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Real lace, America's Irish rich, Stephen Birmingham ; cover design by Angela Goddard

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Real lace

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Stephen Birmingham ; cover design by Angela Goddard

America's Irish rich

Extraordinary true stories of the Irish in America, their remarkable rise from urban poverty, and the powerful dynasties they engendered Author Stephen Birmingham, who chronicled the rise of Jewish immigrants to extraordinary wealth and success in Our Crowd, now turns his attention to the Irish. Real Lace tells the colorful and fascinating true stories of America’s most renowned Irish-Catholic families. Scions of courageous, driven, and resilient men and women who escaped starvation during Ireland’s terrible potato famine in the mid-nineteenth century, they battled their way out of the slums of Boston and New York, overcoming prejudice and poverty to achieve great wealth, fame, and political power. Here are the remarkable tales of the Kennedys and Cuddihys; the astonishing rise and tragic fall of the McDonnells of Wall Street; thrilling yarns of Floods, Mackays, O’Briens, and other so-called Silver Kings of California; and unforgettable stories about brilliant, if not always scrupulous, Irish politicos who learned how to retain enduring power by perfecting the urban political machine. Birmingham’s enthralling history celebrates the pluck, blarney, and unshakeable spirit of a remarkable group of achievers

Cover Page -- Praise for the Writing of Stephen Birmingham -- Title Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Foreword -- Part One. The F.I.F.'S -- 1 "What Happened?" -- 2 In the Beginning -- 3 "Everything but the Light Bulb" -- 4 "Murray Bay" -- 5 Mr. McDonnell's Gimmick -- 6 The Greatest Nose Count of Them All -- 7 The Original Butter-and-Egg Man -- 8 The Wedding of the Century -- Part Two. The Wheeler-Dealers -- 9 "Ma and Pa D." -- 10 The Bubble Breaks -- 11 The Decline of Mr. Fall -- 12 The Silver Kings -- 13 Mr. Ryan's Fortune -- 14 And for My Eldest Son, One Set of Pearl Studs15 The Troubles of One House -- 16 Why Don't the Nice People Like Us? -- Part Three. High Society -- 17 The Duchess Brady -- 18 "Atomic Tom" -- 19 The Buckleys of "Great Elm" -- 20 The Upward Climb -- 21 Sons of the Priory, Daughters of the Sacred Heart -- 22 Royalty -- Part Four. What Did Happen -- 23 Problems in the Back Office -- 24 To the Bitter End -- 25 Aftermath -- 26 "Robert the Roué" -- Appendix -- Index -- About the Author -- Copyright Page