I stumbled across the memorial during my 2008 trip to New
York City and was fascinated by this strange but wonderful memorial to the
millions of Irish people caught up in the terrible famine that swept across
Ireland during the mid-1850s. The memorial is dedicated to raising awareness of
the Great Irish Famine - referred to by the Irish as 'The Great Hunger', which
killed over a million people in Ireland between 1845 and 1852.
The Great Hunger" began in 1845 when a blight destroyed
the Irish potato crop, depriving Ireland of its staple food. By 1847 millions
were starving and dying. Between 1847 and 1852 the famine led to an exodus from
the Irish countryside as hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrated to New York.
Today, some 800,000 New York City residents can trace their ancestry back to
Ireland.
Construction of the memorial began in March 2001, and
despite its proximity to the World Trade Center, the memorial was completed and
dedicated on July 16, 2002.
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| Click to enlarge |
The site utilizes stones, soil, and native vegetation
brought in from the western coast of Ireland and contains stones from all of
the different counties of Ireland. Some of these can be seen in the video
below. The memorial also incorporates an authentic rebuilt Irish cottage of the
19th century.
The size of the cultivated area of the Memorial, one-quarter
of an acre, is significant. In 1847, Sir William Gregory proposed an additional
clause to the Irish Poor Law stipulating that no person occupying land of more
than one-quarter acre was eligible for any relief. This law had a devastating
effect and contributed to the suffering.
Nearly two miles of text have been installed in illuminated
bands that wrap around the base of the Memorial. The text includes some 110
quotations, including autobiographies, letters, oral traditions, parliamentary
reports, poems, recipes, songs and statistics.
My chance discovery of the Irish Hunger Memorial was one of
the many serendipitous moments I had as I wondered around Manhattan in 2008,
and this and many similar moments are what I enjoy most about travel and
visiting new places.
