Book launch of "Rockin’ the Bronx" by Larry Kirwan coming to New York Irish Center

Set against a backdrop of political unrest, cultural transformation, and musical revolution, "Rockin’ the Bronx" captures a moment in time that has never before been chronicled in fiction.

From 1980 to 1982, the Bronx was burning—literally and figuratively. John Lennon was being stalked. Bobby Sands was dying. AIDS was about to be identified. But in the Irish bars of Bainbridge Avenue, life roared on, fueled by music, political idealism, and a fierce hunger for survival.

In "Rockin' the Bronx",  the main character Seán Kelly arrives from Ireland searching for his girlfriend, Mary Devine, but he finds much more than he bargained for—including Danny McCorley, a book-loving, hard-hitting gay construction worker with a shadowy past in the Irish Republican movement.

To celebrate the release of "Rockin' the Bronx", a book launch and signing with Larry Kirwan will be held in the New York Irish Center on April 23. Find out more here!

Through these unforgettable characters, Kirwan vividly recreates an era when Irish immigrants built new lives in a city teetering on the edge. While hip-hop was emerging in the South Bronx, a different musical revolution was taking shape in the Irish bars just a few miles north, setting the stage for the rise of bands like Black 47, Flogging Molly, and The Dropkick Murphys.

“The immigrant life in the Bronx was intense—the drinking ferocious, the work punishing, and the politics as raw as the streets themselves,” says Kirwan. “This was a time of defiant energy, both in music and in the struggle for identity.”

By the early 1990s, the scene had begun to fade. The Celtic Tiger called some back to Ireland; others drifted into quieter enclaves. Like the Five Points of the 19th century, little remains today of the bars, dancehalls, and fiery political debates that once defined this Irish-American stronghold. But in "Rockin’ the Bronx", Kirwan transports readers straight into the heart of this vanished world, capturing its vibrancy, its struggles, and its enduring spirit.

About the Author

Larry Kirwan at the Tony Awards 2022

Larry Kirwan, originally from Wexford in Ireland, is a renowned figure in both music and literature, based in New York City. He led the influential political rock band Black 47 for 25 years, performing 2,500 gigs and releasing 16 albums.

Kirwan has authored three novels—Liverpool Fantasy, Rockin' The Bronx, and Rockaway Blue—as well as the memoir Green Suede Shoes and A History of Irish Music. In theater, he has written or collaborated on 21 plays and musicals, most notably conceiving Paradise Square, which earned 10 Tony Award nominations, including one for himself as a co-book writer.

An active political voice and former president of Irish American Writers & Artists, Kirwan received the 2022 Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also an Irish Echo columnist and hosts Celtic Crush on SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

"Rockin’ the Bronx" is available to purchase wherever books are sold, including Fordham University Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org.