Nov 20, 2023

The Wolfhounds of Irish-American Nationalism

A History of Clan Na Gael, 1867-present

Seán Creagh

Hosted by Aidan Beatty

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Summary

As Ireland's oldest revolutionary movement and America's oldest transatlantic nationalist organization this is the first book covering the entire history of Clan na Gael. Formed in 1867 and existing up to the present Clan na Gael has been involved directly and indirectly in every violent revolutionary attempt for Irish independence and unification since its formation 155 years ago. Despite this long history it is the least studied and most underappreciated of Ireland's revolutionary movements. A large part of this is due to academic bias and major under appreciation as to the role of Irish America within the broader struggle for Irish independence. Clan na Gael's influence also went well beyond the borders of Ireland. Within the U.S Clan na Gael proved a major model of influence and inspiration for movements such as Zionism, Indian nationalists, African American nationalists and even the Suffragette movement among others. Seán Creagh's book The Wolfhounds of Irish-American Nationalism: A History of Clan Na Gael, 1867-Present (Peter Lang, 2023) attempts to give this long-neglected movement its proper place within the annals of Irish history as well as that of Anglo-American relations and transatlantic nationalism.

Seán Creagh was born in County Monaghan in 1977. He attended Our Lady’s Secondary School in Castleblayney and later on Dundalk Institute of Technology. After moving to the U.S and developing an intense interest in Irish-American history he attended Northeastern Illinois University where he achieved an Honors Degree in History as well as Honors in Education. Today he is a middle school Social Studies teacher in Illinois.

Aidan Beatty teaches in the history department at Carnegie Mellon University.