Celebrate the luck of the Irish as we celebrate Irish American Heritage Month! This month, we honor the rich cultural tapestry woven by generations of Irish Americans and invite you to immerse yourself in the tales, traditions, and triumphs of this influential community. From the captivating narratives penned by renowned authors such as Tom Clancy, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Anne Rice to the poignant reflections of voices like Flannery O’Connor and Frank McCourt, there's a treasure trove of literature waiting to be explored. Join us in commemorating the enduring legacy of Irish Americans through the pages of history, fiction, and memoir.
Originally a religious holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish. The world’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade occurred on March 17, 1762, in New York City. The U.S. Congress designated March as Irish American Heritage Month in 1991, and the president issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year. As of 2021, 9.5% of U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry, and 118,000 are first generation immigrants.
Adult Books:
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie's once-lucrative car business is going under--but rather than face the music, he's spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife Imelda is selling off her jewelry on eBay, while their teenage daughter Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge-drink her way through her final exams. And twelve-year-old PJ is putting the final touches to his grand plan to run away from home. Where did it all go wrong?
The First Kennedys: the Humble Roots of an American Dynasty by Neal Thompson
Based on genealogical breakthroughs and previously unreleased records, this is the first book to explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple who escaped famine, created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics, and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America.
The Immortal Irishman: the Irish Revolutionary who Became an American Hero by Timothy Egan
The Irish American story, with all its twists and triumphs, is told through the improbable life of one man. A young orator during the Great Famine of the 1840s, in which a million of his Irish countrymen died, Thomas Francis Meagher led a failed uprising against British rule, for which he was banished to a Tasmanian prison colony.
Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark
In a memoir of growing up in the Bronx during the Depression, the author recalls her father's death in 1939, her family's financial woes, and her mother's creation of a rooming house, bringing in tenants who would change their lives.
Lucky Leap Day by Ann Marie Walker
A whirlwind trip to Ireland is supposed to end with a suitcase full of wool sweaters and souvenir pint glasses, not a husband you only just met! But after one too many whiskeys, fledgling screenwriter Cara Kennedy takes a page out of someone else's script when she gets caught up in the Irish tradition of women proposing on Leap Day.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
In a novel set in an indefinite, futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, a father and his young son make their way through the ruins of a devastated American landscape, struggling to survive and preserve the last remnants of their own humanity.
Teen Books:
Anila’s Journey by Mary Finn
In late-eighteenth-century Calcutta, half-Indian half-Irish Anila Tandy finds herself alone with nothing but her artistic talent to rely on, searching for her father who is presumed dead.
Leap Day: a Novel by Wendy Mass
On her fourth Leap birthday, when she turns sixteen, Josie has a number of momentous experiences, including taking her driver's test, auditioning for a school play, and celebrating with her family and friends.
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz
It is 1943, and thirteen-year-old Michael O'Shaunessey, son of the Irish ambassador to Nazi Germany in Berlin, is also a spy for the British Secret Service, so he has joined the Hitler Youth, and pretending that he agrees with their violence and book-burning is hard enough-- but when he is asked to find out more about "Projekt 1065" both his and his parents' lives get a lot more dangerous.
Children’s Books:
Begone the Raggedy Witches by Celine Kiernan
When witches kidnap her dad, Mup is swept up in a wild tide of magic that carries her to another world. Can she reunite her family and find her way back?
Currents by Jane Petrlik Smolik
In 1854 eleven-year-old Bones is a slave in Virginia who sends a bottle holding her real name and a trinket from her long-lost father down the James River--the currents carry it far away, ultimately uniting the lives of three young girls.
The Gallery by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
In 1929 New York City, twelve-year-old housemaid Martha O'Doyle suspects that a wealthy recluse may be trying to communicate with the outside world through the paintings on her gallery walls.
Legends and Lore: Ireland’s Folk Tales by Michael Scott
A competition to become King of the Leprechauns... A trick designed to fool the Queen of the Fairies... A terrifying lake monster confronted by the unlikeliest of heroes... Nine Irish legends come to life in these timeless, action-packed folktales about mythological creatures and epic heroes.
Tracks by Diane L. Wilson
An Irish boy and a Chinese boy become friends, despite their mistrust and prejudices, while working on the Transcontinental Railroad in 1866.
Movies:
An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
Captains and the Kings: an American Dynasty
Joseph Armagh is a poor Irish immigrant who is determined to create a better life for his family. He arrives in America in the mid-19th century. Through personal struggle, heartache and perseverance, he becomes one the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country.
The Great Gatsby follows viable writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922. Chasing his own American dream, Nick lands next door to Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her husband, Tom Buchanan.
An epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the twentieth century. Left behind by the world, former hitman and union truck driver Frank Sheeran looks back from a nursing home on his life's journey through the ranks of organized crime.
When Anna's four-year anniversary to her boyfriend passes without an engagement ring, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Inspired by an Irish tradition that allows women to propose to men on Leap Day, Anna follows Jeremy to Dublin to propose to him.