New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Irish History

Ireland’s Public Record Office Virtual Reconstruction Primer

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The Life, Death and Virtual Reconstruction of the Public Record Office of IrelandBeyond 2022 is working to recreate, digitally, Ireland‘s lost national treasure. This all-island and international research program combines historical research, archival discovery and technical innovation to track down copies and transcripts of original records lost in 1922.

Reuniting collections scattered around the globe, the aim of Beyond 2022 is to launch the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland — an open-access, virtual reconstruction of the Record Treasury destroyed at the Public Record Office of Ireland in the Four Courts Fire of 1922.

[Read more…] about Ireland’s Public Record Office Virtual Reconstruction Primer

The First Kennedys: Roots of an American Dynasty

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the first kennedysPatrick and Bridget Kennedy arrived in the United States following the Great Famine — penniless and hungry. Less than a decade after their marriage in Boston, Patrick’s sudden death left Bridget to raise their children single-handedly.

Her rise from housemaid to shop owner in the face of rampant poverty and discrimination kept her family intact, allowing her only son P. J. to become the first American Kennedy elected to public office — the first of many. [Read more…] about The First Kennedys: Roots of an American Dynasty

Irish Immigrant, Medal of Honor Winner Terrence Begley Being Honored in Albany

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Terrence Begley cenotaphThe Friends of the Albany Rural Cemetery will hold a ceremony on Saturday, August 21st to dedicate a military marker for Irish immigrant Civil War Medal of Honor recipient Terrence Begley.

Begley was born in Ireland and raised in Albany. He enlisted as a private in the 7th NY Heavy Artillery regiment, an Albany regiment, on February 11th, 1864.

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Anxiety Over Jazz In Ireland Followed A Tragic Shipwreck

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The only surviving photograph of the entire ensemble taken outside Brighton Dome in August 1921 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

Fires of Philadelphia: A New Book On The 1844 Nativist Riots

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The Fires of PhiladelphiaBook 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

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Martin Van Buren National Historic Site courtesy National Park ServiceMartin 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

The Irish Invasions of Canada (Podcast)

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Lithograph of the Fenian charge, commanded by Colonel John O'Neill during the Battle of Ridgeway, near Niagara, Canada West, on June 2, 1866. In reality, the Fenians wore United States blue uniforms or Confederate uniforms, or parts of them along with civilian clothes with green arm or hat bands. Courtesy Library and Archives CanadaThis 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

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Irish Citizen Army, 1914.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

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St Patrick courtesy Library of CongressToday, 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