John Francis Maguire in this fascinating examination of Irish immigration to America uncovers the answers to these questions and provides fascinating insight into how the United States and Canada were formed by nineteenth century immigration. Life for those early immigrants was certainly not easy. They faced a treacherous journey across a wild ocean, competition for jobs, overcrowded living conditions in the as well as prejudice and even violence from those who had been in America for longer. But even through these difficulties Maguire explains how the Irish have thrived in their new countries and even helped build them into the places that we know today.