Show Notes
Long before the Great Famine, thousands of Scots-Irish migrants crossed the Atlantic in search of opportunity, helping to shape the American frontier and the nation's early identity.
In this episode, historian Patrick Griffin (Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame) traces their journey from Ulster to colonial America, exploring migration, settlement and the complex legacy they left behind. From the Great Wagon Road to the Revolutionary era, this conversation examines how a community from the margins became central to the making of America: and why their story still matters today.
Music: Look inside by Jahzzar Album: Smoke Factory License: CC-BY-SA
More from Ireland and the Making of America
In this special bonus episode, co-hosts Liam Kennedy, Scott Lucas and producer Michelle May look back on Ireland and the Making of America, reflecting on the moments that surprised them most, the themes that connected every conversation, and why these stories matter in the era of America 250. From the Scots-Irish on the frontier to Hollywood, politics, literature, sport and identity, they revisit the insights that challenged familiar narratives and ask what the Irish-American story still has to teach us about belonging, migration and the future.
For more than a century, Irish actors, directors and filmmakers have helped shape Hollywood, both on screen and behind the camera. In this episode, film historian Ruth Barton (Professor in Film Studies at Trinity College Dublin) traces the Irish influence on American cinema - from silent-film pioneer Rex Ingram and John Ford's iconic westerns to today's Oscar-winning generation of Irish actors.
Sport became one of the most important ways Irish immigrants connected with one another, maintained ties to home and found their place in American society. In this episode, historian Mike Cronin (Academic Director of Boston College in Ireland) explores the Irish sporting experience in America: from the arrival of Gaelic games in the nineteenth century to the Irish presence in baseball, boxing, basketball and beyond.
The story of Irish America is often told through the experiences of men, but Irish women played a central role in building immigrant communities across the United States. In this episode, historian Elizabeth Stack (Education Director for the Celtic Junction Arts Center) explores the lives of the largely forgotten women who crossed the Atlantic, often alone, to work, support their families and create networks that helped generations of Irish immigrants settle and thrive.
How did race shape the Irish experience in America? In this episode, historian Miriam Nyhan (Assistant Professor at Mary Immaculate College) explores how Irish immigrants navigated questions of race, identity and belonging in the United States, challenging many of the assumptions that surround the Irish-American story.