What can a micro-history of emigration, the story of a single townland, or even a single family, reveal about the wider Irish emigrant experience? In this episode, we trace the remarkable journey of the Clune family of Tyredagh Upper, Co. Clare, whose multigenerational migration to Norwalk, Connecticut offers insight into how local origins shaped settlement patterns in America.

We’re joined by Dr. Jane Halloran, historian, genealogist, and founder of Dalcassian Origins, to discuss her research on this chain migration and the powerful community networks that carried families like the Clunes across the Atlantic. Through their story, we uncover how one family’s path could influence patterns of migration from Ireland, and shed light on the wider 19th and early 20th century Irish emigrant experience.

Further Reading

Dr Jane Halloran Dalcassian Origins: http://www.dalcassianorigins.com/

Tyderagh Upper: https://www.townlands.ie/clare/tulla-upper/tulla/newgrove/tyredagh-upper/

Norwalk Connecticut: https://www.townlands.ie/clare/tulla-upper/tulla/newgrove/tyredagh-upper/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Phelan, born in Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, rose to prominence as one of America's most gifted billiards player and showmen. In New York he encountered Hugh Collender, from Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, an exiled Irish nationalist who decided to turn his talents to business after the failed rising of 1848.

Phelan’s flair and Collender’s enterprise combined into one of the great economic successes of 19th century Irish America. Together they built Phelan & Collender, a company that revolutionised billiard-table manufacture and helped define an American leisure industry. This episode traces how two Irishmen, shaped by different beginnings but united by drive and ingenuity--and eventually by close family ties--carved out a partnership and business empire that became a household name in Gilded Age America.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wisconsin isn't the first state that springs to mind when it comes to the Irish American Diaspora. But though often more associated with Germans (and German beer!), Wisconsin had a notable Irish presence. Today, Milwaukee is even home to Irish Fest, the largest Irish festival in the United States.

In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Tim McMahon of Marquette University to uncover the fascinating history of the Irish communities who made Wisconsin their home.

We chart their stroy from the early arrivals of the nineteenth century to their lasting influence in the twentieth, tracing how Irish immigrants shaped places like Milwaukee — building neighborhoods, parishes, and a distinct Irish-American identity in the heart of the Midwest.

We explore dramatic moments like the tragic Lady Elgin disaster- a maritime catastrophe for both Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Irish- and the later political and cultural connections maintained with Ireland. Tim also discusses Éamon de Valera’s visit, and the story behind that iconic photograph of De Valera in a Native American headdress.

Dr Tim McMahon: https://www.marquette.edu/history/directory/timothy-mcmahon.php

Milwaukee Irish Fest: https://irishfest.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.