The Irish Americans tells the story of those seven million men, women, and children who left their native land for a chance at a better life. Many came searching for the streets they had heard were paved with gold and found that not only were they not paved with gold, the streets were not paved at all and the Irish were expected to pave them. And so they did. And not only did the Irish pave, they built the railroads, the bridges, and the canals, as well as many city skyscrapers. In the process, America learned to cope with the Irish, and the Irish learned to cope with their new land. Today there are three times as many people of Irish descent in the United States than in Ireland. The story of the Irish in America is sometimes amazing, often amusing, frequently distressing, but always inspiring. It tells us not only who are the Irish in America, but what America itself is all about.