What we know from literature about what Irish Famine immigrants encountered upon their arrival in North America. If you ever spend the day at the Silver Lake golf course on the north shore of Staten Island, New York, pay attention. It’s not that the greens are particularly speedy or that the course is unusually challenging. What you should keep your eye out for, instead, is … [Read more...] about Arriving in the New World
History Archives
The Ghosts of Gross Ile
One of the major ports of entry for Irish Famine immigrants, Grosse Île lies in the St. Lawrence River, just east of Quebec. It contains the largest Famine cemetery outside of Ireland. When the authorities in Quebec heard news of ships arriving with sick passengers, they quickly set up Grosse Île as a port of entry and quarantine station at which all ships were required to … [Read more...] about The Ghosts of Gross Ile
This Holy Ground
Hundreds of unmarked and forgotten mass graves scattered across the Irish countryside are a silent testimony to a human tragedy of appalling and unimaginable dimensions. In the late spring of 1985, I asked a local historian in Westport, Co. Mayo, if he knew of any burial places associated with the ‘Famine.’ He brought me to the outskirts of the town and pointed to what … [Read more...] about This Holy Ground
“Kathy White House” Book Launch
Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 6:00 pm American Irish Historical Society, 991 Fifth Ave, New York, NY Come and celebrate Irish Heritage and Women's History Month by discovering the highly entertaining story of a young Irish immigrant who was head cook in the White House. Author Vincent Carmody will be signing books and answering questions at the newly re-opened American Irish … [Read more...] about “Kathy White House” Book Launch
Freedom’s Sons and Daughters
IA Newsletter, February 17, 2024
The Stories of the Irish and George Washington INTRODUCTION There is no doubt that Ireland's sons and daughters played a major role in the battle for American independence from the British Crown. As leading Revolutionary War historian Thomas Fleming has noted, the Irish "responded en masse to the call for resistance to England. With more than 300,000 of them in the … [Read more...] about Freedom’s Sons and Daughters