Michael J. O'Brien was the historian and chief contributor to the "Journal of the American Irish Historical Society" during its years of publication, 1898-1941. O'Brien's numerous articles were united by a common objective--to explode the "Scotch-Irish myth," in effect to demonstrate that the Catholic Irish were more numerous than the Ulster Irish in the early days of immigration and more prominent in the affairs of state. O'Brien's collected articles now form a reference work of encyclopedic proportions--accessible, comprehensive, and convenient--and they touch upon the entire spectrum of colonial American history. In the 132 articles assembled here, O'Brien lists no fewer than 25,000 pioneers and settlers, his information deriving from both manuscript and printed sources. The two-volume consolidation also contains a new preface, a descriptive table of contents, and indexes.
