American history or culture. They also played a central role in the social life of Irish migrants and provided the comfort that came from knowing that, though they may have been far from home, they were not alone. Taking a long view through the prism of individual newspapers, editors, and journalists, the authors in this volume examine the emergence of the Irish American diaspora press and its profound contribution to the lives of Irish Americans over the course of the last two centuries.

Download or read book The Best Way Out A South American Odyssey written by R. Scott Morris and published by R. Scott Morris. This book was released on 2020-04-19 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:  “The Best Way Out” recounts a stirring tale of the misfortunes and triumphs of a young English/Argentine sailor from Devon in his quest to sail around Cape Horn. William is born of English Argentine parentage which generates an affection for his mother’s homeland. At an early age William Spyre is inculcated with maritime traditions and desire by his father who served in the Royal Navy. Although he becomes a modest barrister, Joseph Spyre’s unbounded affection and respect for the sea never dims as he passes along this love to his son William. After learning to sail competitively in Plymouth Bay, William turns to offshore racing and defies the odds as he survives the ‘79 Fastnet Race debacle. Tales of South America and Cape Horn grain racers told by Joseph imbue a burning desire in William to ‘Round the Horn’. His wealthy mentor gifts William a stout sloop for the journey and after a year of preparation William heads south in late Fall 1981 in the first leg of his adventure. Upon arriving in Buenos Aires to refit and visit relatives, unbeknownst to William, he has appeared on the cusp of the Falklands invasion. He is promptly arrested by the Argentine Junta as an English spy. Unable to break William or vanquish him, his sadistic Argentine Navy tormentor forces him into the Argentine Army for the invasion of the Falkland Islands. Alone and now the pariah of his platoon, because he’s English, William fears for his life at the hands of the Argentine Marines. He is spared and protected by his platoon Lieutenant, because there is a need for him; he’s their interpreter. After surviving the invasion and occupation of Stanley, William is transferred to Goose Green just prior to the British counter invasion. During a vicious fire fight in the dead of the southern winter, toward the end of May 1982 William find that he’s on the losing end, but he is rescued by a British Soldier in a bizarre coincidence of luck. After the “Arggies” capitulate, William’s British identity cannot be established, so he is returned to Argentina as a POW. He and his wounded buddy make their way back to Buenos Aires on the famous Ruta 3 , bumming rides with good Samaritan, long haul truckdrivers. He reunites with his extended family in Buenos Aires, but is placed under surveillance by Astes. William’s PTSD and now paranoia about Astes alerts him to trouble, so with the aid of his ever-resourceful cousin Rafael, he quickly refits his boat and sails again for Cape Horn. Due to the poor preparation of his hasty departure, he is subsequently wrecked on the coast of Patagonia, rescued by the Argentine/Welch, and is nursed back to health. He has a torrid, illicit love affair with his Welsh host’s daughter, forcing the couple to flee for their lives across Patagonia. In their flight they are relentlessly pursued by William’s Argentine nemesis, Lt Cmdr. Alfredo Astes. William continues to pose a major threat to Astes’ tenuous hold on power. William and his love, Angharad take refuge in Santiago, Chile, where Astes hatches an unsuccessful plot to kill William. This failed attempt unseats Astes from power, but he remains a threat. Angharad encourages to complete his Cape Horn quest, so he takes a tenuous step, travels to Ushuaia, hires a veteran skipper and boat and finally conquers the Horn in winter. The trip out to and around the Horn in winter is a thrilling adventure in and of itself. After sailing past Cape Horn, instead of being jubilant at attaining his goal, William becomes introspective and finally realizes that his attaining his goal has come at the expense of others. He sees that the journey itself is what mattered which was enabled by the love, respect and sacrifice of his closest friends and family. William finally realizes that it is they who are important, not attaining a seemingly impossible goal. He learns this lesson a little late in life, but better learned than never understood. One would think that the story ends here, but no, there’s one last, dangerous problem that must be dealt with - Lt Cmdr. Alfredo Astes. Back in Ushuaia after the Horn, William inadvertently encounters his antagonist Astes and a confrontation ensues, but you must read the book to find out what happens. - Who will prevail and how? The incredible natural beauty and majesty of Chile and Argentina set the backdrop and inspiration for this account of intrigue, betrayal, passion and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.

Download or read book Seamus Heaney s American Odyssey written by Edward O'Shea and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Seamus Heaney's American Odyssey describes, with a new archive of correspondence, interviews, and working drafts, the some forty years that Seamus Heaney spent in the U.S. as teacher, as lecturer, as friend and colleague, and as an active poet on the reading circuit. It is anchored by Heaney's appointments at Berkeley and Harvard, but it also follows Heaney's readings "on the road" at three important points in his career. It argues that Heaney was initially receptive to American poetry and culture while his career was still plastic, but as he developed more assurance and fame, he became much more critical of America as a superpower, especially in the military reaction to 9/11. This study emphasizes "the heard Heaney" as much as the "writerly Heaney" by listening in on key poetry readings at different times and to recorded but unpublished lectures on American and British poets at Harvard. It includes accounts by his creative writing students, aspiring poets, who testify to his mentoring as well modeling for them how one can be "a poet in the world" as he was most strikingly"--

Download or read book Lefty written by Vernona Gomez and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2013-02-26 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An intimate portrait of a man whose life off the field was equally as captivating as his unparalleled baseball career.”—Yankees Magazine Born into a small-town California ranching family, Vernon “Lefty” Gomez rode his powerful arm and jocular personality across America to the dugout of the New York Yankees. Lefty baffled hitters with his blazing fastball, establishing himself as the team’s ace. Now, drawing on countless conversations with Lefty, more than three hundred interviews conducted with his family, friends, competitors, and teammates over the course of a decade, and revealing candid photos, documents, and film clips—many never shown publicly—his daughter Vernona Gomez and her award-winning co-author Lawrence Goldstone vividly re-create the life and adventures of the irreverent southpaw. A star-studded romp through America’s most glamorous years, with cameos from Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, George Gershwin, Ernest Hemingway, and Marilyn Monroe, Lefty is at once a long-overdue reminder of a pitcher’s greatness and a heartwarming celebration of a life well-lived. “His story transcends sports and gives us a much-needed lesson in grit and grace.”—Jon Meacham “A loving and beautifully written tribute . . . Be prepared to be transformed, and to discover stars who were stars in an age when that word really meant something.”—Mike Greenberg, co-host of ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning “An amiable portrait of a baseball great—like Yogi Berra, Dizzy Dean and Satchel Paige—whose outsized personality looms even larger than his considerable athletic achievements.”—Kirkus Reviews