Honouring Indigenous Aid During Ireland’s Great Hunger

Professor Christine Kinealy of Quinnipiac University (Connecticut, USA) presents evidence on First Nations of North America contributions to the 1840s Great Hunger Relief fund, despite their own recent displacement following The Trail of Tears. ❤️📍🔱

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Great Hunger (1845-1852) was how news of the suffering in Ireland prompted an international relief effort, unprecedented in its geographic scope. People throughout the world, many without direct connections to Ireland, mobilised to provide money, food and clothing to the starving Irish. Aid came from all parts of the world and donors cut across traditional religious, social, economic and gender divides. Some of the most impressive donations were made by people who were themselves poor and marginalised.

This presentation will explore the origins and motivations behind a number of these philanthropic interventions. Additionally, it will share new examinations of recently discovered archival records, documenting the 1847 Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee First Nations’ contributions from Canada West (now Ontario), whilst offering a fresh perspective on the more widely commemorated Native American Choctaw and Cherokee donations.

This event is held in partnership with Irish Heritage Trust, National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park and Quinnipiac University. Dr Jason King (Irish Heritage Trust) and Professor Kinealy both completed Irish sections of the Walk of the Bronze Shoes, 2024.