A first-rate account of the Irish diaspora and the fate of transplant Irish communities in the societies where Irish folk ended up after emigration. Author Connelly foregoes the temptation to provide much evocative narrative per se in favor of a blizzard of factoids that reflect his dedicated and exhaustive research. For this reviewer the onward flow of incessant and well-chosen citations makes for a brilliant, always fascinating read...though some readers may find the style dry and unexciting. Quite the contrary for me, however. I endorse Connelly's brand of history and writing style with great enthusiasm. This is a book that belongs on the shelves of all readers who treasure dogged research and comprehensive presentation, not to mention a hyper-informed rendition of the last two hundred year's of the Irish people's history. Bravo.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a very in-depth and informative book on the Irish. It was interesting to read about the Irish coming to the United States,Canada and Australia, to name a few countries. I think as most people would assume that many coming to the United Stares would be as families but this wasn’t necessarily the case. Many were under 14 and men left their families back in Ireland. They sent money back home in hopes that their families would join them when they had saved enough money.