The Tribe: The Inside Story of Irish Power and Influence in US Politics

In The Tribe, Caitriona Perry is on familiar ground, returning to Washington and the green strongholds of the United States. Irish Americans were once considered kingmakers in local and national elections, but generations of assimilation and rising numbers of newer immigrants have diluted that power. Many even argue that the concept of an Irish vote is dead. But through exclusive interviews with powerful Irish American insiders, including President Bill Clinton, President Donald Trump's former Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Trump's Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Congressman Joe Kennedy III, legendary Boston mayor Ray Flynn and many more, a clear sense that the Irish are still wielding valuable soft power at the highest levels of US politics emerges. Here, Caitriona Perry gets to the heart of the source and effectiveness of Irish power and influence in America and how it could, or should, evolve.