HS 377 - From Boston to Buenos Aires: Searching for Ireland Abroad in the Americas

Since 1700, approximately ten million people have emigrated from Ireland, an island the size of West Virginia. The destinations have included Australia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Caribbean. Popular culture and history have tended to concentrate on Famine and post- Famine emigration to the United States and to a lesser extent, Canada. Consequently, cities such as Boston, New York and Chicago have received major attention from historians. On the other hand, key groups such as the Ulster Presbyterians (Ulster Scots/ Scots Irish), who emigrated in significant numbers during the eighteenth century are neglected. Similarly, emigration to south America and the Caribbean has not featured prominently in the literature or popular culture. This course will correct these deficits by focusing on the Americas. As such, Argentina, Monserat and Newfoundland will feature prominently. When discussing the United States, the course will focus primarily on Ulster Presbyterian emigration to the Appalachians. More prosaically, emigration to the United States is explored, but through the lens of Eamon de Valera’s 1919/20 political tour of the United States AND President Kennedy’s visit to Ireland in 1963.

Please note: This course is pending review by our Curriculum Committee and there may be some small changes to the syllabus.