Time to recall our Famine heroes
As chair of the National Famine Commemoration Committee, I am frequently humbled by the level of respect and empathy that Irish people — at home and abroad — have for the victims of the greatest tragedy in our history: The Great Irish Famine.
The Famine casts a shadow to this day. More than 1m people died and 1m more emigrated. The population of Ireland, close to 8.5m in 1845, fell to 6.6m by 1851. That decline continued for many decades. Every year, thousands of people attend both the Famine commemorations at home and abroad to remember the many who died and emigrated, and to reflect on the appalling events during this period.
However, in times of great adversity, we can also find extraordinary acts of generosity or heroism by people who, against all odds, tried to help those who were suffering. It is important that we remember these people, many of whom may have been forgotten or overlooked; for this reason, the committee has launched a project called ‘Heroes of the Great Irish Famine’.
It aims to gather information about the people, whether in Ireland or overseas, who helped to alleviate suffering. Members of the public, and all schools, are being asked to submit stories from their locality. I hope this project will capture the imagination and give us all a deeper perspective on the Great Irish Famine. Over time, I would like this project to grow as a valuable source of information about the Famine.
When the committee decided to embark on this project, we were inspired by some of the extraordinary stories which relate to the relief effort, stories which are inspirational to this day.
The Quakers — or Religious Society of Friends — were one such group that did much to help. They established soup kitchens, pioneered farming methods, and highlighted the reality on the ground which encouraged donations nationally and internationally. Joseph Bewley and Jonathan Pim were prominent members of the society and it is thanks to these individuals, and all members of the society, that we have so much information on the Famine.
The native American Choctaw Nation also gave assistance, even though they faced extraordinary challenges at the time. In 1847, the Choctaw Nation collected $170 for Irish famine relief, an incredible sum at the time. This was despite the fact that, in 1831, the Choctaws had been forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in Mississippi, facing hunger and death at the time.
When the Choctaws learned of the Famine, they felt a great empathy with the Irish people, and, although they had only meagre resources, made a heroic donation to help those suffering.
Abdul Mejid Khan, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, donated £1,000 and sent three ships with food supplies to Drogheda. The Jewish community in New York raised hundreds of dollars for Famine relief. The Committee of Colored Citizens in Philadelphia did likewise, with the money entrusted to leading anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass to deliver when he visited Ireland. And, in my town of Listowel, the work of four Presentation Sisters in the 1840s — Mother Mary Teresa Kelly, Mother Mary Xavier Brennan, Sister Mary Francis McCarthy, and Sister Mary Augustine Stack — is remembered to this day.
These are some of the examples of the heroic steps that individuals and communities took when they heard of the Famine suffering in Ireland.
However, I know there are many more stories that have never been heard or recorded. In every town and village, people remember an individual or a group — from home or abroad — who tried to help relieve the suffering. This work, whether big or small, was heroic. To this day, it reminds us that humanity still exists in greatly troubled times.
This year, the National Famine Commemoration will take place in Strokestown Park, Co Roscommon. The people of the town have worked tirelessly over the last 20 years to build a rich collection of material which helps us understand the themes of the Famine, including blight, eviction, and emigration.
Strokestown had its own local hero. Charles Maguire, clerk of the Strokestown Relief Committee, who — during the months from April to August 1846 — personally oversaw that more than 4,000 people were given relief on a weekly basis.
The Heroes of the Great Irish Famine project aims to gather the stories of people who tried to help our ancestors at one of the darkest periods in our history. I would urge the public to get involved, to learn more about the Famine, and to take part in the National Famine Commemoration.
The National Famine Commemoration will take place on May 11 at 3pm in Strokestown Park House. The event is free and open to the public. A ten-day programme of events will begin in Strokestown from May 2, and will include a series of lectures, musical pieces, walks, bus tours, theatre, music, exhibitions, and local commemoration ceremonies. For more, go to irishfamine.ie
— Jimmy Deenihan is Minister for Arts, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht
