Ireland's Great Famine in Irish American History: Memory, Meaning, and Commemoration

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 250^th 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 250^th anniversary.

Drawing on material from her book Ireland's Great Famine in Irish-American History, Dr. Kelly will discuss the role of the Famine in shaping Irish-American ethnic identity. Focusing on the long-term impact of the episode between the 1840s and 1990s, she explores the shadowed landscape of Famine legacy and its status in Irish-American culture today. Referencing contemporary press accounts and the writings of Famine survivors and their descendants, Dr. Kelly shows how interrogating Famine memory enables the Irish on both sides of the Atlantic to deal with the material and emotional inheritance of this tragic experience. 

REGISTER