Proudly citing Irish ancestry or influence is truly a global phenomenon. Tom Hayden (whose previous books "The IRA," "The Troubles," "Michael Collins" and "De Valera" were all critically acclaimed best-sellers) takes a decidedly broad view of Irish influence in this book.
Nevertheless, he makes a convincing case that, as a result of immigration, imperialism and missionary activity, the Irish who scattered across the world have indeed left a distinctive mark, from Japan to South Africa to Latin America.
Famed 1960s activist Tom Hayden - Mr. Jane Fonda for some time - has fashioned himself into quite the Irish-American author.
A California state senator for nearly two decades, Hayden authored the legislation which required that the Irish Famine be taught in his state's schools.
He also visited Northern Ireland on a fact-finding mission in 1995, and has now written a personal/political memoir, Irish on the Inside: In Search of the Soul of Irish-America.
Suffice it to say, this is not exactly a conventional reflection. There's a section entitled "Che Guevera, C. Wright Mills and the Lost Irish Soul."
Hayden's liberal/radical credentials are still impeccable, which may turn some readers' stomachs. But Hayden's passion for Irish and Irish American affairs cannot be denied.
He bounces around from Boston gangs in the 1840s to Belfast today, and at times this seems disjointed. But in Hayden's view, the past and present are intimately intertwined.
Sections such as "The Sixties Made Me Irish" are sure to roll a few eyes, but overall "Irish on the Inside" has surprising insight, emotion and depth. ($23 / 308 pages
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