Ireland's Exiled Children: America and the Easter Rising
Robert Schmuhl
(Author)
Description
In their long struggle for independence from British rule, Irish republicans had long looked west for help, and with reason. The Irish-American population in the United States was larger than the population of Ireland itself, and the bond between the two cultures was visceral. Irish exiles living in America provided financial support-and often much more than that-but also the inspiration of example, proof that a life independent of England was achievable. Yet the moment of crisis-"terrible beauty," as William Butler Yeats put it-came in the armed insurrection during Easter week 1916. Ireland's "exiled children in America" were acknowledged in the Proclamation announcing "the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic," a document which circulated in Dublin on the first day of the Rising. The United States was the only country singled out for offering Ireland help. Yet the moment of the uprising was one of war in Europe, and it was becoming clear that America would join in thealliance with France and Britain against Germany. For many Irish-Americans, the choice of loyalty to American policy or the Home Rule cause was deeply divisive. Based on original archival research, Ireland's Exiled Children brings into bold relief four key figures in the Irish-American connection at this fatal juncture: the unrepentant Fenian radical John Devoy, the driving force among the Irish exiles in America; the American poet and journalist Joyce Kilmer, whose writings on the Rising shaped public opinion and guided public sympathy; President Woodrow Wilson, descended from Ulster Protestants, whose antipathy to Irish independence matched that to British imperialism; and the only leader of the Rising not executed by the British-possibly because of his having been born in America--Éamon de Valera. Each in his way contributed to America's support of and response to the Rising, informing the larger narrative and broadly reflecting reactions to the event and its bitter aftermath. Engaging and absorbing, Schmuhl's book captures through these figures the complexities of American politics, Irish-Americanism, and Anglo-American relations in the war and post-war period, illuminating a key part of the story of the Rising and its hold on the imagination.
Product Details
Price
$35.95
Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Publish Date
April 08, 2016
Pages
246
Dimensions
6.2 X 9.3 X 0.9 inches | 1.24 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9780190224288
BISAC Categories:
Earn by promoting books
Earn money by sharing your favorite books through our Affiliate program.
Become an affiliate
About the Author
Robert Schmuhl is the Walter H. Annenberg-Edmund P. Joyce Chair in American Studies and Journalism at the University of Notre Dame. He served as the inaugural Naughton Distinguished Visiting Professor at University College Dublin, was on the faculty of Notre Dame's London Centre, and was the first John Hume Visiting Research Fellow at University College Dublin. Schmuhl is the author or editor of eleven books, including Statecraft and Stagecraft: American Political Life in the Age of Personality, Demanding Democracy, Thomas Jefferson: America's Philosopher-King and Wounded Titans: American Presidents and the Perils of Power.
Reviews
"Schmuhl's engaging study offers an intriguing insight into the transatlantic dimension of the Easter Rising, elaborating on the substantial financial, moral and organizational influence of the Irish-American community...The book contains a highly valuable collection of sources and selected bibliography. It can safely be said that Schmuhl's book is an enjoyable read and a treasure-house of information for scholars and non-academic readers alike. This work is likely to become a standard reference book on the American and Irish-American aspect of the Easter Rising and its impact for future researchers and readers interested in Irish and American history." -- Lívia Szedmina, Americana E-Journal of American Studies in Hungary
"The chapters on Wilson and de Valera are excellent and provide a wealth of fresh research....Schmuhl's volume is an interesting read and a valuable addition to the new literature of the Rising as we celebrate its centenary....[I]t is a strong and fascinating narrative about exile, Irish America, and Irish Americanism."--Claire A. Culleton, James Joyce Quarterly
"[A]n important book which explores the impact that Irish America had upon the Rising while laying the groundwork for future scholars to explore--and reexamine--the political, social, and cultural connections between Ireland and the United States...[C]oncise and well-written Ireland's Exiled Children is a welcome addition to Irish and American studies, as well as to the fields of immigration and nationalism--topics particularly relevant in the early twenty-first century. It is lucidly written and accessible to both specialists and nonspecialists, even including a chronology of events spanning from the 1840s to the 1930s. At an affordable price, general readers will surely enjoy Schmuhl's storytelling and prose."--Mathieu Billing, H-Net
"This well-produced volume offers an excellent overview of the US context of the origins, course and aftermath of the Easter Rising. Schmuhl's background is apparent in his sure grasp of the US context and the ease with which he deals with public commentaries on the Rising. The decision to structure it as a series of biographical essays gives it narrative drive, and it is written in a lively style, with great clarity and considerable insight, underpinned by impressive research. It makes for an enjoyable and illuminating read and is one of the more intriguing and distinguished of the raft of books published to mark the centenary of Easter 1916."--History Ireland
"The trenchant arguments throughout establish this work as an important contribution to Irish and American historiography, while its pithy prose makes for a pleasurable read for both scholars and those with only a cursory understanding of the subject."--Irish America
"Robert Schmuhl has done Irish Americans a great service by revealing the extraordinary impact the 'exiled children in America' had on Easter 1916. It is a hidden piece of history that his original research has brought magnificently to life."--Niall O'Dowd, Founder, Irish America Magazine, Irish Central.com
"Robert Schmuhl puts students of both Irish and American history even further in his debt in this intriguing and stylish study, which appraises the relationship between the Rising and the roles and responses of, among others, John Devoy, Joyce Kilmer, Woodrow Wilson and Eamon de Valera. Ireland's Exiled Children adds a fresh dimension to Rising studies."--J. Joseph Lee, Glucksman Chair of Irish history, NYU
"Schmuhl's book paints an absorbing and provocative picture of the transatlantic dimensions of the Easter Rising and should encourage other scholars to follow his lead in further scrutinising the Irish American experience of the revolutionary period at large."--Síobhra Aiken, Irish Studies Review
