In the United States, March in
recent years is typically proclaimed as Irish-American Heritage Month. The proclamation
is typically in March to coincide with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. From
celebrations of heritage to popular icons in the United States, there is no
denying the cultural imprint of the Irish on American culture. Yet a search for
a place to enjoy Irish-American history is less likely to yield as well known
results.
There are a few museums that
document Irish Heritage largely clustered in New England. An effort to build an
Irish-American Museum of
Washington, D.C. is underway. The virtual exhibit
is the only exhibit open thus far. However, you don’t have to make a trip to
faraway destination to enjoy Irish history. You can find it in your own state. There are people of Irish ancestry in every
state in America.
So how do you find Irish history in
your state? Here are a few suggestions for your search.
Examine Toponyms
Toponyms or place names often reveal
unique characteristics of a place. The names chosen for places tell you about
the geography of a place and who was there. Place names are distinct cultural
markers. Want to look at some examples?
Try this site
about New York from National Geographic. Then get out your maps and look for
Irish toponyms in your state. There is a
town named Dublin in more than 10 states. We have visited the city of Dublin,
Georgia many times.
Search for Historical
Markers
Historical Markers recognize people
and events whose imprint on the landscape is not obvious. The builders of
landmarks, the movement of troops, and the lives of important people are
memorialized by historic markers. The Irish in America have contributed to many
public works projects. The history of the Irish may be presented by a marker in
your state.
Don’t know where to start looking for
the historic markers in your state? Turn to technology. Your state may have a
database of historic markers to search. Georgia does. The Georgia Historical
Society also has an app that lets the user use googlemaps to find historic
markers across the state. You can also search the Historical
Marker Database. This is a
crowdsourced database you can search and later even contribute to. A search of
the state database revealed several potential sites we could choose to visit.
Investigate State
History
There are a growing number of
resources dedicated to the history of individual states. You can turn to these
resources for more state-specific history. The New Georgia Encyclopedia
preserves the history of towns and Georgians for future generations. The Old Governors’ Mansion(pictured) in Georgia was designed
by the Irish architect Charles B. Cluskey. Explore PA History combines the history
of Pennsylvania via historic markers and lesson plan and activities that can be
used in and out of the classroom. Find and use your state resource. You may be surprised
what you learn.
Good Luck with your search for Irish
history near you! We look forward to hearing about the results.
