Irish Nonfiction

More than 40 million people consider themselves Irish American, and yet most of them do not truly understand the rich cultural history of their ancestors. From prehistoric times to the emigration of the Irish to Amerikay, this broad, yet comprehensive, history gives a general overview of the deep history of Irish Americans.

Weird but True Stories from Irish History: Bizarre, Shocking, and Unbelievable Tales from the Emerald Isle Ireland's past is filled with saints, scholars, and... flaming whiskey floods? Ghost ships? Phantom islands? In this captivating collection of true and historically verified tales, Weird but True Stories from Irish History explores the most bizarre, unsettling, and unexpected events ever to unfold on the Emerald Isle. From the medieval witch trial of Alice Kyteler to the whiskey-fueled infernos of Dublin and Tullamore, from ancient tsunamis and ghostly ships to the recent excavation of...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NOW AN FX LIMITED SERIES STREAMING ON HULU NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER From the author of Empire of Pain—a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions. One of The New York...

With green eyes and an easy smile, Frank McCabe stole me away from the nightmares that awaited me at home. But the son of the Irish Mob would never be mine. I belonged to the Italians. And the moment my mother sold me to the head of the Italian Mafia, I became the one the people of Boston were warned about. The only person more feared than me in our city is the Irish Ghost. When I finally flee my marital prison with my sons and my sister in tow, I unwittingly run straight into the ghost of the Irishman who died in a fiery explosion years ago.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR 2025 - AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS A shocking true story of heartbreak and survival by Sarah Corbett Lynch, daughter of Jason Corbett - an Irish Times Number 1 bestseller and the subject of NETFLIX documentary A DEADLY AMERICAN MARRIAGE. 'Honest and compelling' Sunday...

Quinn finds herself in an embarrassing situation when an old high school classmate who now lives in Ireland contacts her about their twenty-fifth high school reunion. Unfortunately, Quinn has gilded the lily as to her and her best friend, Fiona’s, accomplishments. Now, she will have to come clean. To make matters worse, Adler James, or Addie as she likes to be called, was one of the popular girls in high school. Soon after their meeting, Addie is accused of murder. Quinn believes she’s innocent and decides to do some investigating with the help of her cousin Charlotte. Quinn quickly ...

Quinn and Fiona have settled into their new life on Raven Hill Farm in West Cork. They have great friends and a menagerie of animals. Quinn volunteers at the local mental health clinic, while Fiona has her greenhouse and plants to keep her busy. Their lives are turned upside down when Owen Gilpatrick, the farm’s previous owner, is found dead in their barn, the victim of an apparent murder. What’s just as shocking is the DNA results that show Quinn to be Owen’s great-niece. Quinn can’t wrap her head around how she managed to buy her family’s ancestral home without even knowing it. ...

In 1895, Bridget Cleary was killed by those closest to her. Convicted she had been taken by fairies and replaced by a changeling, her death has long been misremembered as folklore. In truth, it was the result of sustained domestic violence, collective belief, and a legal system that failed to protect her. Drawing on contemporary trial records, newspaper accounts, and social history, The Burning of Bridget Cleary strips away myth to examine how power, belief, and authority converged to erase a woman who resisted submission. This is not a story about superstition. It is a true-crime ...

Connor 'Irish' Kelly has spent most of his life fighting for what he wanted. When he decides that Lucinda Harwell is who he wants, he makes the mistake of doing the one thing she can't tolerate. He tells an innocent, little, white lie. It's months before he can finally speak to her again, but when he does, the RP team find themselves in the midst of one of the most disturbing cases they've ever taken on. Children dying of cancer. Diabetics losing limbs. There doesn't seem to be an end to it. For Irish, as long as he can find an end with Lucinda, he'll be happy. Dr. Lucinda Harwell made a ...

Brought to you by Penguin. At the age of 16, a boy amongst men, Andy Farrell made his first-team debut for Wigan Warriors – and became a father for the first time. At 18, he won his first senior international cap. At 21, he won his first Man of Steel Award for the Super League player of the...

Every year across the United States, there are individuals whose passions defy simple description. Some call them researchers, others investigators, but their relentless pursuit of the unknown ignites imaginations and leaves many bewildered. Could monsters truly exist? Are the creatures that lurk in our nightmares and darkest fears roaming the earth—perhaps even living closer than we dare to believe? In this thrilling journey, renowned cryptopunkologist Kenney W. Irish, author of American Cryptids: In Pursuit of the Elusive Creatures and International Cryptids and Legends, once again ...

Ireland is a small island — rugged, rain-soaked, and far from the centers of empire —yet its influence has stretched across continents, cultures, and centuries. From the poetry of Yeats to the code of Boole, from the ballads sung in rebellion to the submarines launched in revolution, the Irish have left fingerprints on the modern world that are as enduring as they are unexpected. This book is a tribute to the impact—real, verifiable, often remarkable - in which Irishmen and women altered the course ofhistory, influenced thought, reshaped societies, and touched lives well beyond the ...

Did you know that a poet named William Drennan was the first to name Ireland the “Emerald Island”? He was referring to the green hills of Ireland’s countryside in his poem “When Erin first rose”. The countryside is what defines Ireland probably the best since, for a long time, it played a major role in the economy and culture of the nation.

Brought to you by Penguin. Hurling is Ireland’s national game – a source of fascination and pride, even to people who have never played it. Ciarán Murphy, a lifelong club footballer, used to be one of those people. Then he spent a summer trying to play hurling with a tiny club in the West...

Janessa: I’ve been in love with Seamus since the day I met him, even though I’d been fourteen at the time. Now that I’m an adult, I’m ready to go claim my man. Maybe I was stupid thinking he’d wait for me, or maybe I just really wanted a fairytale ending. Seeing another woman in his arms hurt like hell, so I ran…straight into trouble.

Best-selling and Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie offers incisive, often humorous takes on literature, culture, and world events in this New York Times Notable Book. In these stimulating pieces, Rushdie addresses a variety of subjects, including the death of the novel, India, soccer, and the Rolling Stones.

Twenty essays on Irish women, historical and contemporary, who have defied cultural norms around femininity and achieved great things. The subjects include Irish women from Queen Medb to Eileen Gray, from Constance Markievicz to Sonia O’Sullivan, covering stateswomen, artists, writers, activists and rebels of all kinds. Written by multi-award-winning author and first Laureate na nÓg (Irish Children’s Laureate) Siobhán Parkinson. Perfect for use in schools as well as for leisure listening, this collection celebrates the role of women in Ireland’s changing society.

Emmy Award-winning storyteller Bobby Norfolk brings his electrifying energy to world folktales (African, Eastern European, Appalachian, and Irish traditions), to the delight of all ages. From Anansi, the African trickster, to Jack, the bumbling, lucky, persevering Everyman of traditional stories, Norfolk's characters instruct while they entertain.