Documentary about the influence and impact of the Irish in America
Through the lives of selected characters synonymous with Irish American history (Andrew Jackson, Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, Fighting Tom Sweeny, Patrick Cleburne, Bridget Murphy Kennedy, John L. Sullivan, The Silver Kings, Diamond Jim Brady and others), this period of 1650 through the turn of the 20th century. We profile the Irish involvement in the American Revolution, the Age of Jackson, the Mexican and Civil Wars, the California Gold Rush, the building of great American cities and the taming of the American West. Contrasted is the suffering of the Irish people at home under British Rule and their fight for freedom and justice.
Powerful, moving, and insightful, THE IRISH IN AMERICA is a unique documentary encompassing the long and difficult struggle of the Irish immigrant experience. It is a tale of how a resilient people turned poverty into prosperity and changed the American continent forever.