The Glynns of Kilrush, County Clare, 1811–1940

Family, business and politics

Paul O'Brien

'From time to time we get some real gems of published family histories and, without doubt, 'The Glynns of Kilrush, County Clare, 1811-1940 - Family, Business and politics' by Paul O'Brien ... is certainly a monumental work of painstaking research ... Paul O'Brien has provided us with a very important social history which places the Glynn family and their business within the wider context  of networks developing between the urban, provincial and metropolitan industrial class, networks that helped shape Irish society and its economy in the long nineteenth century. This research charts the emergence of an Irish Catholic entrepreneurial class that eventually came the dominant players politically and shaped, along with the Catholic church, the post-independent Irish society. This is a hugely important narrative because of its context and its exploration of frameworks and themes that broaden our understanding of the construction of a middle class identity and its representation to the wider community.', Ireland's Genealogical Gazette.