Tag: Irish news

In November 1945, the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War.

Best known for its work in designating and protecting World Heritage Sites – of which there are three on the island of Ireland – the organization was originally conceived to promote peace through international cooperation in education.

Today, UNESCO builds on that mission in tackling some of the most pressing global policy challenges from a cultural and scientific perspective.

UNESCO’s objectives include attaining quality education and lifelong learning for all, mobilizing science knowledge and policy for sustainable development, addressing emerging social and ethical challenges, fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue, and a culture of peace, and building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the island of Ireland

Brú na Bóinne / The Boyne Valley (1993)

Brú na Bóinne, which means the ‘palace’ or the ‘mansion’ of the Boyne, refers to the area within the bend of the River Boyne which contains one of the world’s most important prehistoric landscapes.

The archaeological landscape within Brú na Bóinne is dominated by the three well-known large passage tombs, Knowth, Newgrange, and Dowth, built some 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic or Late Stone Age. An additional 90 monuments have been recorded in the area giving rise to one of the most significant archaeological complexes in terms of scale and density of monuments and the material evidence that accompanies them. The Brú na Bóinne tombs, in particular Knowth, contain the largest assemblage of megalithic art in Western Europe.

Sceilg Mhicíl (1996)

Sceilg Mhichíl, also known as Skellig Michael, was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996. The island of Sceilg Mhichíl lies at the extreme north-western edge of Europe, rising from the Atlantic Ocean almost 12 km west of the lveragh Peninsula in County Kerry. It is the most spectacularly situated of all Early Medieval island monastic sites, particularly the isolated hermitage perched on narrow, human-made terraces just below the South Peak.

Recently the County Kerry islands were made famous by the movie franchise, “Star Wars”. 

Giant’s Causeway and the Causeway Coast (1986)

The Giant’s Causeway lies at the foot of the basalt cliffs along the sea coast on the edge of the Antrim plateau in Northern Ireland. It is made up of some 40,000 massive black basalt columns sticking out of the sea. The dramatic sight has inspired legends of giants striding over the sea to Scotland. Geological studies of these formations over the last 300 years have greatly contributed to the development of the earth sciences, and show that this striking landscape was caused by volcanic activity during the Tertiary, some 50–60 million years ago.

UNESCO Memory of the World Register

Book of Kells (inscribed in 2011)

The Book of Kells is widely regarded as Ireland’s greatest historical treasure and is one of the most spectacular examples of medieval Christian art in the world. Its fame rests principally on the impact of its lavish decoration, the extent, and artistry of which are incomparable.

The decoration ranges in complexity from full folio compositions based around initials or portraits to small details used to augment and emphasize text. Each page contains decoration. The Book of Kells attracts around 500,000 visitors to Trinity College Dublin every year, and functions for many both in Ireland and further afield as a cultural symbol of Ireland.

UNESCO Geoparks

The Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark (cross-border counties Fermanagh and Cavan)

The Marble Arch Caves UNESCO Global Geopark is the World’s first UNESCO Global Geopark crossing an international border. It lies in the northwest corner of the island of Ireland, much of it is in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and a sizeable remainder is in County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland.

The region displays a classic, glaciated landscape comprising of extensive uplands that have been smoothed down by successive ice sheets. The uplands are intersected by broad u-shaped valleys that sweep down to the surrounding lowlands where numerous lakes have formed in glacial hollows and swarms of drumlins form many egg-shaped, rounded hills. The uplands contain extensive areas of forest, blanket bog, and karst where the underlying limestone has been carved out by the abundant rainfall to form significant cave systems including the world-famous Marble Arch Caves.

The caves are widely regarded as a world-class natural attraction containing marvelous stream passages formed by three rivers that sink underground on the slopes of Cuilcagh Mountain.

Copper Coast Global Geopark

The Waterford Copper Coast is now a UNESCO Global Geopark, one of three in Ireland, it extends along the County Waterford coastline for 25kms and is named after the 19th-century copper mines that lie at the heart of this spectacular stretch of cliffs.

Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark and Visitor Centre is located on the southeast coast of Ireland, between Tramore and Dungarvan in County Waterford. It extends between Fenor in the east to Stradbally in the west and up to Dunhill in the north.

Burren and Cliffs of Moher Global Geopark

Located on the west coast of Ireland, the Burren & Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark has an area of 530 km2, it is bounded by Atlantic coastal cliffs (10-200 m high) to the west, the Gort lowlands to the East, and by low hilly terrain to the south. Much of the land is at an elevation of 100 m-200 m above sea level; the highest point is Slieve Elva at 344 m. The area of limestone which comprises most of the UNESCO Global Geopark has few rivers and only one (Caher River) which flows its entire length overground.

The geological landscape is one of glacially smoothed Carboniferous (300 million years ago) fossil-rich limestone hills; dramatic sea cliffs; seasonal lakes; and vast networks of subterranean caves. This physical landscape hosts rare natural habitats and unique floral assemblages not found anywhere else on Earth; as well as abundant legacies of human settlement dating back over 6,000 years.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves

Dublin Bay (1981)

The Dublin Bay Biosphere Reserve (former North Bull Island) comprises Dublin Bay, North Bull Island, and adjacent land, including parts of Dublin, the capital city of Ireland. It is one of the finest sand dune systems in Ireland and is internationally important in terms of its conservation value. There are high-quality examples of several rare and threatened coastal habitats present on the island.

Kerry (1982)

Located just southwest of the city of Killarney in south-west Ireland, Kerry Biosphere Reserve (former Killarney) comprises the mountains and woodlands surrounding Lough Leane Lake and adjacent smaller lakes, moorlands, parks, and gardens.

Human history has also left its mark in the biosphere reserve, e.g. with the well-preserved remains of Inisfallen Abbey on an island in Lough Leane, Muckross Abbey, or the Muckross House which serves as a visitor center today. This Killarney National Park Education Centre fulfills an important educational role within the national park and biosphere reserve, which is one of the best-known tourist destinations in Ireland.

UNESCO’s Irish Intangible Cultural Heritage inscriptions

Uilleann piping (2017)

Uilleann piping is a musical practice that uses a particular type of bagpipe (known as the ‘uilleann’, ‘Irish’ or ‘union’ pipes) to play Irish music. It is a highly developed instrument with strong roots in a tradition dating back many generations. Bearers and practitioners are dispersed throughout the world, but the greatest concentration is in Ireland and Irish communities abroad.

Uilleann piping offers an important way of socializing and plays an integral role in life events such as marriages and funerals, where it provides a sense of rootedness and a connection to the past.

Hurling (2018)

Hurling, or Camogie (a form of Hurling played by women), is a field game played by two teams that dates back 2,000 years and features strongly in Irish mythology, most notably in the epic saga of Cú Chulainn. It is played throughout the island of Ireland, particularly in more fertile agricultural areas, as well as overseas.

Traditionally, the number of players in the game was unregulated and games were played across open fields. Nowadays, there are fifteen players on adult teams and the game is played on a clearly marked pitch. Players use a wooden stick (hurley), similar to a hockey stick but with a flat end, and a small ball (sliotar), with the aim being to use the hurley to strike the sliotar and hit it between the opposing team’s goalposts. The primary bearers and practitioners are the players, known as ‘hurlers’ (male) and ‘camógs’ (female).

Hurling is considered an intrinsic part of Irish culture and plays a central role in promoting health and wellbeing, inclusiveness, and team spirit. Today, the skills are promoted and transmitted through coaching and games in schools and clubs. As the custodians of Hurling, the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Camogie Association, both volunteer-led organizations, play a central role in transmitting the skills and values associated with Hurling.

* Originally published in 2020, updated in April 2024.

Nora Keane narrowly survived the Titanic disaster, her delay in donning a corset nearly costing her life.

A profile of Irish woman Nora Keane from Senan Molony’s book “The Irish Aboard the Titanic”.

Ticket number 226593. Paid £12 7s.

Boarded at Queenstown. Second Class.

From: Gardenhill, Castleconnell, County Limerick. 

Destination: 167 Paxton Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

A corset nearly got in the way of Nora Keane saving her own life. She was wasting so much time as she fumbled to put it on and lace it up that it became the object of a dispute with her traveling companion, Edwina Troutt. When Edwina returned to her cabin, one woman, Susie Webber, had already left. The other, Nora, was still dressing. Having replaced her dressing gown with a warmer coat, Edwina dealt with the nervous Irishwoman. When Nora insisted on trying to put on a corset, Edwina grabbed it from her and sent it flying down the narrow passage leading to the porthole.

Interestingly a similar confrontation over a corset is played out in the James Cameron movie “Titanic”. Edwina could not believe that Nora could put her life at risk over a foolish item of clothing at the height of a sinking.

The three women had been sharing compartment 101 on E deck aft. Edwina Celia Troutt (27) was from Bath, heading back to a sister in Massachusetts. Susie Webber (37) was from Devon, bound for Hartford, Connecticut. Both also survived. Edwina lived to be 100, dying in December 1984, while Susan Webber died in 1952 at the age of 77.

Edwina later recounted how their Irish companion, Nora Keane from Castleconnell, had undergone a sudden premonition that the Titanic would sink when boarding at Queenstown, speaking openly of her fears when the vessel was barely underway. It is one of a number of verified incidents of foreboding and one of the most chilling – Edwina later claimed that Nora told her she was so overcome with sudden dread as she tottered towards the towering Titanic that she dropped her Rosary and prayer book into the water as she was going up the gangway from a tender that had brought mainly Third-Class Irish passengers from Deepwater Quay.

Another member of the women’s cabin had a story of foreboding to share: Nellie Hocking, a 21-year-old girl from Cornwall. Edwina later recounted how Nellie put the fear of God into Nora Keane by telling her how she had heard a cock-crow on the Titanic at dusk on the fateful Sunday. Hearing such a cry while traveling on a journey is viewed as an ill omen in Cornish custom. Nora told the unnerving story to Edwina, who laughed it off. But Nellie had not been imagining things – there was a live rooster and other poultry on the Titanic. First-class passengers Marie Grice and Ella Holmes White were importing a clutch of French chickens to the United States.

Nora was on her way back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where she and her brother ran the Union Hotel on Paxton Street.

She told her story to a local paper:

Miss Keane Home; Her Complete Story

Survivor of Wreck tells how Ship Sank as those in Boats looked on – Drifted Eight Hours in Darkness and Cold before Aid Came

Miss Nora Keane, the only resident of this city who was aboard the Titanic when it was wrecked off the Newfoundland banks, arrived home at 7.10 o’clock last evening. She was accompanied by her brothers and their wives who met her at the Cunard line pier where the Carpathia docked Thursday evening at 9.15. Last night she told to The Patriot all the details of her terrible experience, from the time the giant ship first struck the iceberg until she was gathered into the arms of her four big brothers on the New York dock.

‘It was terrible that wreck … I felt a slight shock a little time before they came. I thought nothing of it. No person had any idea that the vessel was hurt. Even after we were told to get ready we didn’t think there was any danger, for we had been told that the ship could not sink – that it was unsinkable. People had told me that it was an impossibility for it to go down. I went on deck with other persons. The officers had perfect control of everything. There was some excitement amongst some of the people but not what you would expect under the circumstances.

‘Officers called out just who were to go in the boats. I was fortunate to get out in the fourth or fifth boat that left. The crew showed every courtesy in lowering the women and children into the boats. The men passengers stood back. Without doubt, they sacrificed their lives to give women and children the preference … There was a foreigner of some kind ran from some part of the ship and jumped into our boat. No one saw him go. When we got into the boat, we tramped over him for some time but didn’t see him or even know we were stepping on a human form.

‘Later he proved of great use. He could handle the boat. After we rowed away from the ship, we learned that he was in the boat and asked him if we hurt him when we walked over him. He said, “No, still living.” The boat had but one sailor in it and this man came in very useful in helping us work the boat. He did good work … Two men floated by us. Both of them had life preservers. One of them drooped low in the water.

He did not call. The other called to us: “Take me on.” It was almost an impossibility to do anything. Our boat barely floated. “Goodbye,” the man in the water called. Then his head went down a little later. He disappeared out of sight. That was the case with many others. It was [a] terrible sight to witness. It cannot be forgotten. The sight of men in the sea was awful.’

From the lifeboat, Nora saw the Titanic go down. ‘The ship seemed to go down forward and raise to an awful height, all at once. There was a roar and a deafening sound. The cries and moans of those passengers and crew in the water were awful. Very soon there was nothing seen or heard. The ship went down about 100 yards from where our boat was. Bodies drifted past us. Pieces of the wreck were around.

‘And that band played, I don’t know how the men did it, while we were getting on the boats. It played when we drifted away. Men jumped into the sea but the band played.

Some of them must have stood in water that was then over that part of the deck while they played, for we were on nearly the same level with the deck then.

‘They played Nearer My God to Thee till the ship rose and they went out of sight. They must have been playing when it went down,’ said Nora. Nora and the 704 other survivors were picked up by the Carpathia about daybreak. And it was The Patriot which told her brothers in Harrisburg that she was safe, having previously reported their anxiety about her. At 9.15 a.m. on 18 April, the Carpathia docked in New York where Nora was met by her brothers, Dennis, William, Patrick and John Keane.

Nora then returned to Harrisburg where she had made her home with another brother, Michael, who had a hotel there.

(The Patriot, 20 April 1912).

The same newspaper the day before quoted Nora, in an account dictated to her brother Dennis, as saying that ‘some shots were fired on the ship. People said men had been shot. I don’t know who they were … it is so awful I cannot think of all that happened.’

Nora, who discreetly carved eleven years off her age when signing aboard the Titanic, had been born in 1866 to John Keane (1819–1885) and his wife Nora Fee (d. 1916) of Gardenhill, Castleconnell, Limerick. Nora later bought and managed a pub in Harrisburg, using money she received from an inheritance. The American Red Cross assisted her to the tune of $100.

Nora told her family back in Ireland little about the disaster. She said the other women in her cabin were woken up by stewards and told to leave the ship immediately. She was in the lifeboat all night, dressed only in her nightgown – sans corset of course – and strictly enjoined her nephews and nieces in later life: ‘When they tell you to get off the boat, do what they say!’

She eventually returned to Ireland and died on 20 December 1944, at the County Infirmary in Limerick, aged 78. The cause of death was complications from a broken leg.

Source – Mercier Press – Ebooks from Ireland – Irish author on Kindle, iPad, Nook and all e-reading devices.

* Originally published in 2016, updated in April 2024.

There is little doubt that many Irishmen enlisted in the Union Army very shortly after their arrival in the United States.

Editor’s note: On this day April 12, 1861, the Confederate Army opened fire at Fort Sumter in Charleston Bay, launching the American Civil War. The War raged for four years and caused the deaths of over a million people. Here, Irish historian Damien Shiels explores the stories of the 150,000 Irishmen who fought in the War of the Rebellion.

One of the best-known scenes in Martin Scorsese’s 2002 movie “Gangs of New York” is that which depicts the enlistment of Irish emigrants ‘straight off the boat’ into the Union army. The seemingly unsuspecting men are quickly dressed in uniform and packed off for the front, even as those unfortunates who have gone before are brought back in coffins.

This scene is one of the most influential in dictating modern memory of Irish recruitment into the Union army. The popular image of thousands of Irishmen, ignorant of what they were getting into, joining up the moment they stepped ashore, is one I encounter frequently. But how true is it?

There is little doubt that many Irishmen enlisted in the Union Army very shortly after their arrival in the United States. There is even some evidence of illegal recruitment from Ireland itself, although this appears to have been extremely rare. When Irishmen were ‘duped’ into joining the army, it was unfortunately often the case that it was other Irishmen – like Patrick Finney- who were the ones trying to profit from their enlistment.

It is also open to question just how unaware the Irish landing in America were of the realities of the American Civil War. The sheer number of Irish in the United States meant that there was a constant flow of information about the conflict crossing the Atlantic. Many of these letters – written before the age of censorship – gave explicit detail of what was occurring in America between 1861 and 1865, and of what service in the Northern armies meant.

The more I investigate the Irish experience, the more apparent it is that the type of incident portrayed in “Gangs of New York” rarely, if ever, occurred.

Far from being duped, it was much more likely that many of these men had traveled to the United States with the express intention of joining the military, in the hope of benefiting from the financial rewards available for doing so. This was the primary motivation for Irish enlistment in the Union Army from at least 1863 onwards. These men were not stupid – they came from a country where enlistment in the British Army for economic reasons was commonplace, and they came informed about the Civil War.

The New York Irish-American Newspaper of 23rd July 1864 presents an interesting counterpoint to the scene depicted in “Gangs of New York.” It outlines that serious consideration had in fact been given to opening a recruiting station at Castle Garden, where Irish and other emigrants arrived in America.

However, they decided against it, as it was thought it would ultimately prove counter-productive. The main reason put forward for this was that Irish-American and other communities would quickly inform those at home as to what was going on, discouraging future prospective emigrants. This would impact not only the economy but ultimately also enlistment into the military.

The New York County Volunteers Recruiting Committee presided over by Mr. Orison Blunt, recently applied to the Commissioners of Emigration for permission to establish a recruiting rendezvous within and in connection with the emigration depot at Castle Garden. The Commissioners very properly refused such permission and authorized their agent to convey such intelligence to the Committee. The following is a copy of the letter of Mr. Casserly:

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF EMIGRATION, NEW YORK, JUNE 30

Elijah F. Purdy, Esq.:

Dear Sir- Mr. O. Blunt, the Chairman of the County Recruiting Committee and member of the Board of Supervisors, called here yesterday, and stated that he had conversed relative to a building to be erected on the Battery for recruiting purposes, with some of the Commissioners, and concerning a passage-way opening into and connection Castle Garden with said building, and that he had been sent to me for the purpose of learning if there were any objection to such connection with Castle Garden. In reply I informed him that I had not heard anything about the matter before, and that I believed there were no serious objections; which, however, I did not deem proper to state at that time, but would do so in case the matter came before the Board at the meeting to be held in the afternoon, and my opinion was requested by the Board. To do so sooner, on such an important matter, might have been considered an assumption of authority on my part.

At the meeting to-day, I mentioned the matter to several of the Commissioners, and while on account of their being no quorum, and as no official communication had been received by this Board from the Board of Supervisors or any other body, there could be and was no official action taken on the matter; yet the opinion of the Commissioners was decidedly adverse to granting such a request, on the ground that it would be injurious to the country in interfering with emigration, as would be the case as soon as known in Europe; and would be confirmatory, to a certain extent, of the charges made in the British House of Commons, as well as in France and Germany, by rebel emissaries and sympathizers, that the armies were being filled by the forced enlistments of arriving emigrants. As it is, the resident friends of emigrants expected to arrive are much excited on this very subject at present, and their persuasions and advice, in the form of letters of their friends in Ireland and Germany, as well as other countries from which emigrants come, would be immediately added to keep emigration from the country, and thus an injury inflicted on the industrial prosperity of the country exceeding a thousand fold the increased benefit in the way of additional recruits obtained in the manner proposed by Mr. Blunt.

Being a member of the Board of Supervisors, as well as of this Commission, I have deemed it proper to advise you of what occurred in relation to this matter, to which I have taken the liberty of appending my own views of the application, as the subject appears to me.

Yours respectfully,

Bernard Casserly,

General Agent.

*Damian Shiels is an archaeologist and historian who runs IrishAmericanCivilWar.com, where this article first appeared. His book “The Irish in the American Civil War” was published by The History Press in 2013 and is available here.

* Originally published in 2016, updated in April 2024.

Who doesn’t love April? Spring break. Spring fever. Spring produce. With only a few weeks of the new season under our belts, it’s time to start planning for ways to use all those wonderful spring ingredients with these wonderful recipes straight from Ireland.

These recipes, from my new cookbook “Favorite Flavors of Ireland,” should help to kick off the season.

Lamb Cutlets with Fresh Herb Dressing

Serves 4

Lamb cutlets, chops, or steaks are perfect for spring grilling, but cooking them in a griddle pan or under the broiler works equally well. The kick in this flavorful dish is the lovely herb dressing that can be drizzled over boiled new potatoes, peas, green beans, or asparagus. For a slightly sweeter dressing for the lamb, try the Apricot-Tarragon Sauce that follows.

Lamb

• 12 lamb cutlets or loin lamb chops
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Dressing

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To prepare the lamb, place the cutlets or chops in a shallow dish. Whisk together the oil, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the mixture over the lamb and marinate at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Light a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Grill lamb for 3 minutes on each side (for rare), and up to 8 minutes for well done.

To serve, arrange the cutlets on a plate and drizzle with the dressing. Add sautéed cherry tomatoes, if desired.

Variation

Lamb Cutlets with Apricot-Tarragon Sauce: In a large bowl, combine 1 cup chopped dried apricots, 2 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth, and 2 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon. Marinate for 3-4 hours. Stir in 1 tbsp. honey, 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process for about 1 minute, or until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through. Light a charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill. Combine 2 tbsp. honey, 1 tsp. hot curry paste, and 2 tbsp. olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over both sides of 12 lamb cutlets and season again with salt and pepper. Grill lamb as above. To serve, arrange the cutlets on a plate and drizzle with the sauce.

Spring Greens with Shaved Dubliner, New Potatoes, and Walnuts

Serves 4

Irish-made cheese is nothing short of superb. No matter what variety you choose, it’s always an excellent addition to a simple salad and never overpowers the other ingredients. Try this fresh spring salad with shaved Dubliner and top it with toasted walnuts and one of these assertive vinaigrette dressings.

Sherry Vinaigrette

• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Pinch of sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Walnut Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup rapeseed or olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad

• 1 (10 oz) bag mixed greens
• 8 salad variety potatoes, such as Yukon gold, steamed, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted (see Note)
• Shaved Dubliner to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• To make the vinaigrette, in a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

To compose the salads, divide the greens and potatoes among four salad plates. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the walnuts. Shave the cheese on top and season with pepper.

Note: To toast walnuts, preheat the oven to 350° F. Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes (shake the pan once or twice), or until browned.

Garden Greens with Cheese Fritters

Serves 4

This recipe can be made with goat’s cheese or a combination of Blarney Castle and Dubliner cheese. A real bonus is that you can make the fritters well ahead of serving time; in fact, the longer they have to firm, the better! Serve them with one of the vinaigrette dressings above.

Fritters

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 cup grated Blarney Castle cheese
• 1 cup grated Dubliner cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• Flour for dredging
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water
• Seasoned breadcrumbs for dredging
• Vegetable oil for frying

Salad

• 1 (10 oz) bag mixed greens
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

To make the fritters, in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and milk and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and Blarney cheese. Continue to whisk until the cheese melts.

Remove from the heat, add the Dubliner cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and whisk until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, or until firm.

Scoop out the mixture one tbsp. at a time, and with floured hands, shape into eight balls. Dredge each in flour, then egg wash, and then breadcrumbs. Return to refrigerator for 30-45 minutes.

In a deep fryer or skillet, heat the oil. Cook the fritters for about 4 minutes, gently turning each with two spoons to brown evenly. With a slotted spoon, remove the fritters and transfer to paper towels to drain.

To compose the salad, toss the greens with the vinaigrette and divide it among four salad plates. Place two fritters on each and sprinkle the dried cranberries over the greens. Top with a few grinds of black pepper.

Margaret M. Johnson’s “Favorite Flavors of Ireland” is a “labor of love and tribute to her thirty years of travel there. It offers more than 100 best-loved recipes from her previous ten cookbooks and celebrates the special flavors of each Irish season: Spring/An t-Earrach, Summer/An Samhradh, Autumn/An Fómhar, Winter/An Geimhreadh.” To order a signed copy, visit www.irishcook.com.

— 

This article originally appeared in the Irish Echo. You can read more from them here. 

* Originally published in April 2017. Updated in April 2024.

Cian T. McMahon’s book “The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea During the Great Irish Famine” uses archives and libraries across three continents to focus on the lived experiences of the Irish migrants through history and their legacy.

Editor’s note: This is an extract from the introduction to Cian T. McMahon’s book “The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea During the Great Irish Famine”, published in 2021.

In his colorful history of the Kennedys—Irish America’s first family— John H. Davis imaginatively reconstructed the “probable shipboard experiences” of JFK’s great-grandparents, who sailed on an emigrant ship from New Ross to Boston during the Great Famine. Life below deck, where the emigrants were quartered, was dark and dangerous.

“The sick vomited and moaned, women shrieked in childbirth, and men fought over a few inches of bunk or an insult to a county of origin,” wrote Davis.

Rape was “a common occurrence” as crew members regularly molested female passengers during storms. Worst of all, death ran rampant in these vessels, leaving only one in three passengers to survive the ordeal.

“‘Coffin ships,’ these were called,” Davis claimed, “and indeed the only coffins the dead had been the ships they died in.”

This one-dimensional portrait of Famine-era emigrant vessels as “coffin ships” has long overshadowed any hope for a true understanding of the voyage.

When we use the actual words of the emigrants themselves to scratch its surface, however, we get a much more complicated but clearer picture of what life was actually like.

In the autumn of 1847, when shipboard mortality was at historically high levels, Thomas McGinity emigrated with his son from Ireland to New York. Soon after arriving, he penned a letter to his loved ones back home to let them know they had arrived. That note sits, along with hundreds of other emigrant letters, in Belfast’s Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

“I take this favorable opportunity of writing to youse to let youse know that I and John arrived safely, thank God, after a passage of thirty days,” wrote Thomas.

“I never had better health than that which I had at sea.”

Of course, McGinity ought not to be taken as representative of all emigrants who sailed from Ireland in 1847 (or any other year) for there were many who suffered and died. But his letter is significant because it offers us an intriguing new angle on the strange and complicated story of the Great Famine exodus. And it begs an important question: what would happen if we used the words and experiences of the Irish emigrants themselves to re-create, and thus more fully understand, that epic moment in modern history?

We need this kind of fresh perspective because historians have long ignored the sea journey, treating it as little more than a brief interlude in the grand drama of human migration. This is particularly true of those who study Ireland’s Great Famine.

“The miserable epic of the Atlantic crossing in these years has been told so often and well that it hardly seems necessary to recount its dreadful details,” explained historian Robert Scally, in 1995.

“Flanked by the scenes of Skibbereen and Grosse Isle at either end of the voyage, the ‘coffin ship’ stands as the center panel of the famine triptych.”

Although most academic historians, including Scally, have long questioned the veracity of the proverbial “coffin ship,” their lack of a robust alternative has allowed a range of ahistorical elisions and distortions to survive. It is still often assumed, for example, that the term “coffin ships” originated during the Famine.

In fact, the phrase predated the 1840s, was barely mentioned during the Famine and became popular among Irish nationalists only in the early 1880s as a rhetorical weapon with which to combat landlords and British misgovernment during the Land War.

The notion of the “coffin ship” also limits the story of Ireland’s Famine migration to a primarily transatlantic one, thus crowding out the smaller but important streams of people (including transported convicts) who traveled to Britain and Australia between 1845 and 1855. Perhaps most importantly, the picture of Irish emigrants as trapped in “coffins” has stripped them of their liveliness, creativity, and agency.

I have titled this book “The Coffin Ship”, therefore, precisely as a way to open up and then challenge the accepted truisms that have limited a fuller understanding of not only Irish migration during the Famine but also human migration more broadly.

The emigrant voyage began long before one’s ship set sail and lasted beyond that first sight of land. My goal in this book is to rescue that process from its historical obscurity and thus resituate the sailing ship, alongside the tenement and the weekly newspaper, as a dynamic element of migration history.

Using letters, diaries, government documents, and newspapers scattered across archives and libraries on three continents, The Coffin Ship focuses on the lived experiences of the migrants themselves.

My original goal was to identify and understand the strategies that Famine-era Irish emigrants used to survive crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Given that folks who were headed to Britain and Australia employed many of the same tactics used by their friends and families en route to Canada and the United States, however, it soon became clear that maintaining strict distinctions between migratory streams to the northern and southern hemispheres would only hamper the project’s full potential.

Nationalist politician John O’Connell’s 1854 demand that emigrant vessels be at least as seaworthy as convict ships points to another important factor: that those Irish who sailed on convict transports (many of whom did so voluntarily) constituted another trickle in the flood of migrants during this time period. At a broader level, it also became apparent to me that the weeks or months one spent on a ship were only part of the journey.

A nineteenth-century sea voyage was actually a long process, which began with the collection of resources to leave and ended as one started to settle in one’s host community. At every step of the way, migrants relied on local and international networks of communication and exchange.

This book’s core argument, therefore, holds that the migratory process was not merely about enabling individuals to move here or there. In fact, by encouraging the transnational exchange of money, tickets, advice, and news, the voyage itself fostered the development of countless new threads in the worldwide web of the Irish diaspora.

* “The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea During the Great Irish Famine” is available online here.

** Originally published in 2021, updated in Apr 2024.

Boarded third-class at Queenstown, this Athlone man’s sensational story tells of an officer shooting two men dead – before another shot rings out and the officer himself falls.

Editor’s note: On April 15, 1912, the Belfast-built RMS Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg, killing over 1,500 passengers and crew on board. This was one of the deadliest commercial, peacetime maritime disasters in modern history and among those on board were many Irish.

The following is an extract from “The Irish Aboard the Titanic” by Senan Molony, which tells the tales of the people who were on board the night the ship went down. This book gives those people a voice. In it are stories of agony, luck, self-sacrifice, dramatic escapes, and heroes left behind.

Eugene Daly

Ticket number 382650.

Paid £6 19s.

Boarded at Queenstown.

Third Class.

From: 2 Wolfe Tone Terrace, Athlone, County Westmeath.

Destination: E.G. Schuktze, 477 Avenue E, Brooklyn, New York City.

Eugene Daly was on board the Titanic until the very end. His sensational story tells of an officer shooting two men dead – before another shot rings out and the officer himself falls.

Daly’s account of the panic and of his own escape is probably the most graphic of any told by any survivor. He was in compartment C-23 on F deck, very far forward on the starboard side, so close to the impact that he was almost thrown out of bed:

“I was in compartment 23, Deck C, steerage [there was no steerage accommodation on C Deck]. Two other men were with me. I was in my bunk asleep on the Sunday night (the night of the disaster). A crash woke me up. It nearly threw me from my bed. I got up and went to the door. I put on my trousers and shoes.

“I met the steward in the gangway. He said there was nothing serious and that I might go back. I went back for a little while. Then I went up on deck as I heard a noise there. People were running around. Then I went down and went to the room where Maggie Daly and Bertha Mulvihill were.

“They came out with me, but a sailor told us there was no danger. He said the ship would float for hours. He also said to go back, and that if there was any danger he would call us.

“I went for a lifebuoy in the stern and Maggie and Bertha came with me. I had a scuffle with a man for a lifebuoy. He would not give it to me, but he gave it to Maggie Daly.

“There was a great deal of noise at this time and water was coming in. We knelt down and prayed in the gangway. Then the sailor said there was danger. We went to the deck but there were no boats going off. Then we went to the second cabin deck. A boat was being lowered there. It was being filled with women. Maggie and Bertha got in, and I got in. The officer called me to go back, but I got in. Life was sweet to me and I wanted to save myself. They told me to get out, but I didn’t stir. Then they got hold of me and pulled me out. Then the boat was lowered and went off.

“There was another boat there, but I went up to the first cabin. The steerage people and second cabin people went to the first cabin part of the ship. They were getting women into the boats there. There was a terrible crowd standing about. The officer in charge pointed a revolver and waved his hand and said that if any man tried to get in he would shoot him on the spot.”

Saw two men shot

“Two men tried to break through and he shot them both. I saw him shoot them. I saw them lying thereafter they were shot. One seemed to be dead. The other was trying to pull himself up at the side of the deck, but he could not. I tried to get to the boat also but was afraid I would be shot and stayed back. Afterward, there was another shot and I saw the officer himself lying on the deck. They told me he shot himself, but I did not see him.

“Then I rushed across the deck, and there was a sort of canvas craft there. I tried with six or seven men to get it out, but we could not. It was stuck under a wire stay which ran up to the mast. The water was then washing right across the deck. The ship lurched and the water washed the canvas craft off the deck into the ocean. I was up to my knees in water at the time. Everyone was rushing around, but there were no boats. Then I dived overboard.

“When I struck the water I swam for the boat that had been washed over. When I got to her she was upside down. I helped myself up on her. About fifteen people got upon her the same way. At the time I jumped there were a lot of people jumping overboard.

“As I stood on the craft I saw the ship go down. Her stern went up and she gradually sunk down forward. Her stern stuck up high. I thought she would fall over on us, and she seemed to be swinging around, but she did not. There was no suction at all that we felt. Our craft was not drawn in at all.” – (Daily Sketch, 4 May 1912, reprint of New York Herald)

Eugene Daly was finally rescued on collapsible B, a life-raft lashed to the roof of the officers’ quarters on the port side until washed off by the onrushing sea. He had previously seen his cousin Maggie and his Athlone neighbor Bertha Mulvihill into lifeboat No. 15, all the way aft on the starboard side, which loaded from A Deck and from which he himself was bodily pulled having defied orders.

The boat where men were gunned down appears to have been collapsible A, all the way forward on the starboard side since Daly says he then ‘rushed across the deck’ to collapsible B on the port side. In 1913 evidence he cited two shot dead, but no officer.

Dr. Frank Blackmarr, a passenger on board the Carpathia, noted that Eugene Daly was unconscious when carried to his cabin, where he was revived with stimulants and hot drinks. Dr. Blackmarr later took down Daly’s dictation of his experiences as they approached New York on 18 April 1912. This was his first account of what transpired: 

“I left Queenstown with two girls from my own hometown who were placed in my charge to go to America. After the accident, we were all held down in steerage, which seemed to be a lifetime. All this time we knew that the water was coming up, and up rapidly.

“Finally some of the women and children were let up, but, as you know, we had quite a number of hot-headed Italians and other peoples who got crazy and made for the stairs. These men tried to rush the stairway, pushing and crowding and pulling the women down, some of them with weapons in their hands.

“I saw two dagos shot and some that took punishment from the officers. After a bit, I got up on one of the decks and threw a big door over the side. I caught hold of some ropes that had been used setting free a lifeboat. Up this, I climbed to the next deck because the stairs were so crowded that I could not get through.

“I finally got up to the top deck and made for the front. The water was just covering the upper deck at the bridge and it was easy to slide because she had such a tip. 

 ([Blackmarr’s note:] Here this man fell back on his pillow crying and sobbing and moaning, saying: ‘My God if I could only forget!’ After a bit, he proceeded.) 

“My God, if I could only forget those women’s cries. I reached a collapsible boat that was fastened to the deck by two rings. It could not be moved. During that brief time that I worked on cutting one of those ropes, the collapsible was crowded with people hanging upon the edges. The Titanic gave a lurch downwards and we were in the water up to our hips.

“She rose again slightly, and I succeeded in cutting the second rope which held her stern. Another lurch threw this boat and myself off and away from the ship into the water. I fell upon one of the oars and fell into a mass of people. Everything I touched seemed to be women’s hair. Children crying, women screaming, and their hair in their face. My God, if I could only forget those hands and faces that I touched!

“As I looked over my shoulder, as I was still hanging [on] to this oar, I could see the enormous funnels of the Titanic being submerged in the water. These poor people that covered the water were sucked down in those funnels, each of which was twenty-five feet in diameter, like flies.

“I managed to get away and succeeded in reaching the same boat I had tried to set free from the deck of the Titanic. I climbed upon this, and with the other men balanced ourselves in water to our hips until we were rescued. People came up beside us and begged to get on this upturned boat. As a matter of saving ourselves, we were obliged to push them off. One man was alongside and asked if he could get upon it. We told him that if he did, we would all go down. His reply was ‘God bless you. Goodbye.’ 

“I have been in the hospital for three days, but I don’t seem to be able to forget those men, women, and children who gradually slid from our raft into the water.

Signed, Eugene Daly. Collapsible B. 

After safe arrival in New York, Daly wrote a letter to his mother in which he clearly and casually glossed over all that had happened:

Dear Mother, got here safe. Had a narrow escape but please God, I am all right, also Maggie. I think the disaster caused you to fret, but things could have been worse than what they were.

-(The Cork Examiner, 7 May 1912)

But the Irish World of New York, in its May 4, 1912 issue, offered another picture:

Eugene Daly of County Athlone [sic] bore the marks on his face of blows from sailors who fought with him against entering the last boat as it was lowered with many vacant seats. With five other men, he launched a life raft and put off, picking up a score or more of passengers and crew who were struggling in the water.

‘We were only a little distance from the Titanic when I saw her sinking and sinking, but I mistrusted my eyes until I looked and saw that the sea covered the place where she had been.’

It had all been so different when Daly first set out to join the Titanic at Queenstown. A 29-year-old weaver in Athlone Woollen Mills, he was also a mechanic and a prominent member of the Clan Uisneach War Pipers’ Band, the Irish National Foresters Band, and the local Gaelic League. He had been working for ten years at the woollen mills when he decided to leave that job and the terraced family home which faced directly onto a salmon weir that roared and foamed with the rushing waters of the broad and majestic Shannon river. He bought his passage in Butler’s of the Square, Athlone.

Traveling with his 30-year-old cousin Maggie, Eugene played airs on his bagpipes on the tender America ferrying passengers from Queenstown to the Titanic anchorage at lunchtime on Thursday 11 April 1912. The Cork Examiner of 9 May reported that as the tender cast off from the quay, he played ‘A Nation Once Again’, his performance being received with delight and applause by his fellow travelers.

He played many native airs on board the tender and as the latter moved away from the liner, the pipes were once more giving forth A Nation Once Again. Those who were on board the tender that day heard with extreme pleasure of his being amongst the survivors.”

Daly’s pipes are visible from his right ear downwards as he stands with them on the tender America in a little-known photograph taken on the day the Titanic sailed by Cork Examiner photographer Thomas Barker (see page 2). 

The Westmeath Independent played up its local hero on May 4, 1912:

“Eugene Daly’s courage”

“The courage credited to Eugene Daly in the foregoing will not surprise his fellow townsmen, who knew him as a man of principle and pluck. In the present deplorable disaster, he appears to have upheld the traditions of the Gael, and one can well imagine that when the Captain seized the megaphone and roared: ‘Be British!’ Daly thought of the Pipers’ Club in the old Border Town and determined to ‘Be Irish’, as he ever has been.”

The Cork Examiner (May 7, 1912) said he was an Athlone man who ‘acted the part of a hero. He fought his way to the boats and was the means of saving two of his town’s women.’ Actually another passenger, Katie Gilnagh, also credited Daly with helping to save her life. 

The Longford woman told how she was woken by a man she had seen playing the bagpipes on deck earlier that day. He told her to get up, ‘Something is wrong with the ship.’

“The famous bagpipes were actually Irish uileann pipes, and Daly later claimed $50 compensation from the White Star Line for their loss. He was very pleased with the level of compensation and considered it more than the pipes were worth. A set of pipes has been recovered from the Titanic’s debris field which may have belonged to Daly. They are undergoing restoration. Not everyone who heard them was impressed with his playing, however. Lawrence Beesley, a teacher in Dulwich College, wrote in his survivor’s account, The Loss of the SS Titanic:

Looking down astern from the boat deck or from the B deck to the steerage quarter, I often noticed how the Third-Class passengers were enjoying every minute of the time; a most uproarious skipping game of the mixed-double type was the great favorite, while ‘in and out and roundabout’ went a Scotchman with his bagpipes playing something that [W. S.] Gilbert said ‘faintly resembled an air’.

The Westmeath Examiner spoke of the same festive feeling:

“Athlone piper’s story of Titanic disaster: scene of jollity”

In a letter to a former colleague in the Athlone Pipers Band, Mr. Eugene Daly describes the scene of jollity on board immediately before the Titanic ran into the iceberg. They were, he said, having a great time of it that evening in steerage.

‘I played the pipes and there was a great deal of dancing and singing. This was kept up even after we had struck, for the stewards came through and told us that we need not be afraid, that everything was all right. There was no danger, they said. 

‘Most of those assembled believed them until it was too late. That is why so many of the steerage were drowned. When they tried to get on deck the rush had begun and they could not get to the boats.

‘I lost my pipes, which were a presentation, and which I prided myself so much on possessing. I lost my clothes and £98 which it had taken me many years to save in anticipation of this voyage to the United States …’

Daly later attested to the fact that his thick overcoat had saved his life in the freezing water. He dubbed it his lucky coat and wore it religiously thereafter. 

Report of the American Red Cross (Titanic disaster) 1913: 

No. 99. (Irish.) Mechanic, 29 years of age, lost $250. Had delicate sister, aged 17, dependent on him in Ireland. ($250) Daly told US immigration in New York that he was from Lisclougher, County Meath, where his mother, Mrs. Catherine Daly, was born. His younger sister named to the Red Cross was Maggie, the same name as his cousin who accompanied him on board the Titanic. The 1911 census report showed that his mother, Kate Daly, was a 60-year-old widowed housekeeper, while Maggie was a 21-year-old dressmaker, and Eugene’s brother John a 19-year-old warper of wool.

Finally, the Irish American newspaper of May 4, 1912, reported that the irrepressible Daly was quickly back to his pipes: 

“Gaelic Feis in Celtic Park

“Athlone Piper Who Lost His Kilts and Pipes in Titanic Wreck to Play the Old Tunes

“The Gaelic Feis to be held in Celtic Park on May 19 … One of the competitors in the War Pipes is a survivor of the Titanic disaster, and he has recovered sufficiently to be confident of marching off with the prize. His name is Eugene Daly, from Athlone, Ireland. Eugene was coming from Ireland to compete at the New York Feis and sailed on the ill-starred liner. He lost his Irish kilts and bag-pipes when the Titanic went down and he himself was floating on a raft for over two hours before he was picked up.”

Eugene did not win the competition, but he stayed in New York for much of his life, occasionally returning to Ireland to visit relatives. On at least one occasion when he did so, he related that ‘six or seven’ men had been shot on board the vessel and that there had been pandemonium in the final struggles for survival. It was not at all as noble or as civilized as had been suggested, he said. He told his nephew Paddy Daly that by the time his lifeboat reached the Carpathia there were many already dead, ‘frozen solid’. Many years later, Daly was interviewed in Ireland in connection with script preparation for the 1958 film A Night to Remember. 

He returned permanently to the United States in the early 1960s and died on October 30, 1965, at the age of 82, and was buried in St Raymond’s Cemetery, the Bronx. He and wife Lillian had an only daughter, Marian Joyce, later Marian Van Poppe.

Athlone woman Bertha Mulvihill told the Providence Evening Bulletin of April 19, 1912, that a boy named Eugene ‘Ryan’ from her hometown had told the group on leaving Queenstown that he had dreamt the Titanic was going to sink: 

‘Every night we were at sea he told us he had dreamt that the Titanic was going down before we reached New York. On Sunday night just before we went to bed, he told us the Titanic was going to sink that night. It was uncanny.’

Daly certainly knew Bertha and seems to have been keen on her. On August 20, 1912, he sent a postcard to ‘Miss Mulvihill’ at the City Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. The card was a Titanic memorial card. Daly placed an X on the front illustration to indicate where his sleeping quarters had been and wrote on the reverse that he had ‘got home safe’, apparently after a visit to Bertha. He added: ‘Hope you keep well until we meet again and perm. me to be ever your friend, Eoghan O’Dalaigh, a survivor. “

*“The Irish Aboard the Titanic” by Senan Molony is available online.

*Originally published in 2012, updated in April 2024. 

Ten thousand Micks
They swung their picks
To build the new canal
But the choleray was stronger
And killed

– Ballad, 1800s.

Irish labor became an invaluable resource for the development of America in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the Midwest and Far West, the Great Lakes region and upstate New York, farming and ranching were common trades for Irish immigrants.

In the East, labor contractors hired men to work in “labor gangs” that built railroads, canals, roads, sewers and other construction projects. Their work provided a significant portion of the labor that built infrastructure in expanding cities.

Erie Canal

Over 3,000 Irish helped to build New York’s Erie Canal, which had to be dug with shovels and horsepower, and thousands more worked on railroads, farms and in mines. In mill towns in New England, Irish provided low-cost labor at textile mills.

Some, including children, worked long and dangerous hours at factories. Within view of the Western New York Irish Famine Memorial are the Erie Canal and the grain and steel mills where the Irish helped to build American industry and solidify their place in the country.

Many men who had in Ireland been unemployed or worked as basic laborers and farmers found work in mines. The work was dangerous and caused many health problems, and only low wages for long days were offered as a reward.

Miners lived in “mine patch” communities, overcrowded and crudely built towns in which the housing, the community stores, and the land were all owned by the mining companies, characterized by mine bosses whose practices included intimidation and oppression to avoid worker unrest or complaint. Miners’ children worked in “breaker rooms,” where they picked off slate from coal and broke coal lumps.

New Orleans, New Basin Canal

In New Orleans, the Irish played a major role in the building of the New Basin Canal. An outbreak of yellow fever meant that workers were dying in large numbers. Irish immigrants were desperate enough to take on the dangerous and difficult work for $1 a day.

As boatloads of Irish continually arrived, the New Orleans Canal and Banking Company had no trouble replacing the Irish who died by the thousands.

By the time the canal opened in 1838, 8,000 Irish laborers had succumbed to cholera and yellow fever. Over the following decade, the canal was enlarged and shell roads were built alongside.

While there are no official records of immigrant deaths, somewhere between 8,000 and 30,000 are believed to have perished in the building of the New Basin Canal, many of whom are buried in unmarked graves in the levee and roadway fill beside the canal.

Textiles in MA

Mills also began to hire more Irish during the influx of Famine immigration. “No Irish Need Apply” signs were prevalent through the 1830s, and some Irish women were segregated when first hired in mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, where Yankee Protestants called “Lowell Girls” had previously held the majority of the jobs.

However, by the 1850s mills were hiring the Irish regularly because they would work for less money and did not make the same demands for reasonable working conditions that Yankee mill girls were beginning to stand for in their historically famous strikes. Between 1828 and 1850, Lowell’s population grew from 3,500 to 35,000. In 1860, approximately 62 percent of Lowell’s textile workers were immigrants, half of whom were Irish.

Connecticut River Valley

The Connecticut River Valley saw a large number of Irish immigrants in the wake of the Great Famine, and many settled in Hadley Falls, Massachusetts, the upcoming industrial center upriver from Springfield which was renamed Holyoke in 1850 to fight negative attitudes towards “the Irish Parish.”

Some 5,000 Irish settled there by 1855 and built a dam and a series of canals that would provide water power to mills and factories, primarily for textiles and paper. Local Catholic churches played a vital role in forming a sense of community and pride for the Irish in Holyoke, a legacy that continues to this day in the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

The Gold Rush

Some Irish immigrants went west towards California, especially San Francisco, to seek their fortune in the Gold Rush of 1848-1855. San Francisco’s Irish population grew to 4,200 by 1852 and 30,000 by 1880, and the Irish were the largest group of foreign-born workers in the city by that year.

There was no easy way to travel to California, either by ship or the treacherous 2,200-mile journey by land from trailheads in Missouri or Iowa that could easily take three or four months.

Gold mining was difficult and time-consuming work, and one bucket of soil might turn out only ten cents’ worth of gold. One estimate is that one in five miners to arrive in California in 1849 died within six months of disease, hunger, accidents and injury, or violence.

In 1859, two Irishmen named Peter O’Reilly and Patrick McLaughlin found silver in what is now Virginia City, Nevada, in the famous Comstock Lode of silver ore. Their discovery brought thousands of Irish to Nevada, and Virginia City was one-third Irish by the mid-1870s. The “Bonanza Kings” or “Irish Four,” John Mackay, James Flood, James Fair and William O’Brien, made their fortunes organizing the Consolidated Virginia Silver Mine near Virginia City, Nevada.

The earliest gold discovered in Montana was in 1858 in Gold Creek. More discoveries followed in Bannack in 1863 and then in Virginia City. Ultimately Montana would become known for its rich deposits of copper, and an Irish man, Marcus Daly, who was born in County Cavan in 1841 and immigrated to New York at the age of 15, became known as The Copper King for the fortune he made from the Anaconda Copper Mine in Butte.

American Wars

The Civil War and war with Mexico provided situations for many Irish men to serve. Men were enlisted to fight in the Civil War as they arrived in the U.S. at Governor’s Island in New York.

A full 150,000 Irish-born Americans fought with the Union army, about one-third of whom came from New York, and while statistics for the Confederacy are less solid, the Irish were certainly among their ranks as well. Thomas Francis Meagher and Michael Corcoran led the Irish Brigade and the Corcoran Legion to fight for the honor of their home country and the salvation of their adopted one on the Union side.

Except the 116th Pennsylvania, which carried the state flag, the regiments in the Irish Brigade and Corcoran Legion carried the Irish green flag with gold harp, and a Gaelic battle cry was often added for effect.

During the Civil War, the Medal of Honor was created and has since been awarded to 3,401 men. Ireland is the birthplace of the largest number of medal recipients, with 258 Medals of Honor. Five of the 19 men who won a second Medal of Honor were also born in Ireland. In fact, the recipient of the Medal of Honor for the first action in which one was awarded, Bernard J. Irwin, was born in Ireland in 1830.

By 1860 some 4,000 miles of canals were spread out across America, mostly dug by Irish immigrant labor.

US Railroad men and women

Many of those same immigrants and newer immigrants moved on to work on the railroads. There was an expression heard among railway men: “An Irishman was buried under every tie.”

If a worker was injured, he was fired. If he was killed, his widow and family went without.

Many new immigrants, women in particular, found employment as factory workers, or as domestics, cooks and maids, in affluent homes such as those on Boston’s Beacon Hill and along New York’s Fifth Avenue.

Immigrant women

Studies have shown that women emigrated as often as men from Ireland, and at equally young ages. Some sociologists give the role of female Irish domestic workers credit for neutralizing American attitudes in regard to Irish immigrants, as they experienced personal interaction in the intimacy of family lives and the private American home.

Irish women, known familiarly as “Bridgets” or “Biddys,” were often hired as servants at hiring fairs, and were usually taken on for a six-month or other given time period, largely as indentured servants or paid only a small compensation aside from room and board.

However, these domestic jobs were luxurious compared to the tragedy unfolding in Ireland or the cramped spaces of “Shanty Towns” where Irish immigrants were crammed in urban areas. “Bridgets” sent significant portions of what money they did earn home to Ireland, an estimated total of $260 million between 1850 and 1900.

Whether running American households, building American infrastructure, fighting American wars, manufacturing consumer goods or seeking their fortune out West, Irish immigrants sacrificed their lives in great numbers in the name of the country on whose shores they had arrived, in huddled masses, tired and poor but not necessarily welcomed by the nativists that met them there. The labor that the new Irish Americans contributed cemented their role in the development of the country they now called their own.

Popular English drama “Victoria” overplays the extent to which Queen Victoria sought to aid the famine Irish in the 1840s, exaggerating her interest in Ireland.

On August 2, 1849, British Queen Victoria, oft dubbed “The Famine Queen” visited Ireland after the country had already suffered through years of the Great Hunger. Yet to what extent did she go towards helping the Irish in their pain and poverty? 

An episode of the hit show “Victoria” drew surprise from British viewers in 2017 for the extent to which the Irish suffered both during the 1840s famine and, while under English rule which was finally brought to their attention. 

While a defining period in Irish history, it is sadly widely uncovered by the British educational system. The role that Britain’s Queen Victoria played in coming to the aid of her then-subjects, however, was pushed into the spotlight with the airing of the episode,s.

British viewers were truly shocked to discover the brutality of the Great Hunger. Many of them had not previously known of the death of at least one million and the emigration of a further million of their closest neighbors in what must be regarded as the darkest and most horrifying seven years in Irish history.

Many commended the episode for finally portraying the devastating horrors of the Irish famine on British TV screens for the first time. Much praise was heaped onto screenwriter Daisy Goodwin for not shying away from the rather unpalatable role played that the British landlords and government played in the disaster.

However,  the portrayal of Queen Victoria, quite commonly known as The Famine Queen throughout Ireland and who was depicted as berating her government ministers for not doing enough to help the Irish, did draw some criticism.

“There is no evidence that she had any real compassion for the Irish people in any way,” said historian Christine Kinealy, founding director of Ireland’s Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University.  

While it wasn’t until the later years of her reign that a new generation of Irish nationalists, including Maud Gonne and James Connolly, began to blame Queen Victoria for the famine, historical records show that the British monarch did little to aid the Irish at the time. Prime Minister Lord John Russell even called on the queen to do more to end the starvation.

Kinealy has studied Queen Victoria’s diaries as well as the writings of Prime Ministers Peel and Russell, and she believes that “Victoria” may be overplaying the real queen’s empathy.

“We know that really she had no interest in Ireland and so to imagine she wanted to do more doesn’t really ring true,” Kinealy told IrishCentral.

“In her very long reign, she only visited Ireland four times and one of those times was 1849 when the famine was still raging but coming to an end. At that point, she didn’t do anything, so it’s hard to imagine that what they’re portraying is really based on fact.”

Not only did Queen Victoria fail to rise to the challenge of protecting the Irish people, the monarchy and those working for it also went out of their way to prevent others from outshining the queen’s own mediocre attempts, preventing a significant amount of money from making its way to Ireland from Turkey.  

“She was urged by her Prime Minister Russell to do something for Ireland and so, in January 1847 she issued a Queen’s letter asking protestants to raise money for the Irish,” explains Kinealy.

“In January 1848, she also made her own donation, significantly to a British agency, but she gave £2,000. She is the first person named on their records as having given money but because she gave £2,000, it was the Royal protocol that nobody could give more than the monarch. 

“We do have documentation that the Sultan of Turkey, who was himself a very young man at the time, offered to give £10,000 but in Constantinople, the British embassy went to his people to say that it would offend royal protocol so he reduced his donation.”

The offer from the Ottoman Sultan, Khaleefah Abdul-Majid I, would be worth approximately £800,000 ($1.7m) today and could have greatly benefited the Irish people.

While Prime Minister Peel in the first year of the famine implemented policies that prevented mass death in Ireland, his successor Lord Russell was not as successful, and thus, in 1846 mass mortality began.

“I am sure poor Peel ought to be blessed by all Catholics for the manly and noble way in which he stands forth to protect and do good to poor Ireland. But the bigotry, the wicked blind passions it brings forth is quite dreadful, and I blush for Protestantism!” Queen Victoria wrote in a letter to her uncle, the Belgian King, on April 15, 1845, the first year that the blight destroyed the potato crop.

By 1846, the tide was turning, however,  and it was becoming apparent that  Queen Victoria would have to make her first official trip to Ireland.

“As this is not a journey of pleasure like the Queen’s former ones, but a State act, it will have to be done with a certain degree of State, and ought to be done handsomely,” she wrote to Lord Russell in August 1846.

However, she didn’t make the trip until 1849. The young queen was accompanied by her children, journeying mainly to the east coast of the country where the worst of the Irish famine was over.

“She didn’t see it first hand in that sense and we know that there was a very high military presence and that any trouble was suppressed and people were arrested … I don’t think at that time people blamed her for the famine to some extent, that interpretation comes a bit later,” Kinealy states.  

In fact, it wasn’t until her fourth and final visit to Ireland as an old lady in 1900, just a year before her death, that the well-known nickname of The Famine Queen came to be. The almost blind, wheelchair-using monarch was branded as such by Maud Gonne, Irish revolutionary, suffragette, and muse of W. B. Yeats who worked alongside Irish labor leader and 1916 Easter Rising revolutionary James Connolly to protest the arrival of the British Queen in Ireland.

In a scathing article titled “The Famine Queen,” Gonne accused Queen Victoria of failing to help “the survivors of sixty years of organized famine.” Although quickly banned by the British authorities, the article’s damning nickname for Queen Victoria stuck. The queen found herself shouldering some of the blame for the approximately one million deaths.

“I think Britain has yet to confront its past and its unpalatable past and the famine is definitely an unpalatable aspect of that relationship,” Kinealy states of the recent development of the Irish famine finally at least being recognized in British TV programming.

“English and British people, in general, have very little knowledge of Irish history and that’s a real shame because so much of our history is intertwined and that’s really something that should be addressed.”

* Originally published in February 2018. Updated in March 2024. 

Recipients of the seven Gradam Ceoil TG4 2024 awards were announced on Tuesday, March 26 during a concert at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy.

Gradam Ceoil TG4 was established in 1998 to honour and celebrate individuals who have made significant contributions to Irish traditional music.

Through its prestigious awards ceremony, Gradam Ceoil TG4 highlights the richness, depth, and dynamism of the traditional music landscape, providing a platform for both seasoned veterans and emerging talents alike. 

“I am just so lucky to love the music of our ancestors”

Seoladh Gradam Ceoil 2024 🎵 #Gradam pic.twitter.com/EUxfpTsd46

— TG4 (@TG4TV) March 26, 2024

The selection process for Gradam Ceoil TG4 recipients is undertaken by an independent panel, some of whom are past awardees and all of whom play or work within the tradition. 

Proinsias Ní Ghráinne, TG4 Commissioning Editor, said: “TG4 is delighted to be afforded this opportunity to recognise these stars that shine bright within our tradition.

“Gradam is a token of gratitude from us to the many performances who grace our traditional music programs week in, week out.

“We are delighted that we can help bring their music to global audiences through the live broadcast of Gradam Ceoil 2024 on TG4’s broadcast platforms.

“Comhghairdeas leis na faighteoirí uilig.”

This year’s Gradam Ceoil TG4 concert will take place at The University Concert Hall in Limerick on Sunday, May 5, and will be broadcast live on TG4 and around the globe on the TG4 player. Award recipients will be joined by an array of musical guests and award presenters for a night of vibrant music, fun, and entertainment. 

Gradam Ceoil TG4 2024 award recipients

Gradam Ceoil TG4 2024 / Musician- Derek Hickey

Derek Hickey is from Adare in County Limerick. Both his grandfathers played fiddle and his own musical career began at the age of ten, when his uncle left an accordion in the family home. Derek progressed to dance tunes within weeks though he didn’t begin lessons – under the tutelage of Dónal de Barra – until he was 12. His professional career began three years later when he joined the Shannonside Céilí Band, founded by the Liddy family. The band toured extensively in England and throughout Europe.

In 1991 Frankie Gavin asked Derek to join him for regular sessions in his then leased hotel in Kinvara, Co. Galway. One year later, at just eighteen, Derek joined Arcady, Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh’s band, along with Frances Black, Brendan Larrisey and Patsy Broderick. Other guest members of this band included Sharon Shannon, Cathal Hayden and Gerry O’Connor.

In 1995 he joined De Dannan, recording two albums and touring until they disbanded in 2003. Derek is the button accordion tutor on the BA Irish Music and Dance at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. In 2023 he performed at the National Concert Hall Dublin, as part of the third series of the Irish Traditional Music Archive’s ‘Drawing from the Well’ series. Widely acknowledged as one of Ireland’s most prominent and influential master accordion players, his eponymous 2022 album was deemed by fellow box player Dermot Byrne as “a recording of a pure genius.”

Amhránaí TG4 2024 / Singer– Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin is a Dublin-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His musical roots are in sean-nós singing, in the style of his father Peadar and he grew up listening to the likes of Sorcha Ní Ghuairim, Seán Mac Dhonncha, Colm Ó Caoidheáin amongst other greats from the tradition. He is also influenced by folk singers from the English language tradition such as Liam Weldon, Luke Kelly, Anne Briggs, Margaret Barry and Thomas McCarthy.

Eoghan is a member of the band Skipper’s Alley. He has worked with Mary Ann Kennedy from Scotland and Ruth Keggin from the Isle of Man on their Aon Teanga: Un Chengey album (2015). He has performed with folk/electronica band Jiggy, featuring on both their albums, Translate (2017) and Hypernova (2020). He also collaborates with Clare fiddle and viola player Ultan O’Brien, their debut album Solas an Lae won best album at the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2021.

In recent years, Eoghan has come into his own as a solo artist and songwriter. His songs – written in both English and Irish – build on his sean-nós singing foundations but combine hard-hitting lyrics with other musical influences to create a rich, contemporary sound. His debut solo album, ‘The Deepest Breath’ was released in November 2022, receiving four star reviews from The Irish Times, Songlines and Hot Press. 

“(Eoghan has) a creative streak on par with some of this country’s greatest ever songwriters. The lyrics of The Deepest Breath are proof and testament to that. Incredibly powerful words which not unlike the great Liam Weldon are words that belong to and represent the working people…” – Myles O’Reilly

 “…once you hear his voice, you’re unlikely to forget it” – Folk Radio UK

Ceoltóir Óg TG4 2024 / Young Musician – Macdara Ó Faoláin

Macdara Ó Faoláin is a multi-instrumentalist and instrument maker from An Rinn, County Waterford. He started learning tin whistle and the fiddle at the age of 5 but discovering the music of Andy Irvine and Planxty and being mesmerised by it, he progressed on to the mandolin, under the instruction of Peter O’Connor. He received a bouzouki for Christmas when he was 8 and it quickly took over as his main instrument, receiving lessons from Seán Ó Fearghail. He has recorded and performed with some of the best-known names in Irish traditional music, including Derek Hickey, The Friel Sisters, Nell Ní Chróinín, Cormac McCarthy, Victoria Adiiye and Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh. His intimate knowledge of harmony and instrumental technique come together to create his own unique style of accompaniment on the bouzouki.

Twin-tracking with his playing and performing, he developed a keen interest in woodwork at a very early age, after receiving a children’s woodwork set from his parents. Aged 14, he made his first instrument – a ukulele – as part of a Junior Certificate programme.  

He is now a professional luthier, building beautiful, fretted instruments – primarily bouzoukis and mandolins – for clients internationally from his studio at An Sean Phobal, close to the family home at An Rinn. He is a founding member of the group Nuadán, along with his brothers Cárthach and Pax, with whom he has recorded two albums, “Lá Laindí Lugha” and “Dén Díobháil”. He continues to have a busy performing career and recently completed an honours degree in the Cork School of Music. 

Gradam Saoiltg4 2024 / Lifetime Achievement – Jean Butler 

Dancer, choreographer and Our Steps Artistic Director Jean Butler is a leading figure in the world of contemporary Irish dance performance. Her most recent production, a site -specific promenade piece entitled ‘What We Hold’ premiered at the Dublin Theatre Festival in October 2022 NY to critical acclaim. In February 2024, ‘What We Hold’ had its North American premiere at Irish Arts Center with a sellout run of 30 shows. Past works have been supported and presented by The Arts Council (Ireland), Abbey Theatre (Dublin), Baryshnikov Arts Center (N.Y.), Danspace Project (N.Y.), Dublin Dance Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival, Irish Arts Center (N.Y.), Jacobs Pillow (MA), The Joyce (N.Y.), Kennedy Center (D.C.), Project Arts Centre (Dublin), and Seamus Heaney Homeplace (Northern Ireland).

In 2018 Butler founded Our Steps, a not- for-profit organization committed to expanding the way we think about history, practice, and performance of Irish dance. Partnering with the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library, ‘Our Steps initiated Our Steps, Our Story: An Irish Dance Legacy Archive.’ To date, this ever -expanding archive has created over 200 hours of video and audio resources of never before documented solo set dances and oral history interviews spanning seven decades of history from Ireland, England, Scotland, the United States and Canada.

Butler has taught at Princeton University, University College Dublin, University of Notre Dame Global Center, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick and Glucksman Ireland House, NYU. Her performance career started in NY with Mick Moloney’s Greenfields of American. Butler went on tour with the Chieftains for six years before choreographing and starring in the original Irish dance productions, Riverdance and Dancing on Dangerous Ground. She is the recipient of many prestigious awards and honours. 

Jean is the proud daughter of Josephine Byrne Butler, who hails from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo and student of NY based dance master Donny Golden.

pic.twitter.com/s8OJIEM5TO

— TG4 (@TG4TV) March 26, 2024

Cumadóir TG4 2024 / Composer – Ryan Molloy

Ryan Molloy is a composer and performer from Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone, currently resident in Co. Kildare. His music has been recorded on over thirty albums and his repertoire spans numerous genres from traditional Irish music to contemporary classical music. He has worked with a host of internationally renowned artists such as Fergal Scahill, Seán Óg Graham, Paddy Glackin, Iarla Ó Lionáird, North Cregg, Barry Kerr, the Danish String Quartet, the Ulster Orchestra, and Irish Chamber Orchestra, amongst many others. 

He has written over fifty works and his music has been performed to audiences on four continents for over twenty years, as well as featuring regularly in national and international TV and radio broadcasts (including BBC, RTÉ, TG4 and RnaG). As a composer, Ryan has represented Ireland at the prestigious ISCM World New Music Days festivals in Hong Kong (2015), Vancouver (2017) and Auckland/Christchurch (2022). 

Described as a ‘milestone’ in traditional piano performance, Ryan’s critically acclaimed first solo recording pianophony was released in 2019 and earned him two RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards nominations in 2020 and 2021. That year also saw the release of Tempered, a new CD of music for uilleann pipes and piano, as well as a digital EP featuring the 30-minute song cycle Buaine na Gaoithe performed by its commissioners, the Damselfly Trio. Ryan is currently Associate Professor of composition at Maynooth University. He is also reported to own a fiddle.

Grúpa Ceoil TG4 2024 / Music Group – The Kane Sisters

From North Conamara, Liz and Yvonne Kane, known as The Kane Sisters, are much respected musicians and educators. Born in Letterfrack, they were educated in Kylemore Abbey School. They were taught music by the great Sligo musician and music teacher, Mary Finn and by their grandfather, Jimmy Mullen.

From a young age, they have been very influenced by the traditional music of Sligo and East Galway, in particular the music of the master composer and fiddle player Paddy Fahey. Liz and Yvonne first came to national and international prominence during the three-year period in which they toured with accordion player, Sharon Shannon as members of her band, The Woodchoppers. They travelled all over the world with her band and are featured artists on Sharon’s album ‘The Diamond Mountain Sessions.’

Following this period of touring with Sharon Shannon, they decided to embark musically on their own and they recorded their first album in 2002 entitled ‘The Well Tempered Bow’. The Kane Sisters toured Ireland and the United States following the release of their first album and they followed up with a second album ‘Under the Diamond’ in 2004 and third album in 2010 called ‘Side by side’. In 2022 they released their fourth album ‘In Memory of Paddy Fahey’ featuring 15 of his compositions as well as newly written tunes from both Liz and Yvonne. Based in Letterfrack they have a solid teaching schedule with a large number of fiddle students both locally and virtually.

Gradam Comaoine TG4 2024 / Outstanding Contribution – Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí

This organisation was formed in the early 1980s to help support and promote the art of fiddle playing in the Donegal tradition. Led by musician/researcher/author Caoimhín MacAoidh and fiddle-maker, Rab Cherry, the organisation’s core mission is to strengthen Donegal fiddle playing at its roots, and to improve standards, promote participation in all aspects of Donegal fiddle music and encourage the transmission of the Donegal styles and repertoire. The organisation’s main events include the annual Donegal Fiddlers’ Summer School in Glencolmbcille and the October Donegal Fiddlers’ Meeting Glenties. Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí has issued a substantial body of recordings by fiddle players, past and present, and shares a wealth of information about fiddle styles and associated history and folklore on its website, Donegal Fiddle Music Donegal Fiddle Music 

This site also offers a suite of fiddle lessons by contemporary Donegal fiddlers as well as the unique Musical Landscape project, a cartography mapping fiddlers and their stories across the county. 

Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí’s monumental efforts in preserving local traditions and nurturing a vibrant musical community have left an indelible mark in Donegal and beyond. Its influence extends to every fiddle player in the county, from legendary figures like Tommy Peoples to contemporary icons like Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, and rising stars like Megan Nic Fhionnghaile. The diverse and dynamic crop of contemporary fiddle players across Donegal stands as a testament to the profound impact of this organisation’s contribution.

Cairdeas na bhFidléirí operates as a not-for-profit voluntary organisation and any income generated is invested directly into their events, programmes, publications, projects and support for living artists. Its mission is supported by An Chomhairle Ealaíon/The Arts Council who provide vital financial support for this work.

Irish dancer Kaitlyn Sardin, 26, is a bit shocked by the negative reactions to her latest viral video, but says that the ignorance she’s encountered “will never take away from the love I have for Irish dancing.”

Sardin shared a clip on X on March 23 of her original Irish dance fusion choreography that she recently performed at the Snap! Orlando gallery in Florida.

“They were opening three new exhibits, one being Timeless by Mochilla (B+ and Eric Coleman),” Sardin told IrishCentral on Monday.

“I’ve worked with B+ and Eric Coleman before in Ireland and they thought I would be perfect to perform with them.

“Eric and B+ created a mix of The Kesh Jig by The Bothy Band and Fever by Little Simz.”

Sardin, who began Irish dancing as a child and has multiple World titles, choreographed the fusion routine that’s featured in her now-viral clip.

“Since 2020 I’ve been doing fusion pieces on my Instagram and we wanted to highlight that for the opening,” she said. (The talented Irish dancer has a huge platform of more than 120k followers across X, Instagram, and TikTok.)

“For me, I love finding the drum rhythm of each song and finding how similar it is to Irish dancing, and over the years, I’ve noticed that it has a similar rhythm to other styles which is why I started fusing different dances.”

At the time of publication on Monday night, Sardin’s video on X has been viewed 1.4 million times and has drawn more than 1.2 thousand comments.

Gallery opening last night 🥰 @LittleSimz #irishdance pic.twitter.com/1DlnXNvK0q

— kait (@scorplanes) March 23, 2024

While the majority of the comments on Sardin’s video are complimentary, a glaring few accuse her of “cultural appropriation.”

“Cultural appropriation and cultural desecration all in one.”

“That’s not Irish dance. Cultural appropriation much??? So offensive.”

“Not Irish dancing at all. First you have to be Irish, your not. #GirlGoofy.”

Some responses were flat-out racist:

“She should Irish dance her ass back to Africa. Haha. Sorry.”

“Try it without the desecrating ghetto s–t.”

“A bastardization of irish dancing. When will irish be able to do the same with some African zulu dancing ?”

“Back to Africa please.”

“Disgusting. Labor camp asap.”

“What kind of ape dancing is this?”

“I was honestly a bit shocked by the reaction, I’ve gone viral before but never seen that amount of hate,” Sardin told IrishCentral on Monday.

“Luckily for me, so many people have been super uplifting and sweet.”

Indeed, Sardin’s post has received warm praise, which has, thankfully, outnumbered the criticisms and racism.

Niall Ó Donnghaile, the former Lord Mayor of Belfast, said on X: “An amazing damhsa from a very talented young woman!”

Irish Studies at Boston College said Sardin is “taking #irishdance to exciting new places.”

Edwina Gluckian, the founder of Áirc Damhsa Culture Club and the artistic director of Leitrim Dance Project, said: “So much positivity and so much negativity all in one tiny video. No one owns Irish dance. But we own our bodies. No one is able to tell you how you should and shouldn’t move your body to music. You can dance whatever way you want in this world.”

Gary Dunne said “we’ll have to have you perform” at the London Irish Centre, where he’s the Creative Director.

Derek Hollingsworth, co-founder and volunteer with Pobal Gaeilge 15, said: “It’s an innovative dance routine. Many Irish dance teachers blend styles. This girl has a brilliant talent and should be applauded.”

Little Simz, whose music was used in Sardin’s choreography, simply said: “Fire!”

“The ignorance did make me quite sad but that will never take away from the love I have for Irish dancing,” Sardin told IrishCentral on Monday.

“I’m very thankful for all of the people who have been sending sweet messages over the past day!”

Reacting to the “discourse,” Sardin also shared a video of her performing a light jig during the event:

my favorite part about the discourse going around is that I actually performed a light jig right before the music switched pic.twitter.com/fZedQEBVu2

— kait (@scorplanes) March 24, 2024

And on Monday, she compiled a video highlighting just some of her Irish dance accomplishments, including a shout-out from the Irish Embassy in the US and pictures of her with her World Championship trophies.

last one🫶🏽😉 pic.twitter.com/xXIKzWwZvV

— kait (@scorplanes) March 25, 2024

Sardin began Irish dance lessons as a child in Florida with Myra Watters at the Watters School, and later at the Drake School of Irish Dancing.

“When I was younger, I did ballet first and during one of our recitals, they had Irish dancing for the intermission,” Sardin told IrishCentral. “I was instantly hooked, I started a week later and have been doing it for 20 years.”

Sardin enjoyed a successful competitive Irish dance career, placing at the top of her competitions at the Southern Regional Oireachtas, as well as receiving solo placements and winning four titles (three in dance drama and one in figure choreography) at the World Irish Dancing Championships, the highest level of competition within the CLRG organization. 

Perhaps more impressively, Sardin has been able to parlay her competitive success to professional success. Her recent performance at the gallery opening in Orlando comes not long after she completed a run alongside Jean Butler in the critically acclaimed “What We Hold” show at the Irish Arts Center in New York City, and she was recently voted as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” for 2024.

Overall, Sardin feels the Irish dance world “has always been super welcoming to me, and my dance teachers always made it a safe place for me growing up.”

She adds: “I think the biggest thing that the Irish dance community can do is to continue offering support to those dancers who have experienced racism and to call it out when they can.”

You can follow Irish dancer Kaitlyn Sardin on Instagram, TikTok, and X.