Customer Reviews

Home Away from Home: The Yanks in Ireland

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Interesting, informal history, apparently a companion work to a documentary film, of some of the some 300,000 servicemen and women who served in, or passed through Northern Ireland in World War Two, and their hosts.

The story includes Navy, Marines, and airmen, and of course the big infantry and armored divisions, but is of particular interest in its account of the raising and training of the first modern Ranger battalion, which was born in Carrickfergus in June 1942.

The work is a little shaky in some of the details of American military history, and a bibliography and index would not have gone amiss, but it is of value nonetheless in its recounting of a meeting of cultures which has had continuing influence on Yanks and Irish alike.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

My father and uncle were one of the Marines who served in Ireland. Many times, when I told others this, they were unaware that Ireland played a role much less that there was a "base" in Ireland. So I am thrilled that this story has been told. Mary Pat Kelly not only researched the war aspect, but she also captured, I believe, the very special relationship that occured between the yanks and the Irish. I treasure this history she lovingly and painstakingly documented, as I finally now know what it was truly like for my dad and uncle. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand WWII from the ground up, and the important role that Ireland played, as well as for those who want a unique story heretofore un-told.