Irish Americans

Where Were They From:  For almost three centuries after the first settlement of the English colonies Ireland sent large groups of newcomers to America.  In the first half of the 19th century there steady stream of travelers grew into the first of the great mass migrations to the United States

When:  During the period 1820 and 1920 over 4,400,000 people emigrated from Ireland to the United States. Only Germany (5,500,000) and Italy (4,190,000) came anywhere near these figures. In 1840 Ireland had been the most densely populated country in Europe. By the 20th century this situation had been completely reversed.

An investigation carried out in 1978 revealed that since 1820 over 4,723,000 people migrated to the United States from Ireland. This amounted to 9.7 per cent of the total foreign immigration during this period.

What region of the US did they settle: They mainly lived in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, Ohio and New Jersey. The Irish Emigrant Society tried to persuade immigrants to move to the interior but the vast majority was poverty-stricken and had no money for transport or to buy land. They therefore tended to settle close to the port where they disembarked.

In 1890 there were large numbers of Irish born immigrants in the states of New York (483,000), Massachusetts (260,000), Illinois (124,000) and Minnesota (28,000). There were also significant communities in New York City (190,000), Chicago (70,000), Baltimore (13,000) and the textile town of Lawrence (8,000).

What occupations did they take part in:  In October 1845 a serious blight began among the Irish potatoes, ruining about three-quarters of the country's crop. This was a disaster as over four million people in Ireland depended on the potato as their staple food crop. The blight returned in 1846 and over the next year an estimated 350,000 people died of starvation and an outbreak of typhus that ravaged a weaken population. Despite good potato crops over the next four years, people continued to die and in 1851 the Census Commissioners estimated that nearly a million people had died during the Irish Famine. The British administration and absentee landlords were blamed for this catastrophe by the Irish people.

Thousands of Irish laborers worked on building the railroads in the United States. Some were able to save enough money to buy land and establish themselves as farmers along the routes they had helped to develop. This was especially true of Illinois and by 1860 there were 87,000 Irish people living in this state.

What are the family patterns, rituals:  The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn, and he almost didn't get the job of bishop of Ireland because he lacked the required scholarship.
Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God.
He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity
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What are the basic demographics today?   34.3 million is the number of U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (3.9 million).

http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/Single/2002/ACS/ Tabular/010/01000US2.htm
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbsum.html
Twenty-Four Percent (24%) of Massachusetts residents are of Irish ancestry — about double the national percentage. The other New England states that have relatively high concentrations of people of Irish descent are:  New Hampshire (23 percent) and Rhode Island (21 percent) http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Profiles/Single/2002/ACS/index.htm
Coming to America

156,000 is the number of foreign-born U.S. residents born in Ireland.
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet

4.8 milion is the total number of immigrants from Ireland admitted for lawful permanent residence since fiscal year 1820, the earliest year for which official immigration records exist; about half of these immigrants were admitted for lawful permanent residence by fiscal year 1870. Only Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Mexico have had more immigrants admitted for permanent residence to the United States than Ireland. http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/aboutus/statistics/IMM02yrbk/IMM2002.pdf

There were 1,419 immigrants from Ireland admitted for lawful permanent residence to the United States in fiscal year 2002.    
http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/aboutus/statistics/IMM02yrbk/IMM2002.pdf

Fun Facts:  Although not an “official” holiday in the United States, St. Patrick’s Day has a long history of being celebrated with parades and general goodwill for all things Irish. The day commemorates St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. Because many Americans celebrate their Irish lineage on St. Patrick’s Day, March was picked as Irish-American Heritage Month. The month was first proclaimed in 1995 by Congress. The U.S. President also issues an Irish-American Heritage Month proclamation.

Senator Jim McGovern loves a dish named after himself McGoverns boneless pork chops and stuffing is available at OConnors Restaurant & Bar in Worcester, Mass., a favorite locale pub of his since it opened years ago. (ANI)