The Sons of Molly Maguire: The Irish Roots of America's First Labor War

Written by Mark Bulik

Narrated by Josh Innerst

Sensational tales of true-life crime, the devastation of the Irish potato famine, the upheaval of the Civil War, and the turbulent emergence of the American labor movement are connected in a captivating exploration of the roots of the Molly Maguires. A secret society of peasant assassins in Ireland that re-emerged in Pennsylvania’s hard-coal region, the Mollies organized strikes, murdered mine bosses, and fought the Civil War draft. Their shadowy twelve-year duel with all powerful coal companies marked the beginning of class warfare in America. But little has been written about the origins of this struggle and the folk culture that informed everything about the Mollies.

A rare book about the birth of the secret society, The Sons of Molly Maguire delves into the lost world of peasant Ireland to uncover the astonishing links between the folk justice of the Mollies and the folk drama of the Mummers, who performed a holiday play that always ended in a mock killing. The link not only explains much about Ireland’s Molly Maguires—where the name came from, why the killers wore women’s clothing, why they struck around holidays—but also sheds new light on the Mollies’ re-emergence in Pennsylvania.

The book follows the Irish to the anthracite region, which was transformed into another Ulster by ethnic, religious, political, and economic conflicts. It charts the rise there of an Irish secret society and a particularly political form of Mummery just before the Civil War, shows why Molly violence was resurrected amid wartime strikes and conscription, and explores how the cradle of the American Mollies became a bastion of later labor activism. Combining sweeping history with an intensely local focus, The Sons of Molly Maguire is the captivating story of when, where, how, and why the first of America’s labor wars began.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094429670

Mark Bulik

Mark Bulik is an assistant news editor at the New York Times. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and lives with his wife and two children in West Caldwell, New Jersey.

Reviews for The Sons of Molly Maguire

[Jim Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A most interesting book , from which l learned a lot if new and interesting information pertaining to Labour issues in the USA.

[Betty Bennett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a historical account of an oppressed people who stood up to their oppressors in various ways at great cost to both the oppressed and the oppressors.

[Kelly Izell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I feel like you have to come to this book already with a strong interest in the subject. I stopped at chapter 4 because it got too in the weeds with details to hold my interest.

[Angeliki Liaska · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well woven history both on the Irish and Pennsylvanian sides.

[Lyndon Turner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a thorough, data filled historical account of the Irish gang activity which grew in Ireland and spread to the US. However, it is so fact based that the story is too choppy to follow easily.

[Samuel Saker Kunkel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As thoroughly researched as it is throughly interesting. Folklore, sociology, economic and political history, all converge in the Ulster borderlands as in The Pennsylvania hills.

[Andrew Farnsworth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting history dealing with the roots of the Irish diaspora. Sad that the Irish found the same issues, ant Catholic bias, being treated as second class citizens etc when they got to the US.

[Barbara Hennessy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved reading this book the first time through and have returned to it many times over. So glad it's now available on audio.