On the eve of the American Civil War 1.6 million Irishborn people were living in the United States. The majority had emigrated to the major industrialized cities of the North; New York alone was home to more than 200,000 Irish, one in four of the total population. For The Forgotten Irish, celebrated author, historian and archaeologist Damian Shiels researched Civil War pension records to craft the stories of 35 Irish families whose lives were emblematic of the nature of the Irish emigrant experience. This will be the United States launch for the book. A signing will follow the program.