A new exhibit on the Grey Nuns hosted by Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University opened April 1. A private event launching the exhibit took place on March 31 with the Canadian Consul General, Quebec Delegate to New England, and the Irish Consul General of New York all in attendance. The long overdue exhibit shines a light on the untold number of English and … [Read more...] about The Grey Nuns at Quinnipiac
Christine Kinealy
Last Word:
Great Hunger in the North
A Window on the Past: Historian Christine Kinealy debunks the myth that Ulster was untouched by the Great Hunger.
The myth of Ulster exceptionalism and affluence has roots in the Great Hunger itself. As early as 1849, Protestant loyalists were laying the foundation for a binary, two-nation view of the Famine. Objecting to a new tax that was to be levied on all parts of … [Read more...] about Last Word:
Great Hunger in the North
Ireland-New Orleans Symposium
Heather Humphreys, Ireland’s Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, together with other Irish dignitaries visited New Orleans in November to take part in a program of activities that drew attention to the enduring impact of Irish immigration on the Crescent City. The influence of Irish immigrants on New Orleans’ … [Read more...] about Ireland-New Orleans Symposium
Quinnipiac Famine Conference
The 20th Ulster-American Symposium hosted at Quinnipiac University was held this past June in conjunction with Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute. Since 1976, the Ulster-American Heritage Symposium has met every two years at co-sponsoring universities in North America and Northern Ireland in an effort to shed light on the historical connections between the two places. This year’s … [Read more...] about Quinnipiac Famine Conference
The Black O’Connell
Christine Kinealy writes about the American abolitionist Frederick Douglass who visited Ireland and came to be known as the “Black O’Connell.” In 1845, Frederick Douglass traveled to Ireland. He stayed there for only four months, but regarded the experience as “transformative.” Fifty years later, an American friend, who claimed to have accompanied the recently deceased … [Read more...] about The Black O’Connell