How a typical Irish emigrant rose to a position of influence at the highest levels of US and Irish politics.

A remarkable firsthand account of an Irish emigrant who began as a part-time footballer and house-painter and became a journalist, author, founder and publisher of two newspapers, a magazine and website, as well as a leading advocate for immigration reform for the ‘illegal’ Irish in the United States. He played a pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process, securing a US visa for Gerry Adams in 1994 and acting as intermediary between the White House and Sinn Féin during a critical time in the peace negotiations.

Niall O’Dowd has been described as: ‘the authentic voice of the Irish in America, who has more knowledge of this community than almost anyone else alive,’ by Jim Dwyer, New York Times and Pulitzer Prize winner.

'remarkable insiders story of the Northern Irish peace process'

'Niall O’Dowd has written an outstanding book'

'an extraordinary story' ... 'remarkable'

'a valuable contribution to the history of the peace process as well as the Irish emigrant experience'

'Niall O’Dowd knows how to tell a story'

'at times painfully honest, at other times wittily self-effacing, this is O’Dowd’s account of his times as an undocumented Irishman working in the US'

'a witty and lively book, and a hopeful one'

'a worthy contribution to the literature on emigration and an insightful exploration of the relationship between Ireland and the US'

'a "very humane and very humourous" story'

'a classic work of emigrant literature which, in the Irish canon, deserves to be assessed alongside such works such as Patrick McGill’s Children of the Dead End and Donal MacAmhlaigh’s Diallan Diorat or, in the American, with Barack Obama’s Dreams from My

'Some...would say that in America, his is the Irish Voice'

'a fascinating tale'

'highly readable'

'an affecting emigrant’s tale'

'riveting political reportage'

'His father would be hugely proud of him, and so should be all of us'

'could lay claim to being not only the first emigrant classic of the 21st century, but also to opening up a whole new chapter in the experience of our exiles'

'the confident note struck in the first chapters is never fully absent, giving the book a positiveness that is rarely, if ever, present in these narrations'

'reads almost like a thriller'

'a beacon of light and hope at a time when the prevalent climate is dark and depressing'

'a welcome breath of fresh air, not to say, an inspiration'

'This ‘fascinating book … gives us a rare glimpse of the rich tapestry of emigrant experience, as well as insights into the Northern peace process, in which he was a key player'

'honest, upbeat'

'His is an insider’s view of much of American and Irish-American politics as well as of significant events in'

'a constant, reasonable and articulate voice'

'his story is a wonderful articulation of the tale of thousands of Irish immigrants'

'this book is wonderful ... A fascinating read'

'he authentic voice of the Irish in America, who has more knowledge of this community than almost anyone else alive'

'A classic work of emigrant literature'

'The book is fluid and dynamic, the story remarkable. You can detect the influence of American writers like Hemingway and Whitman. O’Dowd shares a similarly pure and eloquent writing voice: deceptively simple, but an art in itself.'

'If you want to understand Irish America in the 21st century, you must read this book.'

'remarkable insiders story of the Northern Irish peace process'

'Niall O’Dowd has written an outstanding book'

'an extraordinary story' ... 'remarkable'

'a valuable contribution to the history of the peace process as well as the Irish emigrant experience'

'Niall O’Dowd knows how to tell a story'

'at times painfully honest, at other times wittily self-effacing, this is O’Dowd’s account of his times as an undocumented Irishman working in the US'

'a witty and lively book, and a hopeful one'

'a worthy contribution to the literature on emigration and an insightful exploration of the relationship between Ireland and the US'

'a "very humane and very humourous" story'

'a classic work of emigrant literature which, in the Irish canon, deserves to be assessed alongside such works such as Patrick McGill’s Children of the Dead End and Donal MacAmhlaigh’s Diallan Diorat or, in the American, with Barack Obama’s Dreams from My

'Some...would say that in America, his is the Irish Voice'

'a fascinating tale'

'highly readable'

'an affecting emigrant’s tale'

'riveting political reportage'

'His father would be hugely proud of him, and so should be all of us'

'could lay claim to being not only the first emigrant classic of the 21st century, but also to opening up a whole new chapter in the experience of our exiles'

'the confident note struck in the first chapters is never fully absent, giving the book a positiveness that is rarely, if ever, present in these narrations'

'reads almost like a thriller'

'a beacon of light and hope at a time when the prevalent climate is dark and depressing'

'a welcome breath of fresh air, not to say, an inspiration'

'This ‘fascinating book … gives us a rare glimpse of the rich tapestry of emigrant experience, as well as insights into the Northern peace process, in which he was a key player'

'honest, upbeat'

'His is an insider’s view of much of American and Irish-American politics as well as of significant events in'

'a constant, reasonable and articulate voice'

'his story is a wonderful articulation of the tale of thousands of Irish immigrants'

'this book is wonderful ... A fascinating read'

‘unflinchingly recounts the Irish immigrant experience of the 1980s ... a story familiar to Irish emigrants the world over, yet rarely is it written about so candidly. The book is fluid and dynamic, the story remarkable. You can detect the influence of Am

‘A valuable contribution to the history of the peace process as well as the Irish emigrant experience. Niall’s is a powerful story and it may well yet prove to be a classic of the emigrant genre.

'a compelling personal journey'

'There is no shortage nowadays of big hitters recognising the unique qualities of Niall O’Dowd, the founder of an Irish American publishing empire, who earned his place in the history of the Irish peace process as the man who brought Sinn Féin in from the

'For a good part of his autobiography he is not centre stage but an observer in the wings, and when he writes about himself, there is enough painful honesty about his heavy drinking, depression and misfiring relationships to dispel any notions of personal

'O’Dowd’s autobiography made quite an impact when it was first published'

'what makes the book work is that O’Dowd tells his story honestly and the reader learns too about his family, friends and his own personal struggles to leave behind a life of hard drinking and bouts of depression to become successful as a business man and

'enthralling'