How The Irish Won The West

The historical focus on the Irish diaspora in the U.S. has always been on the east coast. Often ignored is the legion of ‘two boat Irish’ who made their way into the vast American West. These included fur trappers, miners, soldiers, gangsters, and prostitutes. A fair sprinkling made vast fortunes, and a good proportion found their way to California. In his book How the Irish Won the West, Myles Dungan has disinterred many of these narratives. If they weren’t verifiably true, you probably wouldn’t believe most of them.
Myles Dungan is an Irish historian, broadcaster, playwright and novelist. He is the author of a number of books on Irish and American history, holds a PhD from Trinity College, Dublin, has taught in U.C. Berkeley as a Fulbright scholar, and presents the weekly History Show on Irish National Radio (RTE).

Myles will be introduced by Tony Bucher, President of the Irish Literary & Historical Society.

Martin Hayes’ soulful interpretations of traditional Irish music are recognized the world over for their exquisite musicality and irresistible rhythm. He has toured and recorded with guitarist Dennis Cahill for over twenty years, and has collaborated with extraordinary musicians in the classical, folk and contemporary music worlds including Bill Frisell, Ricky Skaggs, Jordi Savall, Brooklyn Rider and the Irish Chamber Orchestra as well as many of the greatest Irish musicians over the past thirty years. Martin has contributed music, both original and traditional arrangements to modern dance, theatre, film and television. He has performed on stage with Sting and Paul Simon and recently recorded with Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project.