These are the covers of "Dagger John: Archbishop John Hughes and the Making of Irish America" by John Loughery, and "My Father's Wake: How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love and Die" by Kevin Toolis. The books are reviewed by Kathleen Finley. (CNS) Help us expand our reach! Please share this article "Dagger John: Archbishop John Hughes and the Making of Irish America" by John Loughery. Cornell University Press (Ithaca, New York, 2018). 407 pp., $32.95. "My Father's Wake: How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love and Die" by Kevin Toolis. Da Capo Press (New York, 2018). 275 pp., $26. Whether one's heritage is Irish or not, the inhabitants of the Emerald Isle continue to fascinate us. These two books offer a look at the past and the present, the gifts and the shadow side of the Irish and Celtic heritage.