Ireland's Great Famine in Irish American History: Memory, Meaning, and Commemoration
Presenter: Mary C. Kelly
Just as the Declaration of Independence inaugurated a new American nation, Ireland’s Great Famine of 1845-1852 transformed American streetscapes with an extraordinary Irish influx. This illustrated presentation reveals human floodtides who escaped Ireland’s ravaged countryside on grim “coffin ships” and found refuge in teeming American tenements. From images of Ireland’s devastation and the unwelcome Catholic Irish presence in American harborsides, we examine the complexities of Famine remembrance and the place of the episode in the lives of Irish exiles in America. From there, we encounter powerful sources of ethnic Irish political and cultural advancement over 20th century decades, from John L. Sullivan to the Kennedys and beyond, as we track the Famine’s memory and meaning through subsequent generations.
As we contemplate almost two centuries of Irish American achievement in politics, education, labor, faith, and sports through the lens of Famine remembrance and commemoration, we may also reflect on American progress to independence and the upcoming 250th anniversary. This program invites you to experience Ireland’s Famine as a crucial episode for the Irish in America, and understand how its legacy continues to shape what it means to be Irish-American as the US marks its 250th anniversary.
