Nine Irish Lives

The Thinkers, Fighters, and Artists Who Helped Build America

By: Mark Bailey

Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins, Alan Smyth

In the spirit of David McCullough's Brave Companions, this anthology of popular American history presents the stories of nine incredible Irish immigrants as written by nine contemporary Irish-Americans.

Rosie O'Donnell, for instance, the adoptive mother of five, tells the story of Margaret Haughery, known as "Mother of the Orphans"; filmmaker and activist Michael Moore writes about the original muckraking journalist, Samuel McClure; and celebrated actor Pierce Brosnan writes about silent film director Rex Ingram. Some of the figures profiled are well known, others have stories that are less often told; all are inspiring. Compelling history mixed with moving and personal reflection, this collection of portraits is at once uniquely intimate and surprisingly immediate.

More than one in 10 Americans claims Irish ancestry and, with its celebrity contributors, Nine Irish Lives will have strong appeal for those listeners. It is also, though, a timely portrait of shared humanity. These are stories about immigrants - and in the tales of revolutionaries and visionaries, caretakers and unsung heroes, Nine Irish Lives reminds us of the values and the people that have shaped America.

©2018 Mark Bailey (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Perfect balance of history and storytelling

Found this book through the narrator Alana Kerr Collins and was unexpectedly enthralled by these stories. Great collection, yet each story is able to stand alone.

Ridiculous

The only notable Irish people you decide to write about are communists? This book makes me ashamed to admit that I am Irish. What a complete waste of my audible credit, not to mention my time.