From the ubiquity of St. Patrick’s Day to the rising popularity of Celtic music, Irish Catholics maintain a large physical and cultural presence in the United States today. This has not always been the case—the journey to establishing an Irish Catholic identity in New York City is characterized by both triumph and struggle.
Author Dan Milner dives into this journey, tracing the history of Irish Catholics in New York. He begins with the 1783 evacuation of British military forces and ends a hundred years later with the city’s first Catholic mayor. Milner explains how Irish Catholics integrated into the city and held onto their identity in the face of discrimination. Throughout the book, Milner notably uses Irish folk song texts to capture the stories and culture of the Irish Catholic in New York.
The Unstoppable Irish: Songs and Integration of the New York Irish, 1783–1883 delivers a rich account of an important development in American history. As New York Irish History states, this book is “[A] treasury of mini-essays on many indelible songs from throughout the nineteenth century. . . . Milner brings Irish American history to life, through song, in this compelling book.”
The new paperback edition is available for purchase on the Notre Dame Press website.
Dan Milner was an adjunct assistant professor of geography and history at St. John’s University and the author-compiler of The Bonnie Bunch of Roses: Songs of England, Ireland and Scotland. He produced a number of CDs, including the twice Indie-nominated Irish Pirate Ballads and Other Songs of the Sea.