Community Corner

The Irish Come to Stay: Immigration to the US, Past and Future

Irish immigrants come and stay, more than any other group. The next wave is upon us.

When the Irish come, they stay. Irish have immigrated to the United States since the 1600s, dominating politics, the church and, at times, popular culture. Among those who come to the US, the Irish are among the most likely to settle and stay, often identifying themselves as “Irish-Americans.”

A number of such Irish-Americans and Irish were at Seton Hall on Tuesday for a lecture sponsored by Pirates of Irish Persuasion & Extraction (PIPE). Dr. Linda Dowling Almeida, author of Irish Immigrants in New York City, 1945-1995 and an expert on Irish immigration to the US, discussed the waves of Irish movement in the ‘20s, ‘50s, ‘80s, and at the turn of the 21st century.

“No other ethnic group had the same impact,” said Almeida, as, for more than a century, Ireland has seen large groups of its citizens leave roughly every 30 years. “We think of the famine,” said Almeida, “but that’s not the only time we saw this mass movement.”

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The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s saw the population decrease from some 8 million to 6 million, due both to immigration and death. During that time, Irish who arrived in this country came as families. “This is important to note,” said Almeida, because the new arrivals lived in “parish-based communities.” This era and that tendency gave rise to what Almeida described as “stereotypes” of the Irish as being urban, Catholic, and Democrats.

Most Irish who came were laborers, building railroads and laying brick or doing construction. They remained part of family-based parish communities, sending the vast majority of their children to Catholic schools.

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By the early twentieth century, the Irish communities in the United States were as much as four generations old. They were “deeply layered societies,” said Almeida, with working class members through powerful political and church leaders. They "made it easier" for newer arrivals.

Immigration from Ireland to the US slowed during the 1930s, and a number of Irish returned to Ireland. Almeida mentioned Angela’s Ashes, which portrays that experience.

Still, post-World War II saw a huge influx of Irish to this country.  “It was a massive migration,” said Almeida, which was felt in Ireland and the US. Again, young men who arrived were union laborers and young women worked as domestic staff, for the phone company, or as secretaries.

In Ireland, “American wakes” were still held for those coming to these shores. “The move was permanent,” said Almeida, so families held parties, much like wakes, before members left for the US.

Those who arrived in the 1950s became part of the American mainstream faster than previous generations, she noted. Having survived wartime austerity in Ireland (though Ireland was not part of the war), and seeing post-war Europe first-hand, many Irish were eager to embrace the American dream.

Soon after, Irish saw one of their own inaugurated President of the United States. A number of those attending the lecture, including this Patch editor, said afterwards that they had brothers or cousins named for John F. Kennedy, a reminder of his impact on the American Irish community.

The 1980s saw another mass migration, though this one, said Almeida, is harder to quantify. Countless young Irish came on tourist visas and simply stayed, becoming part of the 1980s building boom or working as nannies in affluent families.

“In this,” said Almeida, “the newcomers held the same entry jobs as previous generations.” However, there was a difference.

The newest arrivals, many of whom returned when Ireland’s economy became known as the “Celtic Tiger,” were young, single, Catholic, as before, but also educated, sophisticated, and travelled. For many, a move the US was temporary; returning was no more than a short flight home.

“We didn’t feel like we had to excuse ourselves to anybody,” said Sean Benson, whom Almeida quoted at length.  Benson was one of several young Irish who, faced with immigration law challenges, decided to change US law. The result was the Irish Immigration Reform Movement, a grassroots organization established in 1987 whose goal was to legalize the status of undocumented immigrants from 35 countries adversely affected by America’s 1965 Immigration Act. 

 Now, in 2011, Ireland and the US stand at the shore of another 30-year wave. Young Irish are leaving, said Almeida, though their destination is – so far – England.

The Irish immigrant experience, said Almeida, is very specific. Almeida noted that growing up Irish-American is an experience rooted to a particular place, whether Dorchester, Philadelphia, or Newark. And that remains true for Irish – such as Gabriel Byrne, noted Almeida – who have one foot on each shore.

“We’re still connected,” she said of the US and Ireland. “That connection is good. I can’t imagine it will ever end. Our roots are too deep.”

 

For further information, contact Dr. Maura Harrington at maura.harrington@shu.edu or 201.463.5967, or visit the group’s Facebook pages: 

 http://www.facebook.com/SHUIrishStudiesDiscussionSeries

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162342677157784


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