Aseries of art pieces portraying the struggle for survival aboard the “coffin ships” on which 1.5 million Irish escaped the Great Hunger are now on display at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Connecticut. The exhibit, Fleeing Famine: Irish Immigration to North America, 1845-1860, includes six oil paintings of the harrowing, often-deadly conditions on such vessels, … [Read more...] about Connecticut’s Coffin Ship Art Exhibit
The Great Hunger
Weekly Comment: Thanksgiving Is a Time to Remember the Irish-Choctaw Bond
By Matthew Skwiat, Contributor
November 18, 2016
November 18, 2016
The Choctaw Native American tribe and Irish people have a complex and nuanced relationship that has stretched across the centuries. Their histories of displacement and recovery inform and strengthen one another by providing a system of cooperation, generosity, and faith in the resilience of the human spirit. ℘℘℘ Eyewitness accounts of the Trail of Tears that the Choctaw had … [Read more...] about Weekly Comment: Thanksgiving Is a Time to Remember the Irish-Choctaw Bond
California’s First Irish Hunger Memorial
The community of Eugene, California welcomed the state’s first Irish Hunger Memorial at its dedication ceremony in Saint Joseph’s Cemetery in September. It was the product of efforts by the Irish Cultural Society of Stanislaus County and the San Francisco Chapter of the Irish American Unity Conference, and about 100 locals were present to see it unveiled. The memorial’s … [Read more...] about California’s First Irish Hunger Memorial
A "Blight-Free" Potato?
A variety of potato engineered to be resistant to the pathogen that caused the Great Irish Potato Famine has been approved for deregulation by the USDA. The J.R. Simplot Company’s so-called Innate potato is more resistant to bruising and black spots than most varieties. When cooked at high temperatures, this potato also produces less acrylamide, a chemical compound that some … [Read more...] about A "Blight-Free" Potato?
Forgotten Famine-era Graves
Discovered in Massachusetts
An estimated 600-900 neglected and forgotten Famine-era graves were discovered in Massachusetts in September when Rhode Islander Annie McMullen was attempting to trace her husband’s Irish ancestry in New England.
McMullen’s journey to discovery began several years ago when she became interested in learning more about her in-laws’ journey from Ireland to the U.S. She soon … [Read more...] about Forgotten Famine-era Graves
Discovered in Massachusetts