Irish-American History

Lesson 5: How the Irish Fled

Sources of Help

‘Money from America’ is a well-known epigram throughout Ireland.

‘Through the Society of Friends (Quakers) and other groups , over $500,000 worth of food –mainly grain- was sent on 118 ships to Ireland.’ (2)

In 1846 , over $1,000,000 was remitted to Ireland in drafts or for passages , from the three Cities ; New York , Philadelphia and Baltimore. During November and December alone , the amount was $200,000. In the following two months , January and February 1847 , over $600,000 remittances were made from New York , Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. These were huge amounts of money being sent back by people who had travelled out as labourers and servants. A further $19,000 was collected in the Catholic Churches of New England while Brooklyn raised $13,000 for the General Relief Fund.

The money sent home by emigrants had many functions apart from funding further movement. Small farmers often relied on remittances to pay the rent , buy livestock, supply dowries , or clear shop debts; the churches drew heavily upon emigrant purses to provide relief in periods of rural crisis while politicians and conspirators used American money to promote their campaigns. (3)

It was not only remittances from previous emigrants that came into Ireland to help . The British Association for the Relief of Extreme Distress in the Remote Parts of Ireland and Scotland raised over £470,000 and at one stage they were feeding over 200,000 children daily in the West of Ireland.

Father Matthew in Cork and the newly formed St. Vincent de Paul helped with soup kitchens.

Carolyn Ryan outlines how:

'The Choctaw Indian Tribe collected and sent $170 for Irish Relief People in St. Petersburg gave £2,000 Hindus in India collected £5,000 £720 came from the islands of Malta and Gozo Prison ship inmates in England scraped together 17 shillings.' (4). Christine Kinealy called the Famine , ‘the first national disaster to attract large –scale international aid.’ It is probably ingrained in the Irish psyche to try and repay the debt of gratitude. There is no doubt but that without the gratitude of all of those who supported the country at that time and the continued remittances from the emigrants who found their feet and established themselves in the land of their new homes, the disaster in Ireland would have been much worse.. The Quakers have continued to be remembered warmly for their unstinting generosity without any hidden agenda of attempted proselytism unlike those who tried to force Catholics to convert by offering food , invoking the despised name of ‘Souperism.’

The Society of Friends raised thousands of pounds , mainly in England and US. Ensuring they were not cutting across the politics of the time, the work of others , and the grain merchants , they shipped rice in the hope that local communities could look after themselves. They provided cooking equipment , large boilers for soup , and pioneered soup kitchens in Ireland, developed a fishing industry and encouraged new crops such as flax. They ended their direct relief at the end of 1847 only because of sheer exhaustion , though continued supplying relief indirectly. (5)

One must keep in mind the conditions the people in Ireland were suffering. The country had been ravaged by wars for over 200 years. Poverty was rife. Many young men had gone to fight in the Napoleonic Wars and had not returned leaving young and old with many families having a lost generation .

America helped by sending ships of the line carrying food . The first 2 ships to arrive in Ireland were the Jamestown and the Macedonia. The Jamestown arrived in Cobh in April 1847 and,

‘ a public dinner was given in Kilmurry’s Hotel to honour Captain Forbes and ‘to testify the respect of the inhabitants of Cobh and their gratitude to the gallant Captain personally and the American people , for their active sympathy with the wants and sufferings of this country.- It is fair to add that the dinner was admirable , both in the choice and quality of the viands. There was excellent American beef at table , brought over fresh from that country in the Jamestown , and also American mutton , fowls and fruit , each of the very best description.’ (6)

The second frigate granted by Congress to ship provisions collected in America back to Ireland , landed in Cobh on July 28th 1847.She had on board $500 worth of provisions sent by the Ladies of Brooklyn to be sent North to Newry to be distributed by Mr. Henderson , then Editor of the Newry Telegraph. The ship had brought in a cargo of Indian corn-meal. The bill of fare at the dejeuner offered to Commodore de Kay and his officers makes curious reading , for a country where people were starving.

Fish : Turbot – Salmon- Lobster Salad

Meats: Spiced Beef – Rump of Beef- Haunch of Mutton – Lamb- Veal – Jugged hare – Tongue

Poultry:– Chicken – Duckling – Turkey- Pigeon Pie

Desserts: – Sponge Cakes – Jellies- Creams -Ices – Blancmanges-Pies –Tarts- Cheese Cakes – Tartlets

Fruit:- Grapes- Apples –Plums- Cherries- Strawberries

Drinks:– Champagne- Claret – Port

This is in stark contrast to the conditions the Cottiers and labourers were living in and the hovels people were often forced to live in.

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