America is known as the land of opportunity. But few people have responded to that statement in quite the same way as the Irish. Throughout the nineteenth century thousands of people left their homes in Ireland and headed across the Atlantic to this promised land of America. But why were the Irish drawn to this continent? And what did they find when they reached it? John Francis Maguire in this fascinating examination of Irish immigration to America uncovers the answers to these questions and provides fascinating insight into how the United States and Canada were formed by nineteenth century immigration. Life for those early immigrants was certainly not easy. They faced a treacherous journey across a wild ocean, competition for jobs, overcrowded living conditions in the as well as prejudice and even violence from those who had been in America for longer. But even through these difficulties Maguire explains how the Irish have thrived in their new countries and even helped build them into the places that we know today. Drawing upon evidence collected from his vast travels across the United States and Canada, Maguire's The Irish in America is a brilliant study of nineteenth century immigration and is a must read for anyone interested in both Irish and American history. John Francis Maguire was an Irish writer and politician. He was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dungarvan and subsequently was an MP for Cork City, serving until his death in 1872. This book was published in 1873.

Examining an impressive length of Irish cultural history, from 1700–1960, Reading the Irishwoman explores the dynamisms of cultural encounter and exchange in Irish women's lives. Analyzing the popular and consumer cultures of a variety of eras, it traces how the circulation of ideas, fantasies, and aspirations shaped women's lives both in actuality and in imagination. The authors uncover a huge array of different representations that Irish women have been able to identify with, including heroine, patriot, philanthropist, actress, singer, model, and missionary. By studying this diversity of viable roles in the Irish woman's cultural world, the authors point to evidence of women's agency and aspiration that reached far beyond the domestic sphere.