What have the Irish ever done for us? Apparently, quite a lot
FASCINATING BOOK HIGHLIGHTS THE INFLUENCE THE IRISH HAVE HAD RIGHT ACROSS THE GLOBE
A FASCINATING book from the pen of Cork author David Forsythe has highlighted the often little-known achievements of Irish people whose ground-breaking ideas and work have quite literally changed the face of the world.
Originally published in 2017, ‘What Have the Irish Ever Done For Us?’, which has been updated and relaunched to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, details the incredible accomplishments of many 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 actually born in Mallow?
It tells the incredible story of north Cork-born priest Fr Hugh Flaherty, ‘ The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican’, who helped save the lives of thousands of people during the Nazi occupation of Rome during World War II.
The book also tells how one of the first jobs ever undertaken by the late 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 the book, which also reveals how Mary Elmes from Cork City – who is to have the new bridge in the city named after her – 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.
It 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.
Filled with quirky illustrations by artist Alba Esteban, the book recounts some of the many ways that Irish people and their descendants across the globe have made their mark throughout history.
It contains stories of courage, ingenuity, perseverance and selflessness featuring well-known Irish people and some that readers will be surprised they have never heard of before.
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.