The Other Irish: The Scots-Irish Rascals Who Made America

What do Mark Twain, Neil Armstrong, and John McCain have in common? Theyre all descendants of a merry group of Scots-Irish braggarts that crossed the Atlantic from Ireland in the early 1700s and settled in Americas South. Also known as the "Other Irish, " this wild bunch of patriotic, rebellious, fervently religious rascals gave us the NRA, at least fourteen presidents, decisive victories in the Revolutionary War, a third of todays US Military, country music, Star Wars, the Munchkins, American-style Democracy, and even the religious right... not to mention NASCAR, whose roots go back to Prohibition-era moonshine runners. Yet few Americans are familiar with the Other Irish or their contributions to American culture. Now author and documentary filmmaker Karen McCarthy shines a probing light on this fascinating topic, illuminating the extent to which the Scots-Irish helped weave the fabric of our nation.