Tuesday, March 6, 2007

M's Fun Irish Immigration Facts

Irish Immigrant:  Fun Facts by M (with notes by me)

  1. President John F. Kennedy’s grandfather was an Irish immigrant.
  2. Annie Moore, a young girl from Ireland, was the first immigrant processed at Ellis Island.  (note: She came escorting her younger brother, their parents already there waiting in New York City.  There is a statue for her at Ellis Island.)
  3. Between the years of 1880 and 1924, 9,000,000 northwestern Europeans immigrated to the US; this included the Irish.
  4. Most northwestern Europeans, including the Irish, immigrated between 1881 and 1900.
  5. There are 20,575,998 Irish people living in the United States today.  (note:  I don't know how recent a resource M used, recent but perhaps a year or 3 old)
  6. The top three states that the Irish lived/live in are New York, California, and Pennsylvania. *(I have not seen this listed elsewhere but in M's notes.   I wonder if she read the stats for Germans instead, or?)
  7. The children and grandchildren of people born in Ireland can obtain dual citizenshipwith the US and Ireland.
  8. Most Irish immigrants stayed in New York while other ethnic groups moved to other parts of the US in search of different jobs, particularly to Boston.
  9. At one time, there were more Irish living in New York City, New York, than in Dublin, Ireland.
  10. The Irish are the 2nd largest nationality group to immigrate to America.  (note:  Unlike many other nations, Ireland had many women emigrate alone, as well as men.)
  11. Irish males provided much of the labor needed to construct railroads, canals and roads
  12. The Know-Nothing party particularly hated the Irish.
  13. NINA (No Irish Need Apply) signs were often posted near “No Dogs Allowed” signs in past centuries.
  14. Today, Irish immigrants with their white skin and English-speaking skills, are more likely to find ready employment than immigrants of some other countries.
  15. note:  many of the Irish were the first to live in "slums," per what I've read of M's research and her resources.

 

1 comment:

  1. Pennsylvania? I would have never guessed. I spent 1/2 my life there and I don't remember meeting any Irish. It was mostly Italians around the area of Pittsburgh I grew up in. Maybe they're all out by Philly.

    Fred

    ReplyDelete