About the Author

Irish-bornNiall O'Dowd is the author of Lincoln and the Irish along with three other books on Irish-American themes. He is thefounder of IrishCentral, Irish America magazine, and the Irish Voice newspaper. He is also responsible for publishing IrishCentral.com and the Irish Emigrant newspaper in Boston. Niall was awarded an honorary doctorate by University College Dublin for his work on the Irish peace process, which was a subject of a book, Daring Diplomacy, and a PBS Special, An Irish Voice. He has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, Huffington Post, and the Irish Times. He and his wife, Debbis, and daughter, Alana, live in New York.

Reviews

"As the far-right takes hold across Europe and the world, Ireland—once a bastion of conservative Catholicism—has seen a liberal revolution. Niall O'Dowd, a journalist who has chronicled every major shift in Irish identity, tells the extraordinary story of how Ireland reinvented itself into a beacon of liberalism. In showing the historical roots and modern day efforts that led to this massive change, O'Dowd delivers a compulsively readable book that transcends Ireland's borders. A must read." 
— Amy Chozick, writer-at-large for the New York Times and bestselling author of Chasing Hillary

"No country has changed more in the last fifty years than the Republic of Ireland. It has gone from a conservative, priest-ridden country to one of the most dynamic democracies in the world.  A New Ireland is not only a complete history of Ireland, but a compelling and suspenseful behind-the-scenes chronicle of how it all came about. A marvelous and compelling read."
—Dermot McEvoy, author of The 13th Apostle: A Novel of Michael Collins and the Irish Uprising

"The glorious reinvention of Ireland is masterfully told in Niall O'Dowd's latest book. A New Ireland explains just how fast social change has come to the country. It's an insightful look at Ireland's hunger for fairness and rapid cultural transformation by a keen observer. O'Dowd has lived Irish history and knows its problems as well as its poetry." 
— Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, Winners, Pulitzer Prize, Washington Post
 
“I am sprinting through this marvelous new book by Niall O'Dowd about how Europe's most conservative country became its most liberal―how people overthrew a crusted theocracy. First nation to legalize marriage equality by a vote of the entire country. A New Ireland."
— Jim Dwyer, author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, New York Times