This Thought's on Me

Soon after Coronella arrives, the Celtic Tiger economy springs to life. Ireland is suddenly importing workers rather than shipping people out. And as the money and the good times flow, a profound self-contentment causes the Irish to forget - almost - the hard decades that preceded the boom. Coronella discovers that this is an ideal setting for a writer with a fresh outlook and an interesting turn of phrase. In his dispatches home - which have appeared previously in the "Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor" and "Cape Cod Times" - Coronella brings his dual identity to life in such wide-ranging and revealing essays as "Why Europe Doesn't Get Patriotism," "No Blarney, I'm Raising A Dub " and "The Summer Of My Irish Commune."

These thoughtful reflections from a misplaced American provide an intriguing and witty glimpse into what life is really like on the Emerald Isle.