Irish Immigration

Though small numbers of Irish immigrants had settled in the United States prior to 1845, the country saw its largest influx of Irish immigrants in the years that followed. A deadly potato famine had gripped Ireland, exacerbated by the ruling British government’s refusal to provide aid. In a desperate effort to survive, millions of Irish fled their home country in a rush of migration that would continue past the turn of the 20th century. There's no doubt that the Irish immigrants helped to build America but they weren't always welcome in their new country. Learn more about it in this explanation!

Fig. 1 - illustration of immigrants leaving Ireland

Irish Immigration Timeline

First, let's get an understanding of the timeline of Irish immigration:

History of Irish Immigration to America

• The Irish immigrant population contributed greatly to the workforce of the United States during the 19th century, but it also faced significant discrimination and backlash.
• To envision the scale and impact of Irish immigration to the US we just need to look at these statistics:
  • today the population of Ireland (7 million) is smaller than the number of Irish Americans (roughly 33 million).

British involvement in the control of Ireland began following the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169. The amount of control the British had over Ireland waxed and waned throughout the following centuries but, in 1541, King Henry VIII has bestowed the title of “King of Ireland,” marking the beginning of Britain’s increasing dominance over Ireland.

In 1609, King James I began to send Protestant Scottish and British citizens, or “planters,” to live in Northern Ireland. The hope was that this would make the area more sympathetic to the king. In order to do this, the British took large areas of land from the Irish population and gave them to wealthy companies and landowners. These Scots would become the “Ulster Scots,” who made up a large portion of the first earliest wave of immigration to the United States.

In 1801, the Irish parliament was dissolved, bringing Ireland under the banner of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Irish endured the suppression of their language, religion, and customs at the hands of the British over the course of centuries. While rebellions and uprisings were common, it was not until 1922 that Ireland was split into Northern Ireland, which stayed part of the United Kingdom, and what would eventually become the Republic of Ireland, which became an independent country.

History of Irish Immigration to America: Early Irish Immigration

Irish people began to immigrate to the United States as early as the 1600s. Many were brought over as indentured servants. This number was small, however, and Irish immigration did not occur in larger numbers until the 1700s.

This first larger wave was made up mostly of Ulster Presbyterians, who were the Ulster Scots that had been “planted” in Northern Ireland in the previous century. These immigrants were seeking the greater freedom that America promised, and fleeing the religious persecution that occurred as a result of the Penal Laws imposed by the British, which discriminated against Irish Catholics and other religious minorities.

History of Irish Immigration to America: The Potato Famine

The Irish Potato Famine, also known as the Great Hunger, occurred from 1845-1852. The potato crop had been infected by a type of water mold that caused potato blight, a disease of the potato plant. At that time, some poor families relied almost exclusively on potatoes for food, as it was an easy-to-grow crop in Ireland, and was relatively nutritious. For many people in Ireland, over 80% of their daily caloric intake was derived from potatoes, so when the crop failed, much of the population was plunged into hunger.

Initially, the British government provided some aid through the importation of corn from the United States, though the imported cornmeal resulted in nutritional deficiencies and was inadequate for staving off starvation. The government also still allowed the export of grains from Ireland to Britain. When there was a change in government in 1846, the policy allowing grain export remained, and Britain took a more hands-off approach to the famine than it had previously.

Fig. 2 - Ιllustration of a food riot in Waterford, Ireland during the famine

This approach placed greater responsibility upon Irish self-reliance, shifting the imperative for aid from the British government to Irish landowners, who were then required to stave off the starvation of Irish peasants. This led to mass evictions, as the landowners couldn’t afford to feed the peasantry when the peasantry couldn’t afford to pay their rent.

The British response was inadequate. Starvation and other diseases related to starvation killed about 1 million people during the potato famine and forced the migration of up to two million more. In the 1840s, roughly half of the immigrants coming to the United States were Irish.

The Second Wave of Irish Immigration

Fleeing starvation and disease, nearly 1.5 million Irish citizens immigrated to the United States during the potato famine. Many of these were peasants, some sent by their landlords who were attempting to save money after being made responsible for their tenants. The famine affected people from all social classes, and Irish immigrants were not solely the poor and working class.

Fig. 3 - map showing population drop in Ireland

Many of these immigrants settled in Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City, profoundly affecting the ethnic makeup of these areas. This wave of immigration caused a “chain of migration” as Irish immigrants brought their families and extended families to America. This migration would last into the 20th century.

Initially, this influx was mostly made up of men and their families, but as the migration continued into the 20th century, most Irish immigrants were single women who were seeking work, often domestic work, in America.

Discrimination Against Irish Immigrants in America

As with attitudes towards the simultaneous influx of German immigrants, many American citizens were hostile to Irish immigrants. Some of this hostility was religious in nature: almost all of the Irish immigrants were Roman Catholic. After hundreds of years of tension between Catholicism and Protestantism in Europe, the large wave of Irish immigrants grated on Protestant Americans.

Additional opposition occurred due to fear that the Irish threatened Americans with low-wage jobs. The impoverished and hungry Irish immigrants were willing to work for very little, and for longer periods. This caused competition for these jobs, which caused resentment among working-class Americans. Signs reading “No Irish Need Apply,” or its acronym “NINA,” were common, as American-born citizens tried to keep employment among themselves.

Centuries of dehumanization and oppression at the hands of the British spilled over into American public opinion, deeming Irish immigrants dirty, disease-ridden drunks, who were unintelligent, and lacking in integrity.

Important Irish Immigrants

Irish immigrants had a profound impact on America. They were leaders in the labor movement and made up a large portion of the laborers who helped to build cities and transportation routes, and who worked in mills and factories. They advocated for safe working conditions, children’s rights, and income equality.

Important Irish immigrants include activists such as Irish-born schoolteacher Mother Jones (Mary G. Harris Jones, 1837-1930) coordinated major strikes and built organizations that contributed to the labor protections that Americans, and people all over the world, enjoy today.

Fig. 4 - Mother Jones