Though Ireland is a relatively small island on the northeastern
fringe of the Atlantic, 70 million people worldwide--including some
45 million in the United States--claim it as their ancestral home.
In this wide-ranging, ambitious book, Cian T. McMahon explores the
nineteenth-century roots of this transnational identity. Between
1840 and 1880, 4.5 million people left Ireland to start new lives
abroad. Using primary sources from Ireland, Australia, and the
United States, McMahon demonstrates how this exodus shaped a
distinctive sense of nationalism. By doggedly remaining loyal to
both their old and new homes, he argues, the Irish helped broaden
the modern parameters of citizenship and identity.
From insurrection in Ireland to exile in Australia to military
service during the American Civil War, McMahon's narrative revolves
around a group of rebels known as Young Ireland. They and their
fellow Irish used weekly newspapers to construct and express an
international identity tailored to the fluctuating world in which
they found themselves. Understanding their experience sheds light
on our contemporary debates over immigration, race, and
globalization.