In The Irish Continent, Michael Lynch explores the little-known Irish roots to be found all across South America. A short holiday turns into a seven-month extended stay as he digs deeper into this unexpected heritage. Along the way he almost gets caught up in a riot in Santiago, takes in a football match in Buenos Aires, experiences a day-long trip across the desert from Asunción to Santa Cruz, and meets an elderly Argentinian woman who speaks with a curiously Irish accent. This entertaining travelogue, touching on an unsung part of Irish history, reveals a very personal connection to South America and looks at the continent through fresh eyes.
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Searching for San Patricio is a fascinating travelogue exploring the forgotten Irish connections in the southern US states and Mexico. Encouraged to visit the Texan town of San Patricio de Irlanda, Michael Lynch sets off to explore the wider territory that once formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. His journey takes him to San Juan in Puerto Rico, whose massive fortifications were designed by Irish engineers, and Florida, home at one time to the Hibernia Regiment of Spain. In New Orleans, he discovers that Alexander ‘Bloody’ O’Reilly executed the leaders of a rebellion against Spanish rule. He visited the Irish colonies of South Texas, and Lincoln in New Mexico where the Irish lined up against Billy the Kid. In the Old West, he visits Tombstone and the OK Corral and finds out about Irish desperados and gunslingers, miners and prospectors; and in Mexico he retraces the final movements of John Riley and the Foreign Legion of San Patricio in the Mexican-American War. Entertaining, informative and often surprising, the book brings to life a little-known chapter of Irish history through the people and places encountered along the road.
available to order at any bookstore, on Amazon and other online retailers