NEW BOOK LAUDS THE INGENUITY OF THE IRISH
A NEW book from the pen of Rosscarbery - based author and journalist David Forsythe has revealed the often little-known achievements of Irish people whose work has quite literally changed the face of the world.
‘What Have the Irish Ever Done for Us?’, details the incredible achievements of countless Irish people who left home shores to seek fame and fortune.
For example did you know that the contractor who built the first New York subway system, John B McDonald, was from Fermoy or that Paul Kane, one of the most important North American artists of the 19th century, was born in Mallow?
The book also tells how one of the first jobs ever undertaken by Pritzker prize-winning architect Kevin Roche, the man responsible for designing many of New York’s skyscrapers and the extension to the city’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, was to design a cattle shed at the Dairygold plant in Mitchelstown.
These are just some of the intriguing stories contained in David’s book, which also reveals how a woman from Cork City came to be the recipient of Israel’s highest honour; how a doctor from Sunday’s Well played a crucial role in eradicating leprosy; that a Kerry man is credited with being the father of modern economics and how the Irish invented Cheese and onion crisps, the submarine and chocolate milk.
The book, which is arranged across 51 chapters, also delves into how the Irish inspired the Chinese economic miracle, revolutionised global agriculture, helped split the atom, brought water to Los Angeles, designed the first guided missile and built the White House.
David said that despite its somewhat tongue-in-cheek title, the book is a testament to the fortitude and determination of the Irish diaspora and the positive contribution they have made to the wider world.
He said the seed for the book was sown during The Gathering in Ireland back in 2013.
“As a journalist I covered a lot of events associated with the diaspora. It stuck me that virtually every village town and townland across Ireland has some kind of intriguing story about one of their own who has done something amazing, or at least seriously impressive,” said David.
With this in mind he decided to put some of these stories together in a single volume.
“For centuries the Irish have had a global impact far beyond what you might expect from a tiny nation on the edge of Europe,” said David.
“While there are lots of heavy books on Irish history or in-depth biographies. I wanted to put together something that was light, easy to read and hopefully interesting and entertaining,” said David.
Launch to coincide with St Patrick’s Day, ‘What Have the Irish Ever Done For us?’ is available to order from Amazon in paperback and e-book.