February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Focusing on the period from 1845, the first year of the Famine, to when the Free State was founded in 1921, the book claims to be the first singular historical study on the Irish community in New York.
“It was a time of great diversity within the New York Irish experience,” according to Kelly, who is an associate professor of history at Franklin Pierce College, N.H., and a native of Westport, Co. Mayo.
Upwards of one million Irish emigrated to the U.S. during and in the years following the Famine, comprising the genealogical backbone of the Irish American community in New York and the surrounding region today. However, Kelly explores the impact of a number of lesser-documented groups in the community on the makeup of contemporary Irish New Yorkers.
“There existed a multi-faceted culture amongst the Irish community, not just Catholic Democrats,” she said.
“I looked at the role of Irish women, Irish Protestants and Irish public discourse during this time period. These three themes are new to the field. I came across a lot of things that surprised me.”
Prior to the Famine, the Protestant Irish community was a well-integrated and powerful group in New York society, according to Kelly.
“The influence of Protestants on New York Irish culture was significant,” she said.
“They were the ones who brought Irish culture into the realm of prosperity. They were overwhelmingly prosperous business people, and prosperous business people are easy to overlook because they didn’t make a lot of noise the way some of the more prominent Fenians did. Then the Famine occurred, and along came a million starving Catholics. You had a whole new layer of Irishness that was not welcome on top of a layer that had integrated into society. They coexisted very uneasily. It took until 1921 to turn the corner,” she said.
The new independent state marked an era of new hope and the beginning of a contemporary Irish psyche, according to Kelly.
“The formation of the Free State enabled the Irish in New York to leave behind a lot of the baggage and move towards a time of prosperity,” she said.
“Today is a continuation of that time. The New York Irish are on a continuing path of prosperity.”
Kelly said the distinguishing characteristic of the New York Irish community today is a self-confidence that many of their 19th Century counterparts were unable to achieve.
“Irish people today in New York don’t have the same prejudices to deal with,” said Kelly.
“They don’t have the terrible pressure of the Irish question hanging over them. The notion of freedom isn’t at stake. They no longer have the dark shadow of the Famine as those in the 19th Century did.”
During her research, Kelly traveled to Toronto Metropolitan Library, where she gained access to detailed historical documents relating to the Orange Order and the Freemasons. She also spent time researching in Trinity College Dublin.
For more information, contact the American Irish Historical Society at (212) 288-2263 ext. 21.