The Great Famine and the Irish Diaspora in America (Paperback)

by Arthur Gribben (Editor), Ruth-Ann M. Harris (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Between 1845 and 1855, nearly 1.5 million Irish women, men and children sailed to America to escape the Great Famine, triggered by successive years of potato blight. The famine and resulting emigation had a profound impact not only on the history of Ireland, but on that of England and North America as well. This volume of original essays commemorates the 150th anniversary of these epochal events and sheds new light on both the consequences of the famine and the experience of the Irish in America. The essays fall into three sections, the first of which examines the changes that took place in Ireland as a result of the famine. The second section explores the evolving perceptions of the famine over time, from the conflicted reactions of the Protestant reading public to coverage in the North American press. The third section looks at public memories of the famine and their role in the creation of Irish American identity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558491732
• ISBN-13: 978-1558491731
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,320,752 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating collection of essays . . ., January 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Famine and the Irish Diaspora in America (Hardcover)

A fascinating collection of essays that reveals, often in unexpected ways, the effects of the Irish famine on both sides of the Atlantic. Ranging from the loss of life to the loss of music among the Irish peasantry, from the pages of the Dublin University Magazine to the pages of American newspapers, from Chef Alex Soyer's famine soup to the famine graves at Grosse Ile, from Irish memory to Irish American rage, this scholarly but readable book provides us with the broadest understanding of this far-reaching event. (William H. A. Williams, author of 'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream)

5.0 out of 5 stars A major contribution to its field!, January 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Famine and the Irish Diaspora in America (Hardcover)

This book is a major contribution to its field. It contains important details that are missing from many of the previous works on the subject of the famine. The scholarship is sound and is often based on primary sources that have never been examined in this context before. The data are consistently compelling, fresh, and well documented. . . Any college with an Irish studies program will find the book indispensable. (Mary Ellen Cohane, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts)

5.0 out of 5 stars The only book to trace linkage between U.S. and Ireland, January 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Famine and the Irish Diaspora in America (Hardcover)

As a contributor to this volume on the Great Famine in Ireland, I think that this book makes an important contribution to the historiography of the Famine insofar as it may be the only volume to trace the linkage between the U.S. and Ireland during that tragic era. Neil Hogan, author of THE CRY OF THE FAMISHING, Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society.