Meagher fought not just to be free from England, but to be free to be Irish. If orphaned, you were forced into a home full of people who rejected your faith. You could not marry, conduct trade or go into business with a Christian Protestant. You could not attend school, at any level, even at home…. You could not worship your God, in a church open to the public, without risking prison or public flogging. “For the better part of seven centuries, to be Irish in Ireland was to live in a land not your own,” Egan explains:

He and his associates were dubbed “Young Ireland” and gained influence as England increased their tyrannical threats on Irish identity. In Ireland, Meagher was a beloved, inspiring orator who stood for independence in the face of Britain’s oppressive rule (he even designed the country’s tri-colored flag). Meagher’s incredible life is a saga worthy of passing down for generations, and Timothy Egan’s masterful knack for refining history into gripping anecdotes gives Meagher’s story the power and cohesion it deserves.

Timothy Egan’s The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero is a captivating biography of Thomas Francis Meagher (1823-1867) and his indispensable contributions to Irish-American identity.

The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan