Extraordinary true stories of the Irish in America, their remarkable rise from urban poverty, and the powerful dynasties they engendered

Author Stephen Birmingham, who chronicled the rise of Jewish immigrants to extraordinary wealth and success in "Our Crowd", now turns his attention to the Irish. Real Lace tells the colorful and fascinating true stories of America's most renowned Irish-Catholic families. Scions of courageous, driven, and resilient men and women who escaped starvation during Ireland's terrible potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century, they battled their way out of the slums of Boston and New York, overcoming prejudice and poverty to achieve great wealth, fame, and political power.





Here are the remarkable tales of the Kennedys and Cuddihys; the astonishing rise and tragic fall of the McDonnells of Wall Street; thrilling yarns of Floods, Mackays, O'Briens, and other so-called Silver Kings of California; and unforgettable stories about brilliant, if not always scrupulous, Irish politicos who learned how to retain enduring power by perfecting the urban political machine. Birmingham's enthralling history celebrates the pluck, blarney, and unshakeable spirit of a remarkable group of achievers.

• We started tracking this book on October 29, 2015.
• This book was $14.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 202 times in the past 3,601 days.
• The current price of this book is $2.99 last checked one day ago.
• This book is at its lowest price in the past year.
• The lowest price to date was $1.20 last reached on August 10, 2018.
• This book has been $1.20 2 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $17.05 last reached on February 22, 2025.
• This book has been $17.05 12 times since we started tracking it.

• HistoryAmericasUnited States19th Century
• HistoryUnited StatesImmigration
• HistorySocial & CulturalRace & Ethnicity
• Politics & Social SciencesSocial SciencesSociologySocial Classes & Economic Disparity
• HistoryAmericas
• HistoryUnited States19th Century

• Publication Date: December 1, 2015
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 338 Pages
• File Size: 23 KB