Irish America

Famine

Grosse Ile: Island of Sorrows

By Marianne O'Gallagher
Irish America’s April 1991 Magazine

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The name Grosse Ile (Big Island) is almost a generic term on the map of North America, it appears in so many places. But there is one island by that name that far outstrips the others for the drama and pathos that took place on its shores.  Grosse Ile in the Saint Lawrence River near Quebec City is the spot sometimes called "The Island Graveyard," or "L'Ile des Irlandais" (The … [Read more...] about Grosse Ile: Island of Sorrows

Why Famine Came To Ireland


By Thomas Cahill

January 2000

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Thomas Cahill writes on the great catastrophe that became known as the Famine. The mass exodus of people during and following this period would forever change the course of Irish and American history. The potato blight that arrived in Europe in the summer of 1845 was, like the potato itself, an American export. The fungus that caused the blight was a microscopic organism … [Read more...] about Why Famine Came To Ireland

Famine Commemorations Around the World

January 2000

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The drive to commemorate the Great Famine and the global legacy of Irish immigration is swelling to massive proportions. Along with the new Irish Immigration postage stamp launched both in Ireland and the U.S. this year, and the increasing number of Irish Famine Curriculum Bills appearing before state legislatures, monuments commemorating the Famine and the Irish Diaspora are … [Read more...] about Famine Commemorations Around the World

Hibernia: Famine Diary

By Michael Quinlin, Contributor

January 2000

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Boston Irish Fight Today's Famines After building a $1 million memorial park last year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine, Boston's Irish community is turning its attention toward people suffering from contemporary famines throughout the world. A proposed Irish Famine Institute that blends social activism and academic research is currently in the … [Read more...] about Hibernia: Famine Diary

Phoenix Remembers the Great Hunger

By Irish America Staff
October / November 2019

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The 2019 International Commemoration of the Great Irish Famine will take place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, November 3. Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, Josepha Madigan T.D., made the announcement in July.  “This year’s commemoration represents an opportunity to not only recognize the work … [Read more...] about Phoenix Remembers the Great Hunger