Irish in Illinois

Mathieu W. Billings is a faculty associate in the history and political science department at the University of Indianapolis.  Sean Farrell is a professor of history at Northern Illinois University. He is the author of Rituals and Riots: Sectarian Violence and Political Culture in Ulster, 1784–1886 and a coeditor of Shadows of the Gunmen: Violence and Culture in Modern Ireland.

A concise and comprehensive history of the Irish in a state where they have had an enormous impact. The richly illustrated engaging narrative is accompanied by a range of vignettes that help the story come alive. This is an absorbing book for the lay reader, as well as a useful text for students of Illinois history." —James R. Barrett, author of The Irish Way: Becoming American in the Multiethnic City"Mathieu W. Billings and Sean Farrell have done a magnificent job of combining primary research with a wealth of secondary material to produce an erudite and absorbing portrait of the Irish in Illinois from the mid-eighteenth to the early twenty-first century. The Irish in Illinois is a comprehensive and engaging book that should be read by everyone with an interest in Irish America, Illinois, or Chicago." —Gillian O'Brien, author of Blood Runs Green: The Murder That Transfixed Gilded Age Chicago"This is an engaging account of the Irish and Illinois history. While Chicago predominates, Billings and Farrell have crafted a compelling story of the Irish role in shaping the region since European exploration and settlement of the state." —Eileen M. McMahon, author of What Parish Are You From? A Chicago Irish Parish Community and Race Relations, 1916–1970"This is a concise but very smart and rich history of the Irish in Illinois. It is particularly insightful in its treatment of the Illinois Irish in the early nineteenth century as well as their experiences downstate throughout the two or more centuries of their settlement in the state. It makes a fresh and critically important contribution not just to the history of Illinois or to the story of the Irish there but to our understanding of the broader history of the Irish in America." —Timothy Meagher, author of Inventing Irish America"This well-researched and well-written book highlights the richness and the diversity of Irish immigrants and Irish American life in Illinois from the colonial era to the present. Billings and Farrell have provided a comprehensive analysis of the large Irish American community in Chicago but also have shown us the significance of the Irish outside the Windy City. It will be a role model for other state studies of the Irish in America." —David T. Gleeson, author of The Irish in the South, 1815–1877

• List Of Maps And IllustrationsList Of Biographical And Issue EntriesIntroduction1. From Imperial Soldiers To Prairie Patriots: The Irish In The Illinois Country, 1750-18182. From Irish Exiles To Paddy Politicians, 1818-18653. At The Forefront Of The Multi-Ethnic City: The Irish In Chicago, 1865-19334. Beyond The South Side: The Irish Of Downstate Illinois, 1865-19605. A South Side Empire? Irish Chicago, 1933-1983Conclusion: Irish Identities In Contemporary IllinoisFor Further ReadingBibliography