Irish Immigrants in New York City, 1945-1995: (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The Irish have been leaving Ireland to go to America for more than three hundred years..." (more)
Key Phrases: fifties migrants, frugal comfort, county organizations, New York, United States, Irish American (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Most histories of New York City's Irish immigrants focus on the plight of the men and women who fled the potato famine in the mid, 19th century. However, a recent US census recorded over half a million persons of Irish ancestry living in NYC; historians know very little about this generation of Irish immigrants. In an effort to address this overlooked aspect of the city's history, Almeida (New York Univ.) explores the Catholic Irish immigrants who made their way to the city in the 1950s and 1980s. She surveys the experiences and expectations of midcentury immigrants and examines why the New Irish were forced to adapt their expectations and institutions to meet the social and cultural demands of life in New York City. Based on 52 interviews with Irish immigrants and material drawn from the US census, this is a solid piece of scholarship. Almeida undermines notions that the city's Irish community is a homogeneous entity, while demonstrating that probing the forces that mold Irish identity is a rewarding exercise. This survey of Irish community and identity building will be of particular interest to urban historians and specialists in ethnic studies. Undergraduate collections and above." -- T. D. Beal, SUNY College at Oneonta, Choice, January 2002

Product Description

The Irish are everywhere in America, from Frank McCourt (with two books on the bestseller lists), to Riverdance, to PBS specials, to Pierce Brosnan (James Bond is really Irish-American--we knew it all time) to U2, etc. And immigrants are everywhere. This book tells the story of one of the most visible groups of immigrants in the major city of immigrants in the last half of the twentieth-century.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press; First Edition/First Printing edition (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253338433
• ISBN-13: 978-0253338433
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,039,538 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars irish Immigrants in New York City, May 10, 2001

By A Customer

She is a wonderful author. Her insight is terrific and the depth of her research is impressive.