The Beat Cop

Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music

The Beat Cop
Michael O'Malley
RRP:
NZ$ 52.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 42.39
Hardback
h229 x 152mm - 352pg
15 Apr 2022 US
International import eta 10-30 days
9780226818702
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
The remarkable story of how modern Irish music was shaped and spread through the brash efforts of a Chicago police chief. Irish music as we know it today was invented not just in the cobbled lanes of Dublin or the green fields of County Kerry, but also in the burgeoning metropolis of early-twentieth-century Chicago. The genre' s history combines a long folk tradition with the curatorial quirks of a single person: Francis O' Neill, a larger-than-life Chicago police chief and an Irish immigrant with a fervent interest in his home country' s music. Michael O' Malley' s The Beat Cop tells the story of this singular figure, from his birth in Ireland in 1865 to his rough-and-tumble early life in the United States. By 1901, O' Neill had worked his way up to become Chicago' s chief of police, where he developed new methods of tracking criminals and recording their identities. At the same time, he also obsessively tracked and recorded the music he heard from local Irish immigrants, enforcing a strict view of what he felt was and wasn' t authentic. Chief O' Neill' s police work and his musical work were flip sides of the same coin, and O' Malley delves deep into how this brash immigrant harnessed his connections and policing skills to become the foremost shaper of how Americans see, and hear, the music of Ireland.
"What O' Malley accomplishes in The Beat Cop is a highly readable, lush, adventurous examination of Chief O' Neill as a whole person, not just as the collector for the Irish musicians' Bible. The stories of O' Neill' s adventures are entertaining and enjoyable, and O' Malley' s writing is welcoming to both informed insiders and newcomers. " * Sean Williams, coauthor of Bright Star of the West: Joe Heaney, Irish Song-Man *
Michael O' Malley is professor of US history in the Department of History and Art History at George Mason University and the author of Face Value: The Entwined History of Money and Race in America, also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780226818702
Published: 15 Apr 2022
Published In: United States
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Format: Hardback
Height: 229mm
Width: 152mm
Pages: 352

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information