On November 11th, 1919, the first anniversary was celebrated of the Armistice that ended the First World War. For the occasion, a grand ball was held at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Top of the bill was the hugely popular Southern Syncopated Orchestra, one of the first jazz bands to visit Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. [Read more…] about Anxiety Over Jazz In Ireland Followed A Tragic Shipwreck
Irish History
Fires of Philadelphia: A New Book On The 1844 Nativist Riots
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
In 1844 America was in a state of deep unrest, grappling with xenophobia, racial, and ethnic tension on a national scale that feels singular to our time, but echoes the earliest anti-immigrant sentiments of the country.
In that year Philadelphia was set aflame by a group of Protestant ideologues — avowed nativists — who were seeking social and political power rallied by charisma and fear of the Irish immigrant menace. [Read more…] about Fires of Philadelphia: A New Book On The 1844 Nativist Riots
Martin Van Buren and New York’s Irish Community
Martin Van Buren’s relationship with the Irish community in New York was rather incidental, developing in parallel to the rise of his career.
The root of what became a favorable association between the two seems to be an inadvertent outcome grounded in political events that shook Ireland and America beginning in 1798 and continued throughout Van Buren’s career/life. [Read more…] about Martin Van Buren and New York’s Irish Community
Irish Involvement in American Labor (Virtual Talk)
The Irish American Heritage Museum has announced “Irish Involvement in American Labor,” a program with Terry Golway, PhD, set for Friday, May 7th. [Read more…] about Irish Involvement in American Labor (Virtual Talk)
The Irish Invasions of Canada (Podcast)
This season of A New York Minute in History features a brand new format. Each episode will delve into a chapter of New York’s history through a topic introduced by one of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s historic markers, which collectively tell the story of the state’s unique and important history.
In this first episode of the new series, Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts investigate the invasions of Canada by the Fenian Brotherhood, a group of Irish Nationalists intent of freeing Ireland from British control. These invasions were launched from several locations in upstate New York. [Read more…] about The Irish Invasions of Canada (Podcast)
1916 Rising: The Irish Revolution in America
Ever after known as the Easter Rising, an armed insurrection aimed at establishing independent Irish rule took place during Easter Week, April 24-29, 1916. Led by the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, members of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army (mistakenly referred to in the US press as “Sinn Feiners”), the rebels occupied numerous locations in Dublin and proclaimed the establishment of the Irish Republic. British soldiers soon massed to quell the rebellion and by the end of the week, over 400 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured, the majority civilians.
Irish American involvement in the Rising was critical – in fact, without John Devoy’s influence, the Rising might never have happened. [Read more…] about 1916 Rising: The Irish Revolution in America
St. Patrick’s Day in Schuylerville, 1898
Today, Schuylerville in eastern Saratoga County is not particularly known for its Irish community, but on St. Patrick’s Day in 1898 the historic village had “a metropolitan appearance” with bands, drum corps and 600 marchers.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) organized a parade under the auspices of the local Schuylerville area division. [Read more…] about St. Patrick’s Day in Schuylerville, 1898
Respectability and Reform: Irish American Women’s Activism
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
Tara McCarthy PhD’s book Respectability and Reform: Irish American Women’s Activism, 1880-1920 ( Syracuse University Press, 2018) explores the contributions of a small group of Irish American women in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era who emerged as leaders, organizers, and activists. [Read more…] about Respectability and Reform: Irish American Women’s Activism
Troy’s Anti-Irish St Patrick’s Day Riot of 1837
On the Morning of St. Patrick’s Day, 1837, Troy’s Irish immigrants woke to an annual indignation – mocking effigies hung around the city. Boys spent the morning parading one along River Street. A lone brave Irishman attempted to pull it down but was turned away by its defenders. He left the scene, returned with members of the Hibernian Society, and together they moved a second time toward the offending stuffed figure.
“Stones were thrown and the wildest disorder prevailed” at the intersection of Ferry and River streets in the heart of the city. The Irish were outnumbered, and during this short melee several men were injured, John Foster seriously. As word of the fight spread, rumors an Irishman had made an unprovoked attack on an American brought hundreds to the corner. “The crowd began to assume a fearful aspect,” one observer reported, “stones were flying in every direction.” [Read more…] about Troy’s Anti-Irish St Patrick’s Day Riot of 1837
‘Monkish Traditions’: 1830s Hatred of Irish Immigrants
In the 1830s, anti-Catholic attitudes inflamed by conspiracy theories were reaching a fevered pitch, especially in New York and Massachusetts where attacks on the homes of urban Irish immigrants occurred with some regularity.
In 1834 the bigotry turned particularly violent. Its greatest instigator was Samuel B. Morse who whipped his Protestant brethren into a fury. [Read more…] about ‘Monkish Traditions’: 1830s Hatred of Irish Immigrants