7. We Share a History: But Are Irish Americans Really Irish?
Transatlantic: An Irish American History PodcastShow Notes
In this episode, Fin and Damian explore the intriguing question: Are Irish Americans truly Irish? This complex inquiry challenges the reasons behind the strong protectiveness many Irish people feel over Irish identity. Is this protectiveness legitimate, or does it create barriers to a broader understanding of what it means to be Irish?
We delve into the shared history of the Great Famine, a pivotal event that profoundly shaped both Ireland and the Irish diaspora, discussing its lasting impact on both sides of the Atlantic. Join us for an unusual episode, recorded face-to-face during Damian's recent flying visit to Ireland. This unique setup—since we normally record remotely—sparked a great conversation. We offer a few hot takes on the evolving nature of Irishness, the dual identity of Irish Americans, and what it truly means to belong to a culture that spans continents and generations.
What do you think? Let Fin and Damian know at your thoughts at transatlanticseries at gmail.com
There will be no show next week, but we will return on Nov 4th with the story of the famine emigrant who went to become known as 'the most dangerous woman in the United States'.
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More from Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast
The story of Irish emigration to New York did not end with the great migrations of the nineteenth century. In this episode of Transatlantic Damian and Fin explore two later waves: the Irish who left for New York in the 1950s and those who followed in the 1980s.
During the 1820s the Peter Robinson Emigration Scheme saw large numbers of families leave Munster the begin new lives in Upper Canada. Two hundred years later, the headstones these families left behind in Peterborough County, Ontario and in Cork, Limerick and Tipperary are helping to tell their stories in a unique, innovative and intrguing way. Fin and Damian are joined by Dr John Tierney, Director of the Historic Graves Project and Patrick Leahy of the Douro Heritage Group in Ontario to discuss their incredible transatlantic Carved in Stone community heritage project, which is using archaeology and history to explore the graveyards that linked these people across the Atlantic.
Irish America's relationship with African Americans in the mid-19th century has long been a focus for historians, particularly those trying to understand racism and Irish opposition to emancipation. But what if part of the answer lies not in New York or Boston, but in Ireland itself? In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by Dr Ian Delahanty, Associate Professor of History at Springfield College, Massachusetts. Ian's award-winning work has shed new light on some of the origins of Irish attitudes towards slavery, abolition and emancipation, and how they changed over time. As he explains, if we want to better understand them, we have to begin not in the United States, but in Ireland.
Maine may not be the first place we think of when it comes to large Irish communities, but in the years after the Great Famine, the port city of Portland became home to a significant Irish population. The communities they developed began a strong connection between the city and Ireland that endures to this day, especially with the place most connected with its immigrants— Galway. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joined by historian, genealogist and author Matthew Jude Barker, the expert on the Portland Irish, to explore their story.
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