The Irish Soldiers of Mexico

Synopsis

The legacy of the San Patricios and the War of 1846-48. It is clear that the events of the War of 1846-48, called by the Mexican historian Gasto`n, Garci`a Cantu` Las envasiones norteamericanas en Me`xico, are far more interesting and far richer than earlier writers on both sides have acknowledged. Far more is gained than lost, ultimately, in a closer examination of history, in considering all the possible influences, in tracing and documenting clearly all the threads of the intricate trapestry, and not withholding facts because they are embarrassing or shameful, or would expose either nation in an unfavorable light. U.S. history books, especially those in the secondary schools, should tell the whole story of the War with Mexico and in doing so replace the prejudice, which is still rampant in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, with compassion and understanding for the next generation.

About the Author:

Michael Hogan was born in Newport, Rhode Island, of Irish parentage. His poetry has appeared in numerous periodicals including The Paris Review, The Iowa Review, The Harvard Review, and the American Poetry Review and in many anthologies: among them Sound and Sense (Harcourt Brace, 1996) and An Introduction to Literature (Little, Brown, 1987).

His many awards include fellowships from the Alden Dow Creativity Fellowship, the Colorado Humanities Fellowship, the Grace Stoddard Literary Fellowship, and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Hogan has worked with Poets In The Schools programs in Arizona, California, Utah, Montana and New Mexico, and has been a consultant on various National Endowment for the Arts programs.

For the past ten years Hogan has headed the English Department at the American School of Guadalajara, and has served as faculty advisor to the school's internationally recognized literary magazine, Sin Fronteras.

Hogan lives in Colonia Providencia, Guadalajara, with the textile artist Lucinda Mayo and their dog, Molly Malone.