"Nine Irish Lives," edited by Mark Bailey, is the February 2025 selection for the IrishCentral Book Club.
Each month, we will pick a new Irish book or a great book by an Irish author and celebrate the amazing ability of the Irish to tell a good story for the IrishCentral Book Club.
In "Nine Irish Lives," an anthology published in 2018, nine contemporary Irish Americans present the stories of nine inspiring Irish immigrants who helped shape America.
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Synopsis of "Nine Irish Lives"
In this entertaining and timely anthology, nine contemporary Irish Americans present the stories of nine inspiring Irish immigrants whose compassion, creativity, and indefatigable spirit helped shape America.
The authors here bring to bear their own life experiences as they reflect on their subjects, in each essay telling a unique and surprisingly intimate story.
Rosie O’Donnell, an adoptive mother of five, writes about Margaret Haughery, the Mother of Orphans.
Poet Jill McDonough recounts the story of a particularly brave Civil War soldier, and filmmaker and activist Michael Moore presents the original muckraking journalist, Samuel McClure.
Novelist Kathleen Hill reflects on famed New Yorker writer Maeve Brennan, and historian Terry Golway examines the life of pivotal labor leader Mother Jones.
In his final written work, activist and politician Tom Hayden explores his own namesake, Thomas Addis Emmet.
Nonprofit executive Mark Shriver writes about the priest who founded Boys Town, and celebrated actor Pierce Brosnan—himself a painter in his spare time—writes about silent film director Rex Ingram, also a sculptor.
And a pair of Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists, Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, take on the story of Niall O’Dowd, the news publisher who brokered peace in Northern Ireland.
Each of these remarkable stories serves as a reflection—and celebration—of our nation’s shared values, ever more meaningful as we debate the issue of immigration today. Through the battles they fought, the cases they argued, the words they wrote, and the lives they touched, the nine Irish men and women profiled in these pages left behind something greater than their individual accomplishments—our America.
Reviews for "Nine Irish Lives"
“What makes Nine Irish Lives so compelling is the sheer range of voices and personalities that comprise its endlessly digestible pages. What Bailey has done here is inspired.” - Irish America
“What makes these pieces work so well is the connection each writer feels with the chosen subject, with those not primarily known as writers revealing as much about themselves as their subject through their choice . . . Nine other writers might well have selected nine different subjects, which serves as a tribute to the indomitable Irish character and the transformational possibilities of America. This is a perfect St. Patrick’s Day anthology for the Irish book lover on your gift list.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Today, when some in the United States are wishing away our diversity and openly inciting discrimination and even violence, Nine Irish Lives serves as a riveting, inspiring reminder of all that America stands to gain by opening our arms to the hungry, the persecuted, the proud, and the determined." - Samantha Power, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
“These are not just nine Irish lives, but nine extraordinary lives, their struggles universal, their causes never more important than today. As the saying goes, the best stories belong to those who can tell them. And these are well told, by some of our best storytellers.” - Timothy Egan, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortal Irishman
“Nine Irish Lives is an engrossing and inspiring book. As the child of Irish immigrants, I was in awe of what these nine people achieved." - Mary Higgins Clark, internationally bestselling suspense novelist
About Mark Bailey
Mark Bailey is an author and Emmy-nominated screenwriter. His previous books include "American Hollow," "Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide to Great American Writers," "Of All the Gin Joints," and the children's book "Tiny Pie." His films have appeared on HBO, PBS, National Geographic, and Lifetime. Bailey lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children. His website is MarkBaileyWriter.com.
*Synopsis, reviews, and biographical information via Hachette.
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