Whether you've kissed the Blarney Stone or just like to sing and socialize at the local pub, you may have noticed that some Irish Americans have a flair for the creative. Throughout April, the Irish American Culture Examiner will look at famous creative Irish Americans.
This week's batch of notable Irish American creatives includes the top five modern and contemporary Irish American authors.
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy is a contemporary author who appreciates maintaining his own privacy. McCarthy touches on Irish and Irish American themes in his work. McCarthy's "The Road" and "No Country for Old Men" are among his novels that have made it to the screen.
McCarthy's style is no-nonsense and intellectual, much like "Moby Dick" author Melville (one of McCarthy's favorites).
For more information: Violence as a Symptom of Postcolonial Diaspora and Irish American Life in Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road'
Margaret Mitchell
Author Margaret Mitchell won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for her novel "Gone With the Wind," an antebellum American epic. This work of fiction endured tremendous acceptance as a film starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.
In the novel, the main character Scarlett O'Hara names her plantation Tara--an homage to the center of Ireland as well as the country's legendary ancient seat of power.
Mitchell was the great-grandaughter of an immigrant who came from Ireland.
For more information: Famous Fictional Uses of the Name Tara
Mary Higgins Clark
Suspense novelist Mary Higgins Clark worked as a flight attendent, secretary and copyeditor before becoming a novelist. Clark's father was an Irish immigrant and her mother Nora was Irish American. At the beginning of the Great Depression, Clark's parents fed those initially affected by the financial disaster.
A prolific author, Clark produces one to two novels per year and remains among the best known in her genre.
Frank McCourt
Frank McCourt was an autobiographical novelist whose Irish American experience includes life in the United States as well as Limerick, Ireland. Raised initially in Brooklyn, McCourt and his siblings returned to Ireland with his Irish parents in the 1930s.
McCourt's father was from Northern Ireland as his mother from the (present-day) Republic of Ireland. After suffering in squalor for several years, McCourt returned to New York. After surviving the Korean War, McCourt used the GI Bill to achieve an education and write his memories into the award-winning bestseller "Angela's Ashes."
McCourt died in 2009, shortly after singing about Limerick.
Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers. Many of his books are centered around fictional Irish American hero Jack Ryan, Jr.
Clancy's work includes bestseller "Patriot Games," a Jack Ryan novel involving the IRA (Irish Republican Army).
Clancy is noted for his realistic details of American special forces/secret services. Over time, his attention to topics relating to terrorism have only become more relevant to readers in the United States.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Who are your favorite Irish American authors? Please leave your comments below!
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