Irish America And The Ulster Conflict 1968 1995

The Clinton administration's controversial decision to grant Sinn F�in leader Gerry Adams a visa to enter the U.S. and Adams's subsequent fundraising activities here have received wide media coverage. That the U.S. is playing a part in events concerning Northern Ireland should surprise no one. Americans of Irish descent have long used their economic and political power to influence events in Northern Ireland; this influence continues today as the two sides negotiate peace. Here Andrew J. Wilson tells the complex, fascinating story of Irish America's longtime role in the Ulster crisis. He sets the stage with a summary of Irish-American involvement in Irish politics from 1800 to 1968, and then focuses on the growth and development of both militant and constitutional nationalist groups in the U.S. and their impact on events in Northern Ireland and on British policies there. His gripping narrative is based on interviews with leading activists on both sides of the Atlantic and extensive research through government records, materials in private collections, newspapers, and letters. Wilson gives a comprehensive account of how militant Irish- American groups have supported the IRA through gunrunning, financial disbursements, and aid to members on the run. He analyzes tactics used by the various groups to win publicity and public sympathy for their cause and documents techniques employed by the FBI to break the gunrunning networks. In his examination of Irish-American support for constitutional nationalism, Wilson focuses on the influence of the Friends of Ireland group in Congress and its attempts to shape British policy in Ulster. He shows how the lobbying of prominent Irish-American politicians Edward M. Kennedy, Daniel P. Moynihan, Thomas P. O'Neill, and Hugh Carey influenced U.S. government policies and provided the Dublin government with leverage to use in diplomatic relations with the British. Wilson sheds light on the role played by the U.S. government, probes the activities of reconciliation and investment groups, and considers how Northern Ireland has been presented in the American media. This comprehensive study of Irish America's impact on the Troubles in Northern Ireland will be of immediate interest not only to Americans of Irish descent but to all with an interest in modern history and U.S.-British relations. Andrew J. Wilson was born in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, of mixed Protestant and Catholic ancestry. He studied at Manchester Polytechnic and Queen's University Belfast, and later earned his Ph.D. in European history from Loyola University of Chicago, where he now teaches. His writings have appeared in a number of journals, including Eire- Ireland, The Recorder, and The Irish Review. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By far the best study of Irish America and the Northern Ireland problem.--Lawrence J. McCaffrey, Professor of History (Emeritus), Loyola University of Chicago

The Clinton administration's controversial decision to grant Sinn F�in leader Gerry Adams a visa to enter the U.S. and Adams's subsequent fundraising activities here have received wide media coverage. That the U.S. is playing a part in events concerning Northern Ireland should surprise no one. Americans of Irish descent have long used their economic and political power to influence events in Northern Ireland; this influence continues today as the two sides negotiate peace. Here Andrew J. Wilson tells the complex, fascinating story of Irish America's longtime role in the Ulster crisis. He sets the stage with a summary of Irish-American involvement in Irish politics from 1800 to 1968, and then focuses on the growth and development of both militant and constitutional nationalist groups in the U.S. and their impact on events in Northern Ireland and on British policies there. His gripping narrative is based on interviews with leading activists on both sides of the Atlantic and extensive research through government records, materials in private collections, newspapers, and letters. Wilson gives a comprehensive account of how militant Irish- American groups have supported the IRA through gunrunning, financial disbursements, and aid to members on the run. He analyzes tactics used by the various groups to win publicity and public sympathy for their cause and documents techniques employed by the FBI to break the gunrunning networks. In his examination of Irish-American support for constitutional nationalism, Wilson focuses on the influence of the Friends of Ireland group in Congress and its attempts to shape British policy in Ulster. He shows how the lobbying of prominent Irish-American politicians Edward M. Kennedy, Daniel P. Moynihan, Thomas P. O'Neill, and Hugh Carey influenced U.S. government policies and provided the Dublin government with leverage to use in diplomatic relations with the British. Wilson sheds light on the role played by the U.S. government, probes the activities of reconciliation and investment groups, and considers how Northern Ireland has been presented in the American media. This comprehensive study of Irish America's impact on the Troubles in Northern Ireland will be of immediate interest not only to Americans of Irish descent but to all with an interest in modern history and U.S.-British relations. Andrew J. Wilson was born in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, of mixed Protestant and Catholic ancestry. He studied at Manchester Polytechnic and Queen's University Belfast, and later earned his Ph.D. in European history from Loyola University of Chicago, where he now teaches. His writings have appeared in a number of journals, including Eire- Ireland, The Recorder, and The Irish Review. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By far the best study of Irish America and the Northern Ireland problem.--Lawrence J. McCaffrey, Professor of History (Emeritus), Loyola University of Chicago

Ireland’s Great Famine in Irish-American History: Enshrining a Fateful Memory offers a new, concise interpretation of the history of the Irish in America. Author and distinguished professor Mary Kelly’s book is the first synthesized volume to track Ireland’s Great Famine within America’s immigrant history, and to consider the impact of the Famine on Irish ethnic identity between the mid-1800s and the end of the twentieth century. Moving beyond traditional emphases on Irish-American cornerstones such as church, party, and education, the book maps the Famine’s legacy over a century and a half of settlement and assimilation. This is the first attempt to contextualize a painful memory that has endured fitfully, and unquestionably, throughout Irish-American historical experience.

Winner of the 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles The first woman elected to lead a major Western power and the longest serving British prime minister for 150 years, Margaret Thatcher is arguably one the most dominant and divisive forces in 20th-century British politics. Yet there has been no overarching exploration of the development of Thatcher's views towards Northern Ireland from her appointment as Conservative Party leader in 1975 until her forced retirement in 1990. In this original and much-needed study, Stephen Kelly rectifies this. From Thatcher's 'no surrender' attitude to the Republican hunger strikes to her nurturing role in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process, Kelly traces the evolutionary and sometimes contradictory nature of Thatcher's approach to Northern Ireland. In doing so, this book reflects afresh on the political relationship between Britain and Ireland in the late-20th century. An engaging and nuanced analysis of previously neglected archival and reported sources, Margaret Thatcher, the Conservative Party and the Northern Ireland Conflict, 1975-1990 is a vital resource for those interested in Thatcherism, Anglo-Irish relations, and 20th-century British political history more broadly.

British troops, which arrived as a temporary measure, would remain in Ireland for the next 38 years. Successive British governments initially claimed the Northern Ireland conflict to be an internal matter but the Republic of Ireland had repeatedly demanded a role, appealing to the UN and US, while across the Atlantic, Irish-American groups applied pressure on Nixon's largely apathetic administration to intervene. Following the introduction of internment and the events of Bloody Sunday, the British were forced to recognise the international dimension of the conflict and begrudgingly began to concede that any solution would rely on Washington and Dublin's involvement. Irish governments seized every opportunity to shape the political initiative that led to Sunningdale and Senator Edward Kennedy became the leading US advocate of American intervention while Nixon, who wanted Britain onside for his Cold War objectives, was faced with increasingly influential domestic pressure groups. Eventually, international involvement in Northern Ireland would play a vital role in shaping the principles on which political agreement was reached - even after the breakdown of the Sunningdale Agreement in May 1974. Using recently released archives in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and United States, Alan MacLeod offers a new interpretation of the early period of Northern Ireland's 'Troubles'.

Migration - people moving in as immigrants, around as migrants, and out as emigrants - is a major theme of Irish history. This is the first book to offer both a survey of the last four centuries and an integrated analysis of migration, reflecting a more inclusive definition of the 'people of Ireland'.

Since Irish immigrants began settling in New Jersey during the seventeenth century, they have made a sizable impact on the state's history and development. As the budding colony established an identity in the New World, the Irish grappled with issues of their own: What did it mean to be Irish American, and what role would "Irishness" play in the creation of an American identity? In this richly illustrated history, Dermot Quinn uncovers the story of how the Irish in New Jersey maintained their cultural roots while also laying the foundations for the social, economic, political, and religious landscapes of their adopted country. Quinn chronicles the emigration of families from a conflict-torn and famine-stricken Ireland to the unfamiliar land whose unwelcoming streets often fell far short of being paved with gold. Using case histories from Paterson, Jersey City, and Newark, Quinn examines the transition of the Irish from a rejected minority to a middle-class, secular, and suburban identity. The Irish in New Jersey will appeal to everyone with an interest in the cultural heritage of a proud and accomplished people.

The second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Northern Ireland Conflict provides an accessible and comprehensive study of the conflict and peace process in Northern Ireland from the 1960s to 2016. The second edition of the book expands on the references relating to individuals, organizations and events of the Northern Ireland Troubles and adds material on significant subsequent developments. This the work provides a unique view of developments since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. While widely heralded as the end of the Northern Ireland conflict the agreement instead witnessed the beginning of a new series of political difficulties to be addressed. The Historical Dictionary of the Northern Ireland Conflict is the first significant reference work to examine many of the issues related to political and cultural conflicts and dealing with the past which have grown in intensity since 1998. Many of these themes will be relevant to students of post-conflict societies in other areas of the world. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of the Historical Dictionary of the Northern Ireland Conflict contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture.