| Abstract |
In this book, the author deals with the interaction between the Irish and Irish Americans as both groups struggled to create an identity during the turbulent years before and during World War II. The strategic importance of the island of Ireland during World War II became a focal point to bring together both groups' search for identity and their place in the world. He explores how each group negotiated their new identities, how each struggle played itself out, and how their interactions affected each other. For the Irish, asserting an international identity apart from Great Britain, and maintaining it despite pressure from the British and American governments, was an important element in Irish independence, and Irish leaders turned to Irish America for support. Irish Americans, never fully assimilated, responded to these approaches, at least until December 1941. This work offers a window into how Irish Americans felt about themselves, their relationship to Ireland, and their place in American society during these important years. Looming large over all of this was World War II, British security concerns, and the wider British American partnership. |
