History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America

Average customer rating:

Revealing and well written. It answered my questions about the South.
Never bend a knee to Rome.
SuperTerrificWonderful
Enjoyable Reading
How the Rednecks Saved the World!

Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America
James Webb
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0767916891
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Book Description

More than 27 million Americans today can trace their lineage to the Scots, whose bloodline was stained by centuries of continuous warfare along the border between England and Scotland, and later in the bitter settlements of England’s Ulster Plantation in Northern Ireland. Between 250,000 and 400,000 Scots-Irish migrated to America in the eighteenth century, traveling in groups of families and bringing with them not only long experience as rebels and outcasts but also unparalleled skills as frontiersmen and guerrilla fighters. Their cultural identity reflected acute individualism, dislike of aristocracy and a military tradition, and, over time, the Scots-Irish defined the attitudes and values of the military, of working class America, and even of the peculiarly populist form of American democracy itself.

Born Fighting is the first book to chronicle the full journey of this remarkable cultural group, and the profound, but unrecognized, role it has played in the shaping of America. Written with the storytelling verve that has earned his works such acclaim as “captivating . . . unforgettable” (the Wall Street Journal on Lost Soliders), Scots-Irishman James Webb, Vietnam combat veteran and former Naval Secretary, traces the history of his people, beginning nearly two thousand years ago at Hadrian’s Wall, when the nation of Scotland was formed north of the Wall through armed conflict in contrast to England’s formation to the south through commerce and trade. Webb recounts the Scots’ odyssey—their clashes with the English in Scotland and then in Ulster, their retreat from one war-ravaged land to another. Through engrossing chronicles of the challenges the Scots-Irish faced, Webb vividly portrays how they developed the qualities that helped settle the American frontier and define the American character.

Born Fighting shows that the Scots-Irish were 40 percent of the Revolutionary War army; they included the pioneers Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston; they were the writers Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain; and they have given America numerous great military leaders, including Stonewall Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Audie Murphy, and George S. Patton, as well as most of the soldiers of the Confederacy (only 5 percent of whom owned slaves, and who fought against what they viewed as an invading army). It illustrates how the Scots-Irish redefined American politics, creating the populist movement and giving the country a dozen presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. And it explores how the Scots-Irish culture of isolation, hard luck, stubbornness, and mistrust of the nation’s elite formed and still dominates blue-collar America, the military services, the Bible Belt, and country music.

Both a distinguished work of cultural history and a human drama that speaks straight to the heart of contemporary America, Born Fighting reintroduces America to its most powerful, patriotic, and individualistic cultural group—one too often ignored or taken for granted.

Customer Reviews:

Revealing and well written. It answered my questions about the South........2007-10-15

"it will go a long way in exposing the first and apparently last socially acceptable prejudice in America: that against the working class southerner." (from another review)

I've read many books about the South looking to find out why people who were no better off than most blacks and who share the much of the same culture, were so racist. This book answered my questions!

I didn't know anything about the Scots-Irish culture and especially didn't know that I probably am one. My father's family lived in the Tennessee mountains and then the mountains of Northeastern Alabama. No wonder my heart skips a beat when I hear Blue Grass music!

Riveting.... thank you James Webb for giving a voice to these folks!

Never bend a knee to Rome........2007-09-29

This was a well written and thought provoking book. I can see how some of the ideas put forward can be misconstrued do to the nature of the subjects but find myself agreeing with most of them. Mr. Webb has shed light on some very interesting topics. I am not a Scots-Irish historian so I enjoyed the history that this book offered. In the end this book has done a good service to one of the immigrant groups that built and fought for this great nation.

SuperTerrificWonderful.......2007-08-10

Webb does a phenomenal job weaving the various economic, political, and religious threads together to create a vivid tapestry depicting the origin and impact of the Scots-Irish. Well-written and riveting. My only criticism is that the author never acknowledged my request to have him autograph my copy (I even offered to deliver it to his office in D.C.!).

Enjoyable Reading.......2007-05-13

This is a book that you savour by slow reading. It is enjoyable histore particularly for a Scot or Irish man.

How the Rednecks Saved the World!.......2007-03-28

If James Webb's "Born Fighting" gets the reception it deserves, it will go a long way in exposing the first and apparently last socially acceptable prejudice in America: that against the working class southerner. Webb's book explodes the stereotypes attached to this people, demonstrating a depth of cultural character running much deeper than the traditional portrayals of them as stubbornly ignorant, lazy, beer guzzlers living in trailer parks.

Webb recounts the fascinating history of the Scots-Irish, beginning with the Scottish resistance to the Roman Empire itself, moving on to William Wallace and Robert the Bruce and the Scottish was for independence from the new Rome of England. He gives us the high drama of the creation of the distinctively Scots-Irish character when the English crown settled the first Scots in Ireland. With the Scots-Irish as their vanguard, the English were able to hold Ireland against other European powers (and, unfortunately, against the Irish themselves). England thanked the Scots-Irish by outlawing their Presbyterian religion in much the same way they had done the Catholicism of the Irish several years before. And so the Scots-Irish packed their bags and headed to America.

We should gain a newfound respect for these people from Webb's recouting of how they opened the American frontier, acting as a collective picket line against Indian attacks on the more settled English colonists in the coastal areas, and the important and unexpected roles they played in the southern Revolutionary War in the battles of King's Mountain and Cowpens.

Unfortunately, after the Revolutionary War, Webb's book loses a bit of its steam. Much of the drama and portraits of singular individuals we get in the earlier chapters gives way to talk of general social trends. Webb is still informative. Without for a moment excusing slavery or prejudice, Webb gives us an unexpected and perhaps uncomfortable view of just what problems the south had with the north, and how the southern working class was systematically oppressed by southern large land owners and northern merchants and industrial barons. Webb gives us surprising statistics on how much of our armed forces in the World Wars and Viet Nam were supplied by the Scots-Irish. And he reminds us that the closest thing we have to a national muscial genre -- country western -- is basically Scots-Irish music. Neverthess, the most interesting parts of "How the Scots-Irish Shaped America" end with America only on the verge of becoming a nation.

There are a few other problems too. While the old line WASP establishment and the new PC media establishment have both unjustifiably despised the Scots-Irish, Webb celebrates aspects of their character that have made them their own worst enemies time and again -- their "sensuality", their constant competitiveness in all athletics and all things physical, their hard drinking. The fact is that that sensuality has broken many hearts and busted many lives, the athleticism has led to alot of children to waste time and energy they could have spent on bettering their situation in life, and the drinking ... well, that speaks for itself. Also, the later chapters are chock full of stories from Webb's own ancestry. Fascintating characters in their own right to be sure, but the number of these stories comes close to making the second half of the book more of a James Webb memoir and less of a work on how an entire people shaped an entire nation. And toward the end of the book, Webb gets on a bit of a political rant that, though I agree with in many points, makes this book sound like the first step in his campaign for the Virginia Senate seat.

So "Born Fighting" is probably seen better as a corrective to WASP and PC prejudice against the Scots-Irish than as the final word on who the Scots-Irish are and what they should be. And a corrective is certainly needed. After reading "Born Fighting", it occurred to me that no one, as far as I can tell, has ever written at length specifically on the Scots-Irish as a distinct people -- no one, either to champion them or to cast WASP/PC aspersions on them. And where the Scots-Irish have gained scholarly or media attention, it has often been from pseudointellectuals such as H.L. Mencken (at whom Webb directs a few broadsides) bent on showing them in the worst light possible. One manifestation of this prejudice is that "Born Fighting" is bound to -- indeed it actually has now been -- characterized as racist. Such accusations are utter nonsense. One of Webb's heroes, in fact, is his own grandfather who suffered tremendously under white southern landowners for alerting the African Americans of his community to the inequities they were suffering at the landowners' hands. But in the minds of many these days, being fair-minded just isn't enough to escape the racist epithet.

"Born Fighting" doesn't quite deserve to be the last word on America's Scots-Irish. But it seems to be close to the first word, and a well-spoken one at that, on a people who have perhaps shaped the American character more than any other.

The Book of Irish Families, Great & Small (Third Edition, Expanded)

Average customer rating:

Total Waste Of Money
Irish Family names
Disappointed
Be sure you get the third edition
A solid and accessibly presented genealogical reference

The Book of Irish Families, Great & Small (Third Edition, Expanded)
Michael C. O'Laughlin
Manufacturer: Irish Genealogical Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0940134098

Book Description

The Worlds Largest Collection in Print
New third edition now includes 28 volume index to the Irish Families series
The Best and Final Edition.

Over 45,000 entries total:

700 illustrated coats of arms
Origins & Locations
Includes families settled from Scotland, England, etc...
Ancient Maps and illustrations
All 32 counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland (Ulster).
396 full size pages.

There is no other like this one ! A magnificent world class illustration of Irish Family History, this book is the culmination of 4 decades of research by the I.G.F.. Hundreds of families from each county are given in Part One with family history. Over 45,000 family names are given in specific counties or Poor Law Unions.
This is the new third edition (2003), which includes select family histories. For the first time ever, the index for the first 28 volumes in the Irish Families set is also included. The famous and large families like Murphy, Kelly, Sullivan, O'Brien, Ryan, Kennedy, Walsh, Daugherty and Donahue are of course in this book, as are thousands more, including rarely found families that settled in Ireland from England, Scotland, Wales, and the continent. Among the hundreds of settler names are those of Betagh; Coppinger; Trench; Coplan; Hall; Green; Hunter; McKenzie; Baker; Howell; Bellew and many more.

Families from England
Many English families have settled in Ireland from the 12th century onwards. Often, the native Irish were forced to "translate" their names into English sounding ones. The 50 most numerous names from England in 1853 are given, along with hundreds of family history extracts on specific families like Smith; Jones; Williams and Taylor.

Families from Scotland
Due to the proximity of the north of Ireland and the south of Scotland, migration between the two countries has been constant. A great settlement of Scottish families took place in the 17th century during the plantation of Ulster by the British Crown. Later, some of these 'planter' families came to America, becoming known as the Scotch Irish or Scots Irish. The 50 most numerous names of Scotland are given, along with hundreds of family histories, including families like McDonald; Brown; Thomson and Robertson.

Families from the German Palatinate

Families came to Ireland in the 18th century from the Palatinate of the Rhine. In 1709 some 7,000 arrived in England and many settled in Co. Limerick, Ireland and America. Some of these are families like Bowen, Baker; Delmege and Pyper.

Danish or Viking Families

The Danes (Lochlainders, Ostmen or Vikings), had colonies in Ireland for centuries. Centered in Dublin and Meath (in Fingall), and in Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Limerick, settling primarily in the coastal counties of Ireland from the 8th century on. These Viking families include: Betagh; Coppinger; Palmer; Plunket and Skiddy, among many others given in this work.

Jewish Families in Ireland

Many Russian and Polish Jews settled on the south side of Dublin city from the late 1800's. These included the families of Coplan, Fridberg, Greenberg, Weiner, Maisell and many others given in this work.

Welsh Families in Ireland

Families by the name of "Walsh" (in Irish, Brannagh or Breathnach), meaning a Briton or Welshman, are found early in Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Killarney, Tipperary, Wexford, Waterford and Galway. Some of these families were: Howell, Lawless, Lillis, Lynagh and Rossiter. Many are included in this work

Anglo Norman Families in Ireland

The Anglo Norman invasions of the 12th century brought many new families to Ireland. Some took on Irish names. Anglo Norman families in Ireland include: Barry; Bellew; Bermingham; Burke; Carew and Clare, among hundreds of others given in this book along with family history notes.

Huguenot Families in Ireland

French and Fleming Huguenot families settled in the 17th century in Dublin, Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, and Lisburn, etc... They were noted for making linen, cloth and lace. Some of these families were those of Barre; Perrin; Hazard; Hassard; Lefanu; Trench and many others as given in this work.

'Irish Families' Contains many family names left out of other popular works, including those of Edward MacLysaght, Patrick Woulfe and John O'Hart. The best single book for finding any Irish family surname, there are more names, arms, and locations here than in any other book . Truly a 'must have' resource for finding numerous and scarce names in Ireland.Format of this Book

Entries on family names are arranged in the following order:

(1) When available, the coat of arms linked to the name appears above the name which is in bold type. All arms shown in this volume were actually used by families in Ireland, acknowledged by recognized authorities.

(2) Beneath the name is the source from which the arms are taken.

(3) Occasionally we list a Gaelic or more ancient form of the name on the next line in regular type. (note we have not punctuated these). We suggest those interested in the gaelic consult Irish Names and Surnames by the Rev. P. Woulfe. The IGF edition of that work contains a new surname index, which proves most helpful to researchers.

(4) The next line, in italics, gives variant spellings of the name as available.

(5) The history associated with the name

The amount of information found will vary with each name. Please consult all possible spellings of the name. More information may appear in other volumes to this Irish Families set. Names not covered here will appear in other volumes of our Irish Families, great & small series. The surname index to this first volume , (and to volumes 2 through 28), is found in part III of this book. The researcher should consult that index as well as the location index found in part II of this book.

The location index (see part II) represents extracts taken from larger, more detailed listings found in the Master Book of Irish Surnames. Space limitations do not allow reprinting all the index listings found in that book. In fact, there are over 50,000 listings from that book which we did not have room for at all! We have included as many surnames as possible to give hope to Irish family researchers. These listings may prove particularly helpful for those with less common names. The student of Irish family names would do well to consult that work independently.

Maps and Illustrations

Province Map

showing Munster; Leinster; Connacht; Meath;

Oriel; Aileach; and Ulster.

Key to Terms

Including useful terms and abbreviations used.

Ancient Map

Showing territorial divisions upon the coming of the Vikings to Ireland. Includes Tirconnell; Tirowen; Uladh; Uriel; Brefney; Hy Fiachrach; Hy Many; West Meath; East Meath; Offelan; Fine Gall; Offaly; Omurethy; Leix; Ormond; Thomond; Desmond; Decies; and Hy Kinshelagh.

13th Century Norman Map

Showing unconquered areas, and areas of Norman Rule & influence.

Administrative Divisions

Listing the major territorial divisions of Ireland, including: The Province; The County; The Barony; The Parish; The Townland; and Poor Law Unions.

Ireland, showing railways map

Showing railway routes in Ireland on the map.

Source List

List of helpful resources.

Key to Poor Law Unions and registrars dist.

A Listing of the Unions along with registrars districts that they contained.

Family Research sources and tips

Tips for the family researcher.

Barony Map

Showing 325 baronies of Ireland on the map by county. The barony was used an a unit in 19th century land valuations.

Ireland Map

Written Chart naming Families settling in Ireland

Showing families from other nations known to have settled in Ireland.

Ireland upon coming of the Vikings.

Showing the divisions of Thomond; Desmond; Decies; Ossory; Hy Kinshelagh; Ormond; Hy Many; Offaly; Leix; Omurethy; Offelan; Fine Gall; Brefney; Hy Fiachrach; Tirconnell; Tirowen; Uladh; and Uriel.

A One of A Kind Resource

This is the number one collection of Irish Families ever to appear in print. This Master volume alone, exceeds any other single book in the field. It is a one of a kind beauty - never equalled. There are more Irish Family names, spellings, locations, arms and sources here than in any other single book ever published.

The Final Word This book contains information on families in all 32 counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Later volumes in this series focus on individual counties, and contain additional information, not found in this volume.

New Third Edition. Available only with Thread sewn soft binding. 396 pages. maps, resource list for family research. Family Histories. Additionally includes Master Index to the Irish Families series. Full 8 1/2 x 11 in size.

Customer Reviews:

Total Waste Of Money.......2007-09-08

This book is a huge disappointment. All it lists is surnames and if any a short sentence about the name. For instance Moylan: an old irish family.

Totally a huge waste of money.

Irish Family names.......2007-08-01

A great book giving information on Irish Family names and regions they are found in. A very useful book for those doing Irish family research.

Disappointed.......2007-01-14

This book covers a huge range of Irish names, however only provides minimal information on each and coat of arms for the select few. It provided the same information that is easily found on the web.

Be sure you get the third edition.......2005-04-29

The third edition of this work is definitely the best. It contains the index to the entire 28 volumes in the series, which covers every county in Ireland. The second edition was published earlier, and does not contain the complete index to the series. The third edition has all the family history information from the second edition, PLUS the complete series info. This book contains the largest collection of Irish Family Names, locations and arms ever put to print.

A solid and accessibly presented genealogical reference.......2003-02-14

Now in an expanded and updated third edition, The Book Of Irish Families Great & Small by genealogy expert Michael C. O'Laughlin (Editor of the monthly "Journal of Irish Families) is a solid and accessibly presented genealogical reference based upon ancient and modern manuscripts. Offering 20,000 Irish family names, 700 illustrated coats of arms, ancient maps and illustrations, step-by-step guides for tracing Irish family roots, and so much more, The Book Of Irish Families Great & Small is a first-rate and enthusiastically recommended reference for any dedicated genealogist or aspiring family historian seeking to track down their Irish roots.

Looking for Jimmy: A Search for Irish America

Average customer rating:

A must read for anyone who wants to better understand America.
Getting the Irish Right
Mining for Irish green
No Plastic Paddy Here....
Brilliantly Written

Looking for Jimmy: A Search for Irish America
Peter Quinn
Manufacturer: Overlook Hardcover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1585678708
Release Date: 2007-02-15

Book Description

"Paddy"--the caricature of the heavy-drinking, hardbrawling Irishman born in Vaudeville acts and nativist cartoons-- remains, unfortunately, a vivid feature of the American national imagination. But as this stereotype fades into the past, what image does America have of the millions of Irish-Catholic immigrants who have played such a central role in our history?

In this remarkable collection of writings chronicling the author's exploration of his own past--and the lives of the hundreds of thousands of nameless immigrants that struggled alongside his own ancestors--Peter Quinn paints a brilliant new portrait of the Irish-American men and women whose culture and values now play such a central role in all of our identities as Americans. In Quinn's hands, "Paddy" gives way to an image of "Jimmy"--an archetypal Irish-American (a composite of Jimmy Cagney and Jimmy Walker) who comes to life as the fast-talking, tough-yet-refined urban American who redefined American politics, street culture, religion, and moral imagination. Addressing subjects ranging from the impact of decades of immigration on Western Ireland to the long legacy of Irish-American Archbishop John Hughes, Quinn's vibrant prose weaves together the story of a people that has made an immeasurable contribution to American history and culture.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for anyone who wants to better understand America........2007-10-01

A big fan of Quinn's historical fiction novels "Banished Children of
Eve" and "Hour of the Cat," I knew I was in the hands of an expert
author and historian in "Looking for Jimmy." Quinn gets personal in
this collection of essays about the Irish in America. As he shares
stories of his family, I'm reminded of my own, or the lack thereof.
The older generations didn't speak much about Ireland or the trials
and harsh tales of their immigration and integration into the new
world. Quinn notes the silence and dearth of artifacts. The phrase
"Watch the quiet ones" comes to mind. May as well say, watch the
Irish ones. Thankfully, Quinn is not quiet. He watches them all,
researches, studies and considers, takes account and conveys the story
and motivation of a people across generations.

It's all too common for modern society to neglect its ancestry. The
melting pot warrants, yet makes it harder to figure identity. Quinn
bravely and enthusiastically explores one important and special
ingredient in that pot, the Irish. He takes us to the movies with
James Cagney, to the legendary story of hero Michael Corcoran, to many
places the Irish permeated and permeate. What it means to be
American, has a lot to do with what it means to be every other
culture. Quinn's "Looking For Jimmy" helps us find him and appreciate
the Irish element in the fabric of America. If we're lucky, there's a
little bit of Jimmy in all of us.

Getting the Irish Right.......2007-09-11

The great Irish labor leader and 1916 rebel James Connally once said,"It's easier to explain socialism to the Irish than to explain the Irish to the socialists." I've always found depictions of Irish Americans--even more that the Irish in Ireland--to be riddled with stereotypes, both favorable and unfavorable. Why, I've wondered, couldn't anybody "explain" Irish Americans to their fellow Americans--i.e., capture all the confouding complexity of this people in their long day's journey from famine and rural serfdom to the top of the New World? Maybe no one story can ever capture the whole journey, but for me "Looking for Jimmy" comes as close as anyone will ever manage. I was deeply moved by this book, and though, unlike the author, I no longer have any association with organized religion (I describe myself as a "disorganized Christian"),I found his observations on faith to be filled with truth. If you're not Irish American but want to find out about them, read this book. If you are Irish American and want to find out about yourself, do the same.

Mining for Irish green.......2007-08-01

I bought this book because of the many positive reviews. The work is extremely long on opinion and very short on fact. How this sentimental and nostalgic bathos can sell without negative reviews appearing is beyond this Celt's understanding.

No Plastic Paddy Here...........2007-03-12

This book answers the question once and for all; Are all the NY Irish dead and buried in Calvary Cemetary??? Not so.....Quinn's book riveted me from the first word written. So many of the reflections were identical to my own family and their experience in New York. The silence of our past, the quest for respectability, the fierce fidelity to the faith. I was torn between laughing and crying at the similarities.

Besides the magnificent analysis and brilliant prose, I appreciate Quinn's indebtedness to the parochial school system; I too am a product of a Christian Brothers high school, then Fordham (much to the dismay of my high school teachers, no Manhattan College in my future...my father had the Jesuits at Xavier and Georgetown)

If you are a New Yorker of Irish descent, this is a must read. Too few of my generation appreciate the sufferings and sacrifices of our ancestors; we have succeeded upon their shoulders. This book crystalizes that fact, and challenges us to keep faith with that past as we look to the future

Brilliantly Written.......2007-03-12

Peter Quinn is a master storyteller and with his prose he tries to keep alive the enduring and rich legacy of Irish-American contributions to the history and foundations of American life.

America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World

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I Just Don't Know
Ancient Mysteries
A Shame Nobody Has Carried the Torch on This Research
Open minds are healthy ones.
Whacky

America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World
Fell
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671679740

Customer Reviews:

I Just Don't Know.......2006-02-01

Undoubtedly, Fell was a gifted and brilliant scholar who distinguished himself in a number of disciplines. Just as obvious, the author took huge leaps of faith when arriving at some of his faulty conclusions. I found myself both intrigued and disappointed with Fell's work.

As a resident of New Mexico, I visited an archeological sight west of Los Lunas which contains a mezzuzah (abbreviated 10 commandments) inscribed on an 80 ton piece of basalt. The inscription, according to Cyrus Gordon, is an ancient Phoenician/Hebrew script, a language that could not be interpreted until the 1930's. Yet, documentation of this "mystery stone" goes back at least 150 years.

It is easy to dismiss Fell's collective work because of his many misteps, but perhaps that would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. When confronted with an ancient rendition of the 10 Commandments in the middle of a New Mexico desert, I could only scratch my head in bewilderment. Obviously, more careful and scholarly attention is needed to study this whole notion of pre-Columbian visitors to the west. Unfortunately, many of our most respected scholars who could contribute to this area refuse to do so out of fear of being labeled a nut case.

Ancient Mysteries.......2005-08-17

I first read Barry Fell's America B.C. many years ago as a teenager, and being lucky enough to live in Vermont, have visited various ancient sites here and in New Hampshire. Even if you are skeptical after reading this book, at least let it be a jumping off point to read and discover more about this intriguing subject. Another short, but wonderful book is "New England's Ancient Mysteries" by Robert Ellis Cahill. I picked this up at America's Stonehenge in Salem, NH and am anxious to visit some of the other sites outlined in this book. Also visit www.neara.org for more information on New England Antiquities. It truly is in your own backyard!!

A Shame Nobody Has Carried the Torch on This Research.......2005-08-04

"The fact that all of the modern American nations are a result --in different degrees--, of the cultural and biological symbiosis between the populations of the Old World and Pre-Hispanic America, makes the search for the beginnings of this transcendental and still ongoing process an anthropological exercise that does not lack either sense or relevance." - Romeo H. Hristov

The problem with many books and papers on Pre-Columbian contact with America is that many of the people who write them want so badly to believe it that they take enormous, unsubstantiated and ill-informed leaps to that conclusion. Ultimately, this of course benefits the `scholarly' naysayer by casting an ominous cloud of doubt over something that inherently has credibility; that is, when one searches in the right place.

There is no doubt that Barry Fell deserves an immense amount of respect for his very scholarly work in the field of ancient, non-Amerindian epigraphic evidence found in America. Furthermore, his three books really are national treasures that I hope one day will be greatly vindicated. However, the reason I'm compelled to give the book less than 5 stars is due to the Achilles heal that Dr. Fell leaves exposed to the poison arrows of the naysayers...

Let me explain first by saying that from a completely different perspective than Dr. Fell, I have little doubt as to whether ancient, maritime traders made it to America before Columbus. However, the angle which I approach this issue is from clues littered throughout *surviving*, ancient documents; hints, whispers and anecdotes that I myself have read instead of taking a contemporary's word for it. Dr. Fell's work seemed like the final evidence I was looking for to match literary evidence with physical proof.

This is where my only disappointment with Dr. Fell's work lies. He writes with such authority about inscriptions left by certain people but then falls short to relay to his readers a solid background of these very same people. This apparent lack of supporting research on these topics is what leaves his wonderful work exposed to the ninnies. If Dr. Fell had relied more on the exhaustive work of others available to him (even in the 1970s) the finished product of his book would have been wholly undeniable.

Without that however, the background of whom he considers to be Phoenician, Iberian, Iberian-Punic and `Basque' people comes across to me as confused; like mythical hearsay instead of the concrete geo-social groups of people they were.

I about fell out of my chair during the chapter on the `Ship's of Tarshish'; Phoenicians = Syrian Colonists? Ack! Tartessians "seem to be Basque"? Ack! Finally the caption under an engraving in that chapter that claims (even though he has the evidence they came to America) there was no written context for Phoenicians traveling in the Atlantic... If Dr. Fell were still alive, I would make sure he owned a copy of Howard Smith's 1854 `Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography', Herodotus, Diodorus Sicilius (Book V), Strabo, and Polybius for starters...

Open minds are healthy ones. .......2005-05-12

This fascinating book, summarising the author's findings after an extensive survey of Pre-Columbian sites and artifacts, is a gripping read, a masterpiece of archeological detective work. Page after page, Fell builds up a picture of America B.C., based on his decipherment of ancient stone inscriptions, more or less ignored since Columbus set foot in America. The controversial thing here, is that most such inscriptions are in a variant of Ogham - a script usually associated with the ancient British Druids and proto-Celtic culture in lands, far distant from America. Outlining evidence of migrant Celtic and Semitic cultures - on American soil, as far back as 800 B.C. Fell's fascinating account is fleshed out with abundant photographs, maps, charts, alphabets and scripts, showing how he arrived at his conclusions. Short of being downright pig-headed, it is hard to ignore the evidence Fell has adduced, to make his case.

Although a Harvard Professor, Fell presents his ideas in lively and accessible manner. He has had his critics - the most scathing being professional archeologists and ethnologists etc. whose comfortable world of preconceptions has been turned upside down by his findings. Such critics have attempted to discredit Fell's work as unscientific, amatuerish speculation,
even wilful fabrication. However, note well, Barry Fell is a Harvard Professor. The acknowledgements and credits at the front of this book, listing scores of people with impeccable professional qualifications - who have supported and encouraged Fell's work, speak for themselves.

Fell does have supportive voices in the American academic establishment - but, the negative 'academic' reactions have succeeded in persuading a number of people to reject Fell's ideas as 'wacky' - much as if he were claiming that aliens are living in underground bunkers in New York, or that the citizens of Long Island actually constitute a colony from Venus.

However, the only 'aliens' in this picture, are the Caucasian people who settled in post-Columbian America, thereafter making it a virtue to ignore the history of the earth beneath their feet. Amerindian culture - once defined by an ugly, racist stereotype' - Redskins' - has only recently acquired the respect, interest and attention it rightly deserves, recognised as manifold and complex - in fact, a rich diversity of cultures. By and large, the white colonisers of America shew little interest in getting to know the land they settled in - beyond the bounds of self-interest, securing territory, staking out claims, establishing communities based on European models. Thus, until fairly recent times, even the surviving Amerindian culture has remained a closed book, let alone the secrets of Pre-Columbian America, shrouded in the mists of time.

With America B.C.- Barry Fell has presented an exciting and challenging account, which lifts the veil on this matter - not with unfounded speculation, as his citics have asserted, but with hard evidence - written in stone! The disclaimers have had to resort to desperate gestures - to refute Fell. Ridiculously, they have asserted that the Ogham inscriptions - are, in fact, scratch marks left by plough shares etc. Fell shows how Ogham scripts are composed, and the evidence he has provided, speaks for itself. This is a brilliant book, by a brilliant, but profoundly humble man, more interested in pursuing the truth, than know-towing to peer group pressure.

Some find it hard to accept that there is a correspondence between proto-archaic languages of America B.C. - and Celtic, putting it down to chance that certain nouns, verbs etc. - resemble each other. How about this: there are correspondences between the Ainu language in Japan and Celtic/Gaelic" - viz.

Ainu/Gaelic

atui/ath body of water

charuse/tsuruthain stream

hau/au voice/audible

iye/iar ask/say

karap/corrag touch/forefinger

kapuhu/chapno leather

mak/mac descendant of

mo shir/mo thir my land

pen/ben mountain

- there are plenty more. I have thrown these examples in, because they widen the net, showing further evidence of a kind of pan-celtic diaspora (remember the Celtic 'mummy' found in Asia, a few years back? DNA tests made the identity certain). It is virtually impossible to hang-on to the stereotypical ethno-cultural models which provided the basis for such studies, a hundred years ago. In truth, we know better today.

While Fell's book details some astonishing facts, upsetting cherished preconceptions, the picture of human culture which emerges is a much enlarged - and thus, a much richer one. Don't join the unimaginative crustheads and snobs who mock this book. Order two copies of it, give one to a friend, or local library etc. Celebrate the rich fabric of American culture! On an ironic end-note, I confess that I found my copy of this book in a s/hand store,marked 'Discard. Kyoto International School.'

Whacky.......2005-03-10

Fall for this stuff and I have a bridge I'd like to sell you. Fell is one of those strange archeologists who believes ancient civilizations came to America long before Columbus. He sees Druids in New England, Libyans in Arizona, and Celts everywhere. The evidence is very skimpy and Fell stretches it to what HE wants to believe. His style and approach to his subject are very academic--but only the better to fool ya. Just about everything Fell proposes has been disproved by reputable archeologists, but I guess, like P.T. Barnum, he believes there's a sucker born every minute. Don't fall for it.

Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)

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Questionable scholarship
A worthwhile addition to anyone's Irish library

Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)
Hasia R. Diner
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801828724

Book Description

"The most sensitive treatment of Irish culture... [and] the most complete history we have of the Irish female experience." -- Labor History

Customer Reviews:

Questionable scholarship.......2001-02-22

The second half of the book is clearly superior to the first half. The lack of hard data from prior to and immediately after the Famine seems to lead the author to some curious and questionable conclusions regarding the economic motivation of the Irish women in America. She repeatedly attributes late marriage and spinsterhood to the "traditional" cultural separation of Irish women and men along with the general lack of character of the Irish male. She fails to examine the profound impact of the Famine on women--watching their families and friends starve to death along with forced immigration--and their determination to prevent this from happening again. I found her theories rather determindly sexist.

A worthwhile addition to anyone's Irish library.......2001-01-29

Although at first glance Diner's exhaustive study appears to be fraught with the political correctness and feminist biases that plague so many American academics, in reality _Erin's Daughters_ portrays the story of a gallant group that was able to overcome barriers of poverty, ignorance, and disease to succeed in a New World. The Irish women received no help from the government, from existing charities, or from the Catholic Church, but they were still able to reach the promised land of middle-class America due to their focus on economic goals. The women of Ireland carried their cultural values to America with them, playing a key role in the development of the greatest nation on earth. In order to understand this role, I urge you to read this book.

The Enlightenment and the Book: Scottish Authors and Their Publishers in Eighteenth-Century Britain, Ireland, and America

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The Enlightenment and the Book: Scottish Authors and Their Publishers in Eighteenth-Century Britain, Ireland, and America
Richard B. Sher
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0226752526

Book Description

The late eighteenth century witnessed an explosion of intellectual activity in Scotland by such luminaries as David Hume, Adam Smith, Hugh Blair, William Robertson, Adam Ferguson, James Boswell, and Robert Burns. And the books written by these seminal thinkers made a significant mark during their time in almost every field of polite literature and higher learning throughout Britain, Europe, and the Americas.

In this magisterial history, Richard B. Sher breaks new ground for our understanding of the Enlightenment and the forgotten role of publishing during that period. The Enlightenment and the Book seeks to remedy the common misperception that such classics as The Wealth of Nations and The Life of Samuel Johnson were written by authors who eyed their publishers as minor functionaries in their profession. To the contrary, Sher shows how the process of bookmaking during the late eighteenth-century involved a deeply complex partnership between authors and their publishers, one in which writers saw the book industry not only as pivotal in the dissemination of their ideas, but also as crucial to their dreams of fame and monetary gain. Similarly, Sher demonstrates that publishers were involved in the project of bookmaking in order to advance human knowledge as well as to accumulate profits.

The Enlightenment and the Book explores this tension between creativity and commerce that still exists in scholarly publishing today. Lavishly illustrated and elegantly conceived, it will be must reading for anyone interested in the history of the book or the production and diffusion of Enlightenment thought.

History of British Military Bands: Infantry and Irish (History of British Military Bands)

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Classic of its Kind

History of British Military Bands: Infantry and Irish (History of British Military Bands)
Gordon Turner , and Alwyn Turner
Manufacturer: Spellmount Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1873376286

Book Description

This monumental and unique study fills a serious gap in existing literature and traces the history of British military music from its early beginnings to the sophisticated instrumentation of today. This volume, with accompanying CD of their regimental marches, covers the Infantry and disbanded Irish Regiments.

Customer Reviews:

Classic of its Kind.......2007-02-07

This was the 3rd and final volume of this remarkable series. With the demise of so many fine old regimental bands from the British army, Gordon Turner with help from Kneller Hall, the army school of music, attempted to chronicle the fascinating history of these bands. Included are many fine photos, past and present. Extensive band histories are referenced throughout, with listings of bandmasters and directors of music, as well as regimental music played, and just general info. of importance. Many fine, rich stories are to be found here. The emphasis of this volume was on the bands of the Light Division and the Irish Regiments. Many others are included as well. All have colorful histories included with many references to bands and units long gone from the British army list. Included is a special CD played by the Band of the Royal Signals Corps which includes many of the regimental music listed in this work. The cover is a recent picture of the Band of the Light Division, now a single 47 piece band. All that remains of the bands of the Royal Green Jackets and Light Infantry. Soon this band will be changed yet again as the recent cuts will reduce it to a staff band of just 35. The title will be changed to the Band of the Rifles. A bland sounding title for sure! A sad loss for the many fans of this band over the years. This is niche book, highly recommended for those into military music, and British regimental bands in particular.

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An interesting, if prejudiced, look at the Ulster Scots
The birth and assimilation of a people
Scottish people don't refer to themselves as "Scotch"
"For They Desired a Better Country"-Hebrews 11:16
Thoroughly Documented & Well Written

The Scotch-Irish: A Social History
James G. Leyburn
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807842591

Book Description

Dispelling much of what he terms the 'mythology' of the Scotch-Irish, James Leyburn provides an absorbing account of their heritage. He discusses their life in Scotland, when the essentials of their character and culture were shaped; their removal to Northern Ireland and the action of their residence in that region upon their outlook on life; and their successive migrations to America, where they settled especially in the back-country of Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, and then after the Revolutionary War were in the van of pioneers to the west.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting, if prejudiced, look at the Ulster Scots.......2007-04-08

Prof. Leyburn obviously did some study on his subject, and it shows in this book. He is able to recount in fair detail the history of "the Scotch Irish", but it is plain how little he thought of them. It seems that his underlying goal is to correct the "overpraise" the Ulster Scots have received from some quarters. His descriptions of the Scots could have been penned by the most bigoted English historian. Leyburn has used such disparaging accounts of the Scots in their homeland that one would be lead to believe that Cro-Magnons could teach them some things about hygiene and manners, but due to the lack of Cro-Magnons, God gave the Scots the English to help them.

His contention that the Ulster Scots did not remain Ulster Scots but became "Americans" is not wholly true. While those states with a large number of people with Scots ancestry have always been among the first to defend this country and stand up to the rest of the world as Americans, they have also been very rooted in the history of their people and their family. I grew up in the South in an area of heavy Scots/Ulster Scots ancestry, where the current use of words from Scotland and Ulster continues by the elder generation. The people there have all been born in America, but they are quicker to point out that they are "Scotch Irish" than they are to say American. They raised their children to be the same way. The United States may be the place of birth, but the blood is Scots.

The birth and assimilation of a people.......2005-09-27

Book contents: foreword - 2pp, table of contents - 4 pp, text -344pp (including 5 maps), timeline of Scotland - 3pp, notes -16pp, bibliography - 19pp, and index - 5 pp.

Overall the book was very good, particularly for someone like myself who wasn't certain his roots were Scotch or Scotch Irish. It was well researched.

The maps of America were not particularly helpful. It was not immediately clear how they fit into the colonies as a whole, and it was sometimes difficult to picture migration patterns. There were no arrows on the maps or other indications of patterned settlement or movement to complete the text descriptions.

The timeline was helpful, but it was only of Scotland up to 1690. A timeline for the Scotch Irish from 1610 forward would have been more germane.

The book first covers Scottish culture prior to the migration of Lowland Scots to Northern Ireland. Then in 1610 King James of England opened Northern Ireland, aka Ulster, to both English and Scottish settlers at the expense of the native Irish. This act set the stage for the current strife and political separation of Northern Ireland.

Through four generations, the Scottish settlers in Northern Ireland became culturally separated from the Scotland of their origin. Then many of them immigrated to America in five great waves between 1717 and 1775, entering colonial America primarily through Pennsylvania and migrating south through the Virginia valley. Initially, these people were commonly referred to as Irish. The term "Scotch Irish" was later invoked to distinguish them from the Irish immigrating to America from the southern part of Ireland.

The lives and contributions of the Scotch Irish in America are described. Separate identity of the Scotch Irish essentially ends with the American Revolution, after which these people meld into the overall cultural fabric of the United States.

Scottish people don't refer to themselves as "Scotch".......2005-07-27

Scots, maybe, but usually just plain Scottish. Scotch is a common name for whisky. It amazes me how many people here tell me that they are "Scotch-Irish" - to me it makes them sound like an idiot.

"For They Desired a Better Country"-Hebrews 11:16.......2004-03-18

This is the first book I've read about the Scotch Irish and seems to be the accepted standard on the subject.

Professor Leyburn explains in his introduction that his book is "a social history of the Scotch-Irish. In this day of specialization, a social historian who undertakes to recount the life of people through three centuries and in three countries knowingly risks his scholarly head. Experts in Scottish, Irish, and American colonial history can only regard him as...ignorant of the finer points within their special fields. Scottish history is full of old controversies...Irish history has been so turbulent...few of its events is agreed upon." And Leyburn accomplishes this in only 330 pages. He divides his book into three parts:the Scot in 1600, the Scots in Ireland, the Scotch-Irish in America.

Being a southerner with Scotch-Irish roots in Tennessee, I was upset early on when Leyburn stated that Teddy Roosevelt's and others' claims that the Scotch-Irish were hardy, honorable folk was overblown. (Teddy's mother, Eleanor's grandmother, was a native Georgian, hardened, undoubtedly, by the Civil War's trials, Sherman's fiery footprints, amongst other things). Some of the trials of the Ulster scots in war and life and the deprivations they had to endure reminded me of the 40 day siege of Vicksburg, MS and the resiliency demonstrated by its citizens during the civil war. However, later on in the book, Leyburn's careful reasoning convinced me that he was more realistic. What stirred my thinking was Leyburn's comments in Chapter 16 when he states "political opinion and activity among the Scotch-Irish varied enormously from place to place. The whole mythology concerning this people rests upon a false assumption:that all Scotch-Irish thought alike. Why should they? They had come from different social classes back home; they entered America during six decades of remarkable fluctuation in ideas; they lived in colonies whose policies, attitudes, Indian problems, and progress toward stable institutions diverged widely." One can validate that statement easily by simply surfing the web and looking at the politics of numerous U.S. presidents with Scotch-Irish roots and see the "divergence" Leyburn speaks of.

I do believe, however, that Teddy Roosevelt's assertion that some Ulster Scots, Scotch-Irish, did play a pivotal role in early American history has many proofs. In Pennsylvania, as Leyburn recounts, in 1764, Ulster Scots pushed for equal representation within the state which was dominated by the minority quaker population concentrated around Philadelphia. That issue was one which the Scot felt most keenly following the Union of the crowns in 1707 accomplished during Queen Anne's reign; in parliament, Scots nobles were unfairly outnumbered by their English counterparts, see Paterson's History of Ayrshire.

I do believe some of these simple, biblically literate peoples, did desire a better country, and considered it their God-given task to try to make it a reality. The Baptists in Virginia, James Madison's state, were a significant force behind the freedom of religion/separation of church and state movement; ONE I FIRMLY BELIEVE MUST BE MAINTAINED! Just look at the bloody history of Christian Great Britain 300 years before the Revolutionary War; events that brought persecuted immigrants to the U.S. in the first place. The stuff seminarians don't study!

If you are an American doing geneaological research on your Scotch-Irish roots this is the resource book to get. I must add, too, if you have French Huguenot roots, they might have resided in Northern Ireland, in Ulster, before coming to America. I thought Leyburn was mistaken when he referred to Alexander Hamilton as an Ulster Scot. I know for a fact (court records) that his Hamilton ancestors were Scots from Ayrshire on the western coast of Scotland. That portion of Ayr, however, is extremely close to Northern Ireland, just a hop, skip, and a jump away! Alexander Hamilton's mother was French Huguenot, possibly her ancestors left Ulster to settle in Nevis, West Indies. Leyburn's statement is therefore correct again. Chapters 12 and 13 cover the conditions prompting immigration and the actual areas of settlement in colonial America of Scotch-Irish. Many people have been researching my Hamilton ancestors for years and can't get past 1780. Many of Leyburn's analyses are correct I believe.

A New Ireland by John Hume is on my books to read list about the 1998 Good Friday peace accord. Another book highly recommended to me is The Triumph of the Laity: Scots-Irish Piety and the Great Awakening, 1625-1760 by Marilyn J. Westerkamp. Hopefully, that book will give me a better understanding of my ancestors' background.

I gave the 5 star rating because I believe the subject matter warrants further study and is relevant for today. Truly understanding Ulster's history, (I believe), the conflicts, the circumstances and the social make-up of Northern Ireland itself, at distinct times in its history, is essential to the peace process there.

Thoroughly Documented & Well Written.......2004-01-25

Professor Leyburn left a valuable legacy in this volume. A niche of American history is covered that sadly, frequently goes overlooked. The Scotch-Irish are a substantial part of the U.S. population. Thankfully Dr. Leyburn told some of the story and it wasn't lost. He tells us in the foreword, "Histories of Scotland rarely devote more than a paragraph to the departure of thousands of Lowland Scots to Ireland in the seventeenth century." It is significant to Americans because "they came, two hundred thousand strong, to the American colonies in the eighteenth century."

They enthusiastically supported the American Revolution (as in significantly caused it to happen) and thought of themselves as "Americans" rather than Scotch-Irish.

Book Description

Rich in human detail, penetrating in analysis, this book is social history on an epic scale. The first "transatlantic" history of the Irish, Emigrants and Exiles offers the fullest account yet of the diverse waves of Irish emigration to North America. Drawing on enormous original research, Miller focuses on the thought and behavior of the "ordinary" Irish emigrants, as revealed in their personal letters, diaries, journals, and memoirs as well as in their songs, poems and folklore. Miller shows that the exile mentality was deeply rooted in Irish history, culture and personality, and it profoundly affected both the traumatic course of modern Irish history and the Irish experience in America.

Customer Reviews:

A masterpiece of scholarship, dense but very extremely well done.......2006-08-25

I can not say if this is the best book on the subject, because I have not read the other books. I can say that this book is absolutely magnificient scholarship. Its subject is the Irish in America, and it gives a masterful presentation of the history of these people, both in Ireland and in America. This book is not a light read. It is very dense, and rather long. For readers with a serious interest in the subject, however, it is very rewarding to read.

How So Many Irish Became American.......2004-02-14

Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Irish Exodus to North America is a well documented history of the emigration of more than seven million Irish people who left Eire for North America in five time periods from pre-Revolutionary days to 1921. Author Kerby Miller's research included more than 750 sources in both public and privately held collections in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Canada, 20 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as well as more than 5,000 emigrants' letters, memoirs, poems, songs and folklore.

Miller begins and ends the book with recollections of Irish oral tradition to help understand the essence of the Irish emigration experience. He refers to Irish poems, songs and ballads from as early as the 11th century to explain an almost original sin-like belief that all Irish are exiles whether they emigrated or not. He explains how the Irish wake became a metaphor for the departure of the emigrants. In the last moments before Maura O'Sullivan left her mother's cottage to begin her journey to America, the old women of the village gathered `round to sing a mournful goodbye that just as easily could have been a funeral dirge: "Oh, musha, Maura, how shall I live after you when the long winter's night will be here and you not coming to the door nor your laughter to be heard!"

By the 1830s, less than 10,000 families literally owned Ireland, with several hundred of the wealthiest proprietors and large tenants monopolizing the bulk of the land. The Irish Diaspora flowed from an extreme concentration of property and power in an agrarian, export-based economy where too many people competed for too few jobs. In 1841, 80 percent of the more than 8.1 million Irish lived in communities of less than 20 houses. Most people were forced to lead lives of impoverished subsistence agriculture, poorly paid urban common labor or to emigrate.

Miller says Irish country people were "preliterate;" that is, they were illiterate while preserving a rich oral tradition and robust cultural heritage through their Gaelic language. Gaelic tradition had been sustained in Ireland by hereditary storytellers and poets who met in "courts of poetry" at farmhouses where established bards judged the compositions of their successors. Hundreds of thousands of Gaelic speakers emigrated to North America.

Music and dancing also played a prominent role in rural Irish culture from whence most emigrants came. Miller says visitors were often astonished that people so poor could exhibit such skill and spontaneous pleasure in song and dance. He quotes a traveling Englishman who observed, "We frog-blooded English dance as if the practice were not congenial to us, but here they moved as if dancing had been the business of their lives."

Prior to 1815, most Irish emigrants either were able to pay their passages or "emigrated for nothing" as indentured servants. After that, overseas demand for indentured servants practically disappeared while opportunities to earn livable wages in Ireland continued to deteriorate. A pattern of family chain migration developed that financed over half of all Irish migration after 1840.

In 1845, Ireland's population was about 8.5 million. Ten years later, aft