I wasn’t able to read this one as I have not been able to download a copy. As I was bot able to read the book, I will still give it a five star review because it was not the author’s fault.

An interesting, well-researched book, Klein tells the little known story of Irishmen fighting for Ireland's freedom in America. Plenty of context is provided to understand Irish and English feelings (both politically and personally), culminating in the Great Hunger when millions of Irish died and millions travelled to America to avoid the potato famine. Irishmen fought on both sides of the American Civil War, but many saw this battle as a training ground for a larger, more important, war- the war for Irish freedom from England.

As with any story of a large group of people, political and idealogical differences divided those planning to free Ireland. The focus here, as the title suggests, is the decision by Irish nationalists to hurt England by invading Canada. Three main invasion plans over a few years led to battles, the breaking of neutrality laws, political fighting, and eventually the largest unintended consequence of all: Canada as a separate nation. The political maneuverings were fascinating, with America working secretly (or not) to claim Canada for itself, Irish nationalists trying to hold land hostage to negotiate for Ireland's independence, and individuals searching for glory.

Klein does an excellent job showing the reader how the seemingly ridiculous plan to take Canada by a group of overly optimistic individuals directly influenced the twentieth century Irish rebellions and led to the country we know today. Fascinating and fast-paced, "When the Irish Invaded Canada" is a must read for anyone interested in nineteenth century America and Canada, let alone the evolution of the Irish national movement towards independence.

Received an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.

When the Irish Invaded Canada (an amazing title) is about exactly what it says: the time the Irish made a series of attempts to battle the British on British soil as part of a longshot attempt to gain freedom for their homeland.

Klein does an excellent job of providing quick but effective context about Ireland's history and politics (could actually stand to give a bit more, actually) and what was going on around the world. I had no idea the fight for Ireland's independence had such extreme and lasting geo-political implications and learned SO MUCH.

My one complaint is the "characters" felt underdeveloped. In laying out such a thorough history, Klein doesn't spend as much time as I would like on the people during key moments. This keeps the plot moving but I would have liked more.

Overall, what a cool little microhistory on what was a big damn deal in the 1860s and 1870s but is now forgotten.

This book is well written and researched. It covers the numerous attempts of a group of Irish immigrants who try and invade Canada in order to take it over and force England to negoiate turning Ireland into a republic. This all takes place shortly after the civil war when groups of Irishmen who fought on both sides of the war join the cause. They were not successful due to the fact that their leadership was overly optomistic and poorly organized. At the start the United States took a passive/supportive interest under President Andrew Johnson, but was more realistic under President Grant. Instead of breaking Canada away from England, they caused the provinces to unite more closely.

I recommend this book to anyone who had an interest in Irish history or an interest in a piece of hidden United States history.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

I had heard of the Fenian's Folly, but really hadn't understood what it had all been about, other than post Civil War forces looking for a fight. Having read Say Nothing, I now had a better understanding of how DEEP seated the thirst for Ireland's independence was for those who emigrated to America, so I wanted to check out this book to see WHY this group thought their plan would work.

This book really goes into depth about the PEOPLE involved- how each man's actions were primarily based on their time in Ireland, and the Irish 'stubbornness' to not give up. The book really helps the reader to understand what issues the Irish immigrants faced, and why they tended to remain in cultural enclaves, and why they were willing to fight in the Civil War in America. Then post war, why the idea of freeing Canada, from British control, was step one to freeing Ireland.

When the Irish Invaded Canada: The Incredible True Story of the Civil War Veterans Who Fought for Ireland's Freedom by Christopher Klein is a history of a little-known war. Klein is a writer specializing in history, travel, and sports. He is a frequent contributor to the Boston Globe and History.com, the website for the History Channel and the author of three other books.

To many people, Ireland is a country whose struggle has been limited to British rule. The Irish, as a people, were involved in many western hemisphere conflicts. Bernardo O'Higgins led the effort for Chilean independence. John Riley and the St. Patrick Brigade fought with the Mexican army in the Mexican-American War while other Irish earlier fought to defend the Alamo. The Irish have a history of fighting for causes they believe in. One cause has always been freedom from British rule.

After the Civil War, Irish men on both sides of the lines joined in a plan to gain Independence from England by seizing Canada.  The soldiers' connection to Ireland was much stronger than the color of the uniform they previously fought in. The circumstances of the times allowed this invasion plan to progress. Many believed that the potato famine was a result of a British plot which added to their determination. Americans were leary of England because of their support of the South in the Civil War. Americans also remembered the British came through Canada and burned Washington DC. Furthermore, the great influx of Irish to America created a powerful voting block influencing politics.

The attack obviously was not successful in freeing Ireland or overtaking Canada, but it did allow for a seemingly impossible event to occur and create new heroes in the Irish Independence movement. Klein writes a smooth flowing and well-documented history of the events leading to the invasion, the invasion, and its aftermath.  Klein's writing style and the obscurity of the event almost seems like alternative history.  It was an almost perfect storm of events and circumstances that created this chapter in history.