In 1847, a crisis hit Boston as ‘coffin ships’ unloaded hordes of Irish exiles fleeing ‘An Gorta Mor’ – Ireland’s Great Hunger. It was no surprise that many were sick after the 6-to-8-week Atlantic crossing. With men and women packed into steerage so tightly, there was no way to preserve privacy or modesty. One report related: “I have known cases of females who had to sit up all night upon their boxes in steerage, because they could not think of going into a bed with a strange man.” Disease spread rapidly and lethally. About 25,000 arrived in ‘Black ‘47’ with many suffering from typhus, … [Read more...] about DEER ISLAND
Historical Happenings
IRISH ROUND TOWERS
The ancient Round Towers that dot the Irish landscape were erected by Irish Christian monks and can also be found in areas where they served like the two that stand in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man. However, in Ireland where they originated, about 120 are thought to have existed. Today most are in ruins, but 18 to 20 still stand in almost perfect condition. The history and purpose of the Towers are widely debated. Some believe that they were Bell Towers to call the faithful to prayer since they were mostly found near churches and monasteries. Some say they could have served as lookout … [Read more...] about IRISH ROUND TOWERS
DUBLIN BOMBED
The city of Dublin is no stranger to bombs, from the British assault in 1916 to the removal of Lord Nelson’s statue in 1966 on the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Yet one that has largely been forgotten occurred 78 years ago in 1941 during WWII, referred to as ‘the Emergency’ in Ireland. The story began in April when German air raids bombed Belfast. The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast causing high casualties. The first was on the night of 7–8 April 1941, a small attack which probably took place only to test Belfast's defenses … [Read more...] about DUBLIN BOMBED
CHARLOTTE GRACE O’BRIEN
Charlotte Grace O’Brien was born 23 November 1845 in Cahirmoyle, County Limerick. Her father, William Smith O’Brien, took part in the aborted rising of 1848 for which he was exiled to Tasmania when Charlotte was 9-years old. Charlotte’s mother died when she was 16 and the 19-year-old Charlotte went to live with her brother, Edward and his wife, Mary. Following Mary’s death in 1868, Charlotte remained with Edward to raise his three children, then aged 4, 3 and 2-years old. In 1870 she found her voice as a writer. Her first book was Dominick’s Trials: An Irish Story, but her 1878 novel about the … [Read more...] about CHARLOTTE GRACE O’BRIEN
SPERANZA
Jane Frances Agnes Elgee was born in Dublin at about 1821 and grew up in a deeply conservative family. She was a gifted linguist and published several translations of French and German works which were reprinted in America. Her first volume of poetry also contained translations from several European languages. In 1845, impressed by the size of the funeral of Young Irelander, Thomas Davis, she began to read his poetry in The Nation, an extremely nationalist newspaper published by Davis, Charles Gavan Duffy and John Blake Dillon, which awakened her to Irish nationalism. After Davis’s … [Read more...] about SPERANZA