From emigrant house painter and part-time Gaelic footballer to confidant of Bill and Hillary Clinton and guest of President Barack Obama at the White House on St Patrick's Day is an extraordinary journey by any standards. To be also recognised by the New York Times as 'the authentic voice of the Irish in America, who has more knowledge of this community than almost anyone else alive' is an extraordinary endorsement. How Niall O'Dowd achieved this standing is a tale of adventure and misadventure, of hard work and hard drinking, of initiative, determination and sometimes great risk-taking.His insider's view of the Clintons, Ted Kennedy, Gerry Adams and major players in the world of Irish-American politics on both sides of the water, coupled with his authentic recounting of the often harsh reality of emigration and the immigrant's lot in trying to realise the American dream makes revealing and compelling reading.