Irish in America

Rating:
Summary: Informative, inspiring, and fun
Review: This two-part video is a very satisfying and informative presentation about the immigration of the Irish to America.

Like the Irish themselves, this video is sprinkled with humor, but the hardships they faced and their determination to prevail are brought out to the viewers as well. The narration is excellent, and the seven or eight experts on Irish history used to punctuate the narrative do a fine job of bringing home the plight and the indominable spirit of these plucky immigrants to America.

For me personally this video was a good source of heritage, in that I found out about where I am from and what I am about - in an ancestral way - and I came away with a greater appreciation for the Irish who lived here in America before me.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the PBS series
Review: This video, while informative, lacked the "feeling" of the series on PBS. Specifically, it lacked the anecdotal information. For example, the PBS series revealed that the Irishman's value was more as ballast than as a passenger on the trip to America since the trade surplus from cotton, tobacco, etc. meant nearly empty ships returning to America from England. That type of insight into everyday life was lacking, in my opinion, in this video.