cover image The Irish Way: Becoming American in the Multiethnic City

The Irish Way: Becoming American in the Multiethnic City

James R. Barrett. Penguin Press, $29.95 (369p) ISBN 978-1-59420-325-1

“The Irish saloonkeeper, priest, cop, and ward heeler have become caricatures,” writes Barrett, “but each really did interact with the new immigrants [of other ethnic groups] every day, as did the Irish nun, public schoolteacher, and street tough.” In this way, the Irish helped shape American identity, according to Barrett (William Z. Foster and the Tragedy of American Radicalism), a professor of history and African American studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Three million Irish immigrated to the U.S. and by 1900 the Irish-born and Irish-American population had expanded to five million. This scholarly history, with chapters like “The Street,” “The Parish,” and “The Workplace,” details the interactions between the Irish and later immigrants in such public places as vaudeville houses, saloons, congested streets, and unions. In addition to the power and influence of Irish politicians, Barrett covers novels (e.g., James T. Farrell’s Studs Lonigan) and comic strips (Bringing Up Father) and the Irish influence on Hollywood, including Catholic censorship efforts that led to the Legion of Decency in 1934. Portraying colorful characters like New York reformer politician boss Timothy Sullivan and showing how the blending of African-American and Irish dance resulted in tap dancing, Barrett gives us an authoritative, fact-filled analysis. Photos. (Mar.)