Irish America

Irish America

History Archives

Weekly Comment:
New York’s Monument to John Wolfe Ambrose is Restored

By Dave Lewis, Editorial Assistant
May 11, 2018

by 3 Comments

Stolen 30 years ago, New York City’s monument to the Irishman who enabled the Port of New York and New Jersey to become the largest in the world has been restored. Nearly 30 years after the bust of John Wolfe Ambrose, the Irishman who enabled New York to become one of the greatest sea ports in the world, was stolen from his memorial, the New York City Department of Parks and … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment:
New York’s Monument to John Wolfe Ambrose is Restored

New Map Animates Devastation of the Great Hunger

By Dave Lewis, Editorial Assistant
June / July 2018

by 3 Comments

Dr. Alan Ferinhough, a lecturer and economic historian at Queen’s University Belfast, recently created an animation of the evolution of Ireland’s population density from 1841 to 2012 showing how the population still hasn’t recovered from the effects of the Great Hunger. In 1841, before the famine struck, the population of Ireland was around 7 million, while today the population … [Read more...] about New Map Animates Devastation of the Great Hunger

New Viking Finds at Site of Dublin Hotel

By Dave Lewis, Editorial Assistant
June / July 2018

by 1 Comment

Archaeologists have discovered a significant number of Viking-era artifacts and architectural remains during the building of Dublin’s new Hodson Bay Hotel in the Coombe. Among the architectural findings were the ruins of 11th century Hiberno-Norse houses with post-and-wattle fences, as well as later settlements from the 13th to 14th centuries. The team also found … [Read more...] about New Viking Finds at Site of Dublin Hotel

Irish Hunger Memorial Renovations Completed

By Mary Gallagher, Editorial Assistant
June / July 2018

by 1 Comment

The Irish Hunger Memorial was re-opened in late July 2017 after a year-long, $5.3 million renovation. The structure had suffered extensive water infiltration, particularly from 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, which it had not been equipped to handle in its original state. The restoration cost $4.5 million more than the initial placement of the structure, which was unveiled to the … [Read more...] about Irish Hunger Memorial Renovations Completed

“Sláinte, Mon!”:
The Irish of Jamaica

By Ray Cavanaugh, Contributor
June / July 2018

by 6 Comments

That Irish is Jamaica’s second-most predominant ethnicity may come as a surprise, especially to those outside the country. It all started in 1655 when the British failed in their efforts to claim Santo Domingo from the Spaniards and took Jamaica as a consolation prize. Of course, the British also had been quite active in Ireland, where, between 1641 and 1652, about half the … [Read more...] about “Sláinte, Mon!”:
The Irish of Jamaica