The fascinating story of the Irish in Boston unfolds in this engagingly written history. Full of heroism and romance, politics and brawls, it tells the stories behind the well-known history and vividly portrays what life was like for the Harrigans, Gallaghers, Kelleys, Finnegans, and others who made their home in Boston over the past three centuries. From the days of  "No Irish Need Apply" in the 1850s to the inauguration in 1960 of the first Irish Catholic president, the Boston Irish have molded the history of the city -- and the nation -- in all areas of culture and society, and their spirited tale is told in these pages, completely updated with new information on Ted Kennedy’s death, closing the Camelot Era for the Kennedy Family; the recent Hollywood focus on Irish history and South Boston; and the demise of Ireland’s Celtic Tiger, changing the way Irish Americans think about Ireland