The Irish 100: a ranking of the most influential Irish of all time

The Story

'Good God! What a genius I had when I wrote that book', observed Jonathan Swift -- an Irishman of no small talent. In fact, the Irish have distinguished themselves throughout history, from politics to music to religion to literature. And in The Irish 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Irish of All Time, author Tom Philbin evaluates the most important progeny of the Emerald Isle.Count among them Michael Collins, father of the Irish Republic; great poets and writers such as James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and W. B. Yeats; and comic actor Buster Keaton. From John F. Kennedy, the first Irish-Catholic American president, to St. Patrick, who Christianized the barbarians in the fifth century, the people featured in this landmark book have all had an impact on the world stage.Within the pages of The Irish 100, Philbin recounts the stories of seafaring St. Brendan; Conn of the One Hundred Battles, an Irish king during the second century A.D.; and even Irish-American war hero Audie Murphy. Readers learn the legends behind American historical figures such as 'Typhoid Mary' (Mary Mallon), 'Billy the Kid' (Henry McCarty), and the 'Unsinkable Molly Brown' (Margaret Tobin) of Titanic fame.Ireland clearly has influenced world politics, the arts, sports, and invention both through its Irish citizens and those who share its ancestry. Philbin researched his 100 subjects and presents their stories of struggle and success in 800-word biographical sketches that capture the essence of their humanity and Irish-ness. The result is a remarkably detailed look at important Irish achievers.