The Great Famine and the Irish Diaspora in America

by Arthur Gribben, Ruth-Ann M. Harris

Overview

Between 1845 and 1855, nearly 1.5 million Irish women, men, and children sailed to America to escape the Great Famine, triggered by successive years of potato blight. The famine and resulting emigration had a profound impact not only on the history of Ireland, but on that of England and North America as well. This volume of original essays commemorates the 150th anniversary of these epochal events and sheds new light on both the consequences of the famine and experience of the Irish in America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781558491731
Publisher:	University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date:	02/16/1999
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	745,861
Product dimensions:	(w) x (h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Arthur Gribben teaches English at California State University, Northridge.Ruth-Ann M. Harris is adjunct professor of history and Irish studies at Boston College.

What People are Saying About This

William H. Williams

A fascinating collection of essays that reveals, in often unexpected ways, the effects of the Irish famine on both sides of the Atlantic. Ranging from the loss of life to the loss of music among the Irish peasantry, from the pages of the Dublin University Magazine to the pages of American newspapers, from Chef Alex Soyer's famine soup to the famine graves at Grosse Ile, from Irish memory to Irish American rage, this scholarly but readable book provides us with the broadest understanding to date of this far-reaching event.

Mary Ellen Cohane

This book is a major contribution to its field. It contains important details that are missing from many of the previous works on the subject of the famine. The scholarship is sound, and is often based on primary sources that have never been examined in this context before. The data are consistently compelling, fresh, and well documented.... Any college with an Irish studies program will find the book indispensable.

Editorial Reviews

"This book is a major contribution to its field. It contains important details that are missing from many of the previous works on the subject of the famine. The scholarship is sound, and is often based on primary sources that have never been examined in this context before. The data are consistently compelling, fresh, and well documented. . . . Any college with an Irish studies program will find the book indispensable."--Mary Ellen Cohane, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

"A fascinating collection of essays that reveals, in often unexpected ways, the effects of the Irish famine on both sides of the Atlantic. Ranging from the loss of life to the loss of music among the Irish peasantry, from the pages of the Dublin University Magazine to the pages of American newspapers, from Chef Alex Soyer's famine soup to the famine graves at Grosse Ile, from Irish memory to Irish American rage, this scholarly but readable book provides us with the broadest understanding to date of this far-reaching event."--William H. Williams, Author of 'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream

From the Publisher

Contributors from many disciplines deal with consequences of Ireland's Great Famine from a variety of viewpoints. Twelve papers, one of which came from an October 1993 symposium held in Los Angeles (the others were solicited for this volume), address subjects that include women and the Great Famine, the transfer of land and the emergence of the graziers, the Famine as a catalyst in Irish traditional music making, Irish emigration, American newspaper coverage, and the role of the Irish-American press in the early 20th century. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com)

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