Long before the American colonies won their independence, the Irish were making their own history in Louisiana. The Louisiana Irish tells the story of how the Irish influence touched every aspect of society and can still be felt throughout New Orleans and the surrounding region today. Author Margaret Varnell Clark chronicles a number of people and historical events, including:
- Ulster Protestants who found a safe haven from British intolerance in the mid-1700s
- Irish-born Governor General Alexander O'Reilly, sent by the Spanish to take the colony, by force if necessary, in 1769
- Legion of administrators and Irish priests sent to catholicize the South
- Battles for New Orleans between two of Ulster's sons: Andrew Jackson and General Sir Edward Packenham
- Young Irelanders in America following the 1848 rebellion
- Confederate Irish regiments who fought bravely at Spotsylvania, Monocacy, Manassas, the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, and Gettysburg
- Playwright Oscar Wilde's legitimate property claim to a Southern plantation
- International chess phenomena Paul Morphy
Filled with historical treasures and little-publicized facts, The Louisiana Irish tells the story of the Irish and how they shaped the city of New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the American South.
