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The Immortal Irishman
The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero | Timothy Egan
From the National Book Awardwinning and best-selling author Timothy Egan comes the epic story of one of the most fascinating and colorful Irishman in nineteenth-century America. The Irish-American story, with all its twists and triumphs, is told through the improbable life of one man. A dashing young orator during the Great Famine of the 1840s, in which a million of his Irish countrymen died, Thomas Francis Meagher led a failed uprising against British rule, for which he was banished to a Tasmanian prison colony. He escaped and six months later was heralded in the streets of New York the revolutionary hero, back from the dead, at the dawn of the great Irish immigration to America. Meaghers rebirth in America included his leading the newly formed Irish Brigade from New York in many of the fiercest battles of the Civil War Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg. Twice shot from his horse while leading charges, left for dead in the Virginia mud, Meaghers dream was that Irish-American troops, seasoned by war, would return to Ireland and liberate their homeland from British rule. The hero's last chapter, as territorial governor of Montana, was a romantic quest for a true home in the far frontier. His death has long been a mystery to which Egan brings haunting, colorful new evidence.
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review
MaCa
Pickpick

Meagher was an elite Catholic revolutionary in 1840s Ireland. The nugget for me that conveys the book's able addressing of Meagher‘s Irish and American contexts together was that the Irish recruits in the Union Army were not necessarily abolitionist- in his Army role, Meagher ignored Lincoln/slavery when organizing Irishmen. Ironically, freedom for Ireland did not always translate to support of freedom for others

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Amiable
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Pickpick

Well-researched narrative of the incredible life of Thomas Francis Meagher. He led a failed uprising against British rule in Ireland, was banished to Tasmania for life, escaped and made his way to America where he served as general of the Irish Brigade in the Civil War, and became governor of the Montana Territory—all before the age of 43.

CoverToCoverGirl That sounds fascinating, added! 3y
Amiable @CoverToCoverGirl It was! I‘m also debating right now which chunkster to pick for #ChunksterChallenge2022 3y
CoverToCoverGirl @Amiable me too! My problem is I keep revising it..🤔 3y
61 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Amiable
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Have book, will wait for ferry from Kitsap Peninsula into Seattle.

66 likes1 stack add
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Amiable
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I mean, everyone goes on vacation with a fully stocked e-reader AND two extra paperbacks just in case AND stops at several local bookstores during their trip and buys even more books that will have to fit into the already jam-packed carry-on suitcase. Right?

Tamra Who doesn‘t? 😏 3y
MallenNC It‘s been awhile since I‘ve gone on a trip, but I think this is required! 3y
rubyslippersreads Of course, because what if you ran out of reading material! 😱 3y
See All 10 Comments
Amiable @Tamra My husband. 🙄 And then he complains when he has to find space in HIS suitcase for my purchases. 😄 (edited) 3y
Tamra @Amiable 😂 Tisk tisk - the trauma of being partnered with a reader. 3y
Lindy Of course! 📚 3y
katy4peas He should have learned by now. 😁 3y
katy4peas I know knitters who pack plastic water bottles in their suitcases. They buy yarn on vacation and swap out the water bottles for the yarn. They weigh about the same and are shaped similarly. So the trade off works well for swapping. Plus yarn is squishy. 😂 Books are slightly harder to plan for packing though… 🤔🤔 3y
Ruthiella 😂😂😂 3y
Amiable @katy4peas That is genius! 3y
70 likes10 comments
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MrBook
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#BookNDinner! Part 2, entrée. #LonghornSteakhouse Edition. I forgot my book, so an audiobook it is! Accompaniment so far this very calm and pleasant evening: a giant medium bone-in ribeye , mushrooms, loaded baked potato, and nice hot bread & butter, with iced tea. MMMmmmmm ?! Happy reads & happy eats! ???

67 likes1 stack add
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MrBook
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#BookNDinner! Part 1, appetizer. #LonghornSteakhouse Edition. I forgot my book, so an audiobook it is! Accompaniment so far this very calm and pleasant evening: baked potato soup with bacon and scallions, a Caesar salad, and nice hot bread & butter, with iced tea (the bourbon looked awesome, but I‘ve gotta drive home 🙈). MMMMmmm 😋! Happy reads & happy eats! 😎👌🏻

DGRachel Mmm. Baked potato soup sounds amazing. I haven‘t had that in ages. Enjoy! 4y
jmtrivera That looks like a perfect dinner! Yum! 4y
74 likes2 comments
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MrBook
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Are you listening to any audiobooks right now?! This one‘s fantastic if you like biographies 😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. Do you use different speeds?

Leftcoastzen I find other speeds annoying. 4y
Scochrane26 I‘m listening to a daughter of Sherlock Holmes book. I rarely increase the speed unless it‘s a long NF—then I have only gone up to 1.25. 4y
58 likes1 stack add2 comments
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howjessicareads
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As you can see, revolutionary American history has always been my main historical specialty, so The Immortal Irishman is a bit different; but I loved it so much! All four of these books are great. #behindthescenesatbookmans

JaclynW I loved the Immortal Irishman! I'm reading 1776 for book club later this year. 🙂 6y
79 likes2 comments
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howjessicareads
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Pickpick

Fascinating. I had no idea who Marr* was before I read this book, and I learned so much. The Irish accent on the audible version was delightful. I had to speed-listen to the chapters about the famine because I was bawling my eyes out at work... and I actually almost quit it at one point because it was depressing me. But I hung on through the grim part, and once Marr fled captivity in Tasmania I was totally hooked.

*Note in comments.

howjessicareads *It‘s actually Meagher. Which I had no idea, bc it sounds like Marr on audio. 😂 #bookwormproblems 7y
Susanita I had the opposite problem. I saw it written and for a long time pronounced it wrong in my head! 7y
RebL I saw him talk about this book at TFOB. What an interesting life. This should probably be on my TBR. 7y
53 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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suvata
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DivineDiana Hmmm! 7y
suvata Just something to ponder 7y
39 likes2 comments
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suvata
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My driving companion. ☘️

Andrea4 How is it so far? 7y
suvata @Andrea4 I am enjoying it so far. I‘ve only been listening for about an hour but it‘s pretty interesting. 7y
Andrea4 @suvata Good, well, I look forward to the full review! Happy listening! 7y
49 likes1 stack add3 comments
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ReadingMidwife
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Making me Irish. 🍀

7 likes1 stack add
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Spiderfelt
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Pickpick

And so continues an incomplete education, with Timothy Egan as my guide through 19th century Irish history, the plight of immigrants in New York and then the awful morass of the Civil War. Listening to this #audiobook, I grew to despise the heartless British overlords whose policies during the potato famine exacerbated and prolonged the disaster.

Spiderfelt I finally know what U2's song "Van Diemen's Land" is about. It was a penal colony in Tasmania for the Irish agitating for independence from England. 8y
20 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Cathleennh
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Pickpick

What bookstore would let you don your wedding attire to launch a magazine? My favorite indie bookstore, Water Street Books in Exeter,NH. Over 25 years in business, and they have created a real bookish community. Litsy told me its indie bookstore month, hence the photo -- but Dan, the intrepid bookstore owner, did recommend this fab book ( Immortal Irishman) which I have read, enjoyed, and given 2 as gifts!

MrBook Awesome!!! 8y
14 likes1 stack add1 comment
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fmcgeough
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Mehso-so

Lots and lots of details but not a narrative arc that was gripping for me. I did learn a lot about Irish history.

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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Dense in a good way, this story traces Thomas Meagher from Irish revolutionary to prisoner on Tasmania to American Civil War hero to governor of Montana. An amazingly full life. I learned a lot!

SusanInTiburon Egan's "The Worst Hard Time" blew me away. (Take or leave the pun.) I'll check this out. 8y
18 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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fmcgeough
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The seven-plus years of organized torment originated in a letter from Pope Adrian IV in 1155, which empowered King Henry II to conquer Ireland and "it's rude and savage people."