THE IRISH IN AMERICA - SUCCESS

The final film in the Emmy-winning PBS series, featuring profiles of two Irish-Americans bred in New England: Eugene O’Neill and Joe Kennedy. The film investigates the insatiable craving both men had for fame and fortune. Their story is told in the context of the Boston Irish in the years after World War II as they moved out of the Irish ghetto and joined a new secular and homogenized middle‑class. The story ends with JFK’s ascent to the presidency and what his myth represented to the Irish in America. With a soundtrack by The Chieftains and Elvis Costello.

Produced for the Lennon Documentary Group, Disney, & WGBH

Premiered on PBS

Rated in the year’s ten best by TV Guide, the series earned a Writers’ Guild nomination, and 4 Emmy nominations, winning one.

Reviews

“…a labor of love.” – The New York Times.