Patrick J. Mahoney is co-author with Neil Hogan of “‘From A Land Beyond the Wave’: Connecticut’s Irish Rebels, 1798-1916.”
Page Turner / By Peter McDermott
The success of Maynooth University’s MA in Local History is perhaps the most obvious indication that that approach to Ireland’s past is flourishing at the academic level. It has led to the publication of more than 125 works by graduates on an extraordinary variety of subjects.
In the field of Irish-American history, “local” can mean looking at neighborhoods, cities and states that haven’t gotten a great deal of attention before. Often the area under study is rather larger than that of an Irish county or village. Patrick J. Mahoney’s Connecticut, for instance, is almost as big as Connacht, but the aim of his recent book (written with Neil Hogan) is the same as that of the best local history: to provide new insights on the bigger picture by looking at the specific.
“‘From A Land Beyond the Wave’: Connecticut’s Irish Rebels, 1798-1916,” Mahoney told us, “relays the revolutionary efforts of the Irish diaspora who settled or spent time in Connecticut, as well as well-known political and military figures who visited and impacted the state’s Irish communities.
“In doing so, we attempted to show the influence of Irish-American revolutionaries upon events transpiring in Ireland, and also the various impacts that newly arrived immigrants had upon the already established Irish communities that they often matriculated into,” said the PhD candidate at Drew University in Madison, N.J. “Like the larger transnational narrative of Irish revolutionary activity, it is comprised of stories of hope, sacrifice, humor, deceit, tragedy, and ultimately, independence.”
PATRICK J. MAHONEY
Date of birth: Dec. 22, 1988
Place of birth: Hartford, Conn.
Partner: Síobhra Aiken
Residence: New Jersey and Galway
Published works: “‘From A Land Beyond the Wave’: Connecticut’s Irish Rebels, 1798-1916” (Connecticut Irish American Historical Society Press, 2017), as well as a number of scholarly and popular articles; a regular columnist with the Clonakilty-based West Cork People; Twitter: @PatrickJMahone1.
What is your writing routine? Are there ideal conditions?
Well, for me, no matter what I am writing, the routine usually starts with a large cup of tea. In terms of writing a historical work in particular, a majority of the writing process actually involves compiling information and doing archival research. Once I feel that I have a sufficient number of sources and I’ve read all of the available work that other writers have put out on the topic, I start to think about how I’ll approach the subject in a new way.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Well, I would certainly classify myself as a young writer who is constantly working to perfect my own craft. So with that in mind, I would simply say to write as much as possible and take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.
Name three books that are memorable in terms of your reading pleasure.
Wow, tough to choose just three. A few that spring to mind are “Deoraíocht” by Pádraic Ó Conaire, “A Long, Long Way” by Sebastian Barry, “Sruth Teangacha” by Gearóid Mac Lochlainn, and a book by someone quite well known to readers here, “Rockin’ the Bronx” by Larry Kirwan.
What book are you currently reading?
I may catch a lot of flak for this (as I’m apparently a bit behind the times), but “Harry Potter agus an Órchloch.”
Is there a book you wish you had written?
What’s the best seller at the moment?
Name a book that you were pleasantly surprised by.
“Blasphemy” by Sherman Alexie.
If you could meet one author, living or dead, who would it be?
Luckily, I’ve been fortunate to meet so many amazing authors and writers over the past few years. However, as much of my research focuses on nationalism in the 19th-century, I would love to meet the Fenian leader, writer, and translator John O’Mahony.
What book changed your life?
Not to give a cop-out, but I try to take away something from every text I pick up. In that sense, I suppose (for better or worse!) that everything I’ve read has changed my life in some shape or form.
What is your favorite spot in Ireland?
It would have to be between Galway and West Cork. I went to University in Galway and still spend quite a bit of time there throughout the year, but I also have a lot of great memories from when I was younger out around Schull and the Mizen Head with my friends and family.
You're Irish if...
You can put one over the bar from 35 yards out while drinking a bottle of Buckfast and eating a Tayto sandwich.
