Ireland's Exiled Children: America and the Easter Rising - Hardcover

In his praiseworthy work, Schmuhl reminds us how much Irish America contributed to the legacy of 1916 and its aftermath in a book that brings an important new perspective to Rising studies. (Cahir O'Doherty, Irish Central)

an important book which explores the impact that Irish America had upon the Rising while laying the groundwork for future scholars to explore ― and re-examine ― the political, social, and cultural connections between Ireland and the United States ... concise and well-written ... Ireland's Exiled Children is a welcome addition to Irish and American studies, as well as to the fields of immigration and nationalism ― topics particularly relevant in the early twenty-first century. It is lucidly written and accessible to both specialists and non-specialists, even including a chronology of events spanning from the 1840s to the 1930s. At an affordable price, general readers will surely enjoy Schmuhl's storytelling and prose. (Mathieu Billing, H-Net)

Schmuhl's book paints an absorbing and provocative picture of the transatlantic dimensions of the Easter Rising and should encourage other scholars to follow his lead in further scrutinising the Irish American experience of the revolutionary period at large. (Síobhra Aiken, Irish Studies Review)

Historians have long noted that the 18th century American Revolution and the 20th century struggle for Irish independence have a number of historical, political, and symbolic parallels―in both cases, separation from Great Britain took several years to achieve, required revolutionary warfare, and tested long-established allegiances. Yet while these similarities have been documented, very few historians have considered the extent to which the roots of the Easter Rising grew in American soil. For instance, not only were Ireland's "exiled children in America" acknowledged in the Proclamation announcing "the Provisional Government of the Irish Republic," a document which circulated in Dublin on the first day of the Rising in April 1916, but also, the United States was the only country singled out in this Proclamation for offering Ireland help. Remarkably, five of the seven Proclamation signatories spent time in the U.S., with one a naturalized citizen and the others influenced by the freedoms that Americans enjoyed. Furthermore, money from the States largely bankrolled the Rising, including the purchase of weaponry used and the funding of publications distributed. And direct involvement was but one dimension of the United States' connection with the Revolution―though the Rising encompassed just six days, the events in Ireland fascinated Americans, and became a major, continuing news story throughout 1916.

In this work, Robert Schmuhl offers the first focused study of the United States' role in the Easter uprising and the event's significance in the evolution of Irish America. Based on original archival research conducted in Ireland, the United States, and Britain, the work brings into bold relief the central characters in facilitating and responding to the Rising. Each chapter places in the foreground one such individual―John Devoy, Joyce Kilmer, Woodrow Wilson, and Eamon de Valera―in order to inform the larger narrative about the preparation and the action of the Uprising, as well as the reactions of the Irish and Americans alike to the event. Capturing the complexities of American politics, Irish-Americanism, and Anglo-American relations in the unprecedented war and post-war circumstances, The "Exiled Children" and Easter 1916 is an important contribution to a much-neglected aspect of the struggle for Irish independence.