An Gorta Mór – Ireland’s Great Hunger.

I was delighted to hear from the remarkable Ruth Riddick in New York about an equally remarkable exhibition at the Irish Consulate in New York which she is involved with – “An Gorta Mór – Ireland’s Great Hunger” which is based on the collection at Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University.

Ireland’s Great Famine or The Great Hunger, as it is more commonly referred to today, ranks among the worst tragedies in the sweep of human history. Between 1845 and 1850, approximately 1.5 million Irish men, women and children died of starvation or related diseases. By 1855, more than two million more fled Ireland to avoid a similar fate. This decimation of her population makes Ireland’s Great Hunger both the worst chapter in the country’s history, and arguably, the single worst catastrophe in 19th century Europe.


The President of Ireland, Professor Mary McAleese opening the exhibition in New York

As for New York based Ruth who is providing communications services to the project she is one of life’s polymaths who has forged a career in the States providing consultancy in communications, advocacy, management and training as well as continuing her writing. She is special friend from the old days and she is known in Ireland as a leading feminist (a label she would never use herself). Ruth was a leading advocate for women’s rights and a rational humane approach to social problems at a time when they were both sorely needed in Ireland and when it took real personal courage to campaign on these issues. But there is much more to the talented Ms. Riddick than that as a perusal of her web site reveals;

www.ruthriddick.com/bio.html

As for the exhibition your thinking about the Irish famine will be irrevocably changed. Even the word “famine” in no longer used; the period is now known, inter alia, as the “starvation.” When I read the background on the Quinnipiac site I certainly learnt more than I did at school and it changed my view about the nature of the Famine. It is great with the developments in the North that the Irish-American perspective has moved on from the freeze frame it was in for so many years - I remember the old joke about there are only two political issues in Boston - "Trieste is Italian and Ireland must be united!"


Eviction of an Irish family by landlords during the famine

The Great Hunger irrevocably changed Ireland – its population was virtually halved, the dominance of the Gaelic language as the spoken language of the people was destroyed and the effects of the Irish Diaspora on Ireland and on the countries where the pitiful emigrants from starvation went to are felt to this day. It also reinforced the conviction that Irish people must take control of their own destiny and not be beholden to a foreign power.

As for the thrust of the exhibition to correct historical misapprehensions the President of Quinnipiac University writes;

“An Gorta Mór, The Great Hunger, is an attempt to set the record straight. For more than 150 years, the catastrophe that depopulated Ireland has been referred to as the Irish Potato Famine—as if a crop, and not a nation’s people, were the victims. Rather than an act of nature, The Great Hunger was the result of centuries of institutionalized oppression and callous disregard for human life. This unprecedented exhibition presents one of the world’s most extensive collections of art and literature portraying the tragedy and suffering in Ireland at that time. The authors, artists, writers and local voices whose work is collected in this exhibition stand together to bear witness to this crime against humanity.

It is critical that the Great Hunger be remembered accurately. In the 150-plus years since the Great Hunger, this tragedy has been downplayed and frequently distorted by Anglo historians and sympathizers. Too often it has been described as a disaster caused by the bad luck of a naturally occurring potato blight. British authorities, then responsible for ruling all of Ireland, were quick to agree, and thus took no responsibility for this epic disaster that claimed the lives of 1.5 million Irish people. Thanks to recent historians, such as Christine Kinealy, we now know that more than adequate food existed in Ireland; food exports from the country actually increased during the famine years. If only British authorities had possessed the will and compassion to deliver this food to the starving Irish. But British Government indifference resulted in the worst calamity ever to befall Ireland. It was not until 1997, 150 years after Black ‘47 that a British prime minister, Tony Blair, acknowledged that the British bore some responsibility for this terrible tragedy.

Irish-Americans must continue to publicly document this worst tragedy and human rights abuse in Ireland’s history—and to question those who even today seek to obscure the real causes of this human disaster.”

John L. Lahey, Ph.D. President, Quinnipiac University
Vice Chairman, New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee

Curated by producer Turlough McConnell, from the collection at Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University, the exhibition features art work by such major Irish sculptors as John Behan and Eamonn O’Doherty, as well as paintings, lithographs, photographs and etchings by other contemporary artists, and a fascinating selection of rare books and maps dating from the famine years and earlier.


Eamonn O’Doherty's marquette for a Famine Memorial

Quinnipiac University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours south of Boston. Quinnipiac comprises schools of business, communications, education, health sciences, and law, and a College of Arts and Sciences.

Website; www.quinnipiac.edu

Commentary on wall panels comes from important historians from both sides of the Atlantic, and is decidedly revisionist. It is right that the revision of the incorrect history of the Great Hunger is led from America as even during it Americans looked upon it as an avoidable human tragedy and identified with the people of Ireland many who ended up seeking refuge there after harrowing voyages in “Coffin Ships” where the bodies of those who died were thrown overboard.


The disproprtionate effect of the famine on the West of Ireland can be seen from this map

The Rev. John Hughes, D.D., Bishop of New York speaking from the Broadway Tabernacle on March 20th, 1847 gave a lecture on the Irish Famine and immigrations and in his speech said,

“The year 1847 will be rendered memorable in the future annals of civilization, by two events; the one immediately preceding and giving occasion to the other, namely, Irish famine, and American sympathy and succour.”

The exhibition is open to the public weekdays through September 3rd from 12 Noon to 2PM at the Consulate of Ireland, 345 Park Avenue (17th Floor), New York, between 51st and 52nd Street. (Entrance also at 345 Lexington Avenue, near 6, E & M subway.)

Photo ID required for building access. Call ahead to confirm hours, (212) 319-2555 .

ADMISSION IS FREE.

www.thegreathunger.org


The legacy - One of the many deserted "Famine Villages" found in Ireland

E-Towns Ireland.

Off at the weekend on a flight into Shannon Airport to visit to my favourite Irish county. Clare is a county of great variety and natural beauty with the west, dominated by the Atlantic, with the seaside resorts of Kilkee and Lahinch, the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren National Park. The east of the county is heavily influenced by the River Shannon and beautiful Lough Derg, with its ancient monastic sites.

Ennis is the county town, an Information Age Town and a thriving centre which, with its narrow streets and historic buildings, has a continental athmosphere with attractive pubs, cafes and restaurants and an eclectic selection of retailers. Shannon and its airport have been the focus of economic activity in the region for the past forty years. The creation of the Shannon Free Zone was a unique initiative which has been replicated throughout the world. The resulting cluster of multinational firms located at and around Shannon has boosted investment in the county's infrastructure over the years. Shannon was a purpose built new town but it also attracted a diverse cosmopolitan population of South Africans, English, Americans and Canadians which made it a unique catalyst for change in the otherwise homogeneous Ireland of the 60’s and 70’s. West Clare is particularly renowned as a centre for Irish culture - particularly music and dance - and hosts several music and literary festivals each year. Because of its dramatic natural beauty combined with the access to the cities of Limerick and Galway, Ennis and the connections afforded by Shannon Airport the county has always attracted an electric mix of “settlers” artists, writers, entrepreneurs and retirees attracted by the combination of a relaxed lifestyle in unspoilt natural surroundings and the good communication links and facilities. It has also become a major centre of tourism spurred on by Shannon Airport and the development of attractions such as Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Cliffs of Moher, King John’s Castle Limerick and thatched Irish holiday villages. It contains many fine hotels, such as Dromoland Castle and outstanding golf links.


However the overriding story of Clare has been one of emigration and depopulation. The population of 225,000 at the 1822 census had declined to 106,000 by 1996. In recent times with the economic boom in Ireland known as the “Celtic Tiger” this trend has reversed and Ireland for the first time in many generations is experiencing net immigration and population growth. Capitalising on this trend and as part of its efforts to regenerate the region the local development body, Shannon Development, has started to develop E-Villages as integral parts of local communities to attract professionals to ready made work / live developments which will reinforce local communities. Shannon Development is the Irish Government agency responsible for economic development in Ireland’s Shannon Region. The objective of the E-Towns initiative is to enable people to achieve a life/work balance in tailor-made accommodation and bring new economic activity back into local communities. Ireland’s first E-Town is Miltown Malbay, in picturesque West Clare close to the popular seaside resorts of Lahinch, Liscannor and Spanish Point.

E-Towns is a Shannon Development initiative to develop a "21st century model" for the ongoing and future development of smaller communities in the Shannon Region. Its primary aim is to help disperse economic activity and job creation to smaller population centres (by stimulating the development of a complimentary enterprise culture based on the attraction of established urban micro businesses).

Miltown Malbay is a beautiful coastal town situated in North-West Clare and is a popular loction for business people wishing to work and live in a countryside setting with access to the nearby amentiies of a City location. Its year round population stands at 1200, though in the summer months this swells considerably, as it plays host to the largest Irish music summer school in the world. The greater iBrickane area, which also incorporates Quilty, Mullagh and Spanish Point, has a permanent population of approximately 3000 people. The words music and culture have long been associated with the locality. But over 200 years ago, the area became a popular holiday destination thanks to its golden stretch of beach at Spanish Point and the beaches at Seafield and White Strand. Outdoor pursuits are well catered for locally with angling, surfing, swimming, boating, golfing, dolphin-watching, bird watching and pony trekking all available nearby.



Miltown Malbay is a 40 minutes drive from Ennis, the County town of Clare and a 60 minutes drive from Shannon International Airport. Hence, it has proved a popular location for business people wishing to work and live in a countryside setting. Today, the iBrickane area boasts almost 200 businesses including several information technology enabled businesses, which have established themselves locally over the last 10 years.

Branded the "Courtyard" or "Cuirt na dTonnta" (Courtyard of the waves) in Gaelic, the physical elements of the project are a small-integrated complex of workspace and residential accommodation, consisting of a combination of detached, three storey and semi-detached houses, with wired for broadband office space. The live-work accommodation is available for sale and targeted specifically at established micro-businesses within the traded services sector, e.g. graphic design, consultancy, web design, publishing and professional services. Up to 12 businesses can be accommodated in each E-Town location with the long term potential of generating significant employment and local added-value.



Walking around the development by Murray O’Laoire, Architects I was impressed at how well the E Village is integrated into the local community. The units echo the vernacular style of the area where houses on the exposed Atlantic coast are built solidly to withstand the elements and provide the essentials of shelter and warmth. Simplicity and authentic natural materials are emphasised with elevations of off white rough cast plaster under welsh blue slate roofs. Interest is added by use of natural timber planking and Nordic Pine window sections with sensible aluminium cill protectors to protect against the salt laden marine climate. For the same reason there are aluminium fascia and soffits. Inside, the planning is simple and intelligent with a high standard of finishes and plentiful sockets and good quality kitchens and bathrooms. The workspaces are finished to a shell and core specification and have accessible toilets and excellent natural lighting pointing to their attractiveness to artists, media and web specialists. The feeling is both of understated quality and solidity. The development is well integrated into Miltown Malbay so it will not be a incomers ghetto but a valued neighbour and part of the community.

Cliffs of Moher

I am reinvigorated by a weekend in my favourite Irish County, County Clare on the Atlantic seaboard and seeing once again one the most evocative places in Ireland, the magnificent Cliffs of Moher and the wild Atlantic seascape which is at its most impressive on a stormy winter’s day rather than in the calm of summer. County Clare contains great variety within its boundaries. The Burren, a unique karst region, which contains rare flowers and fauna. At the western edge of The Burren, facing the Atlantic Ocean, are the Cliffs of Moher. The county's Southern border is the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland. Along this estuary is the town of Shannon and Shannon International Airport which has a proud place in aviation history. This airport was the first airport to have a duty-free zone. Clare’s unique sense of place was noted by the English Poet Laureate, John Betjeman, who was a wartime press attaché (and probably a spy) at the British Embassy in Dublin:
>
Stony seaboard, far and foreign,
Stony hills poured over space,
Stony outcrop of the Burren,
Stones in every fertile place,
Little fields with boulders dotted,
………
Where a stone age people breeds,
The last of Europe’s stone age race.

Ireland with Emily.
Sir. John Betjeman

Clare’s sense of place derives not just from the landscape but also from the people because it has also preserved traditions of music and story telling which makes it a magnet for traditional music and folklore enthusiasts. And it does have much evidence of antiquity with a large number of old castles and abbeys, several ancient towers, and numerous raths (earthworks of ancient Irish chieftains) and cromlechs (circles of standing stones).


For native and visitor alike one of the most evocative places are the dramatic Cliffs of Moher where you definitely identify with what the locals say “The next parish is America!” The Cliffs are featured in the opening sequences of David Lean's film Ryan's Daughter (1970). The Cliffs (Gaelic: Aillte an Mhothair, lit. cliffs of the ruin, also known as the Cliffs of Mohair from the Irish: Mhothair) are located in the parish of Liscannor at the south-western edge of The Burren area near Doolin, which is located in County Clare, Republic of Ireland. They rise 120 meters (394 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 meters (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres away. The cliffs boast one of Ireland's most spectacular views. On a clear day the Aran Islands are visible in Galway Bay, as are the valleys and hills of Connemara. The Cliffs are amongst the most impressive places to see in Ireland, and are widely considered to be Ireland's top tourist attraction, drawing almost one million visitors in 2006.

Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience

They have been short on facilities in the past have been makeshift but this has now been remedied with the opening of an impressive interpretative centre buried into the landscape which is designed both to enhance a visit and provide the facilities needed to make the visit comfortable and satisfying. The site has been developed by Clare County Council and Shannon Heritage to allow visitors to experience the spectacular natural impression of the Cliffs, without the distraction of overly-imposing man-made amenities or features.


In keeping with this carefully-balanced approach, the "Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience" is built into a hillside approaching the Cliffs, blending naturally with the surrounding countryside. The centre is also environmentally sensitive in its use of renewable energy systems including geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and greywater recycling. Opened in February 2007 the €32m facility features an informative array of interactive media, exploring topics such as the origin of the Cliffs in local and global geological contexts, the bird and fish life in the area, and many more.

O'Briens Tower

The Cliffs of Moher are home to one of the major colonies of cliff nesting seabirds in Ireland. The area was designated as a Refuge for Fauna in 1988 and as a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) under the EU Birds Directive in 1989. Included within the designated site are the cliffs, the cliff-top maritime grassland and heath, and a 200 metre zone of open water, directly in front of the cliffs to protect part of the birds' feeding area. The designation covers 200 hectares and highlights the area's importance for wildlife. The cliffs consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs. One can see 300 million year old river channels cutting through the base of the cliffs.

There are many animals living on the cliffs, most of them birds: 30,000 birds of 29 species. The most interesting are the famous Atlantic Puffins, which live in large colonies at isolated parts of the cliffs and on the small Goat Island. Also present are hawks, gulls, guillemots, shags, ravens and choughs. “Atlantic Edge” is the exciting interpretive centre at the Cliffs of Moher New Visitor Experience. Housed at the centre of the underground building a huge domed cave contains images, exhibits, displays & experiences that will delight young and old alike.

Cafe

Visitors enter via a viewing ramp which provides access for all to the central floor. This is organised into four principal themed areas exploring different elements of the Cliffs of Moher: OCEAN, ROCK, NATURE and MAN. A selection of interactive exhibits & displays shows aspects of these themes and their connection with the Cliffs. An aerial tour entitled “The Clare Journey” appears on a central screen and provides a wonderful birds eye tour od this fascinating county. The tour continues from the central dome via a winding tunnel that evokes the many caves of the area to a theatre housing a virtual reality cliff face adventure – “The Ledge”. A virtual reality cliff face adventure, THE LEDGE, is shown in the audiovisual theatre using IMAX style technology allowing visitors to experience life at the cliff face both above and below sea level, meeting a cast of characters from among the native bird and sea life.

The Edge

The Cliffs of Moher are dramatic and evocative but also speak to Irish people of the pain of emigration and the history of Ireland over the years as Clare is a county which experienced the extreme effects of the potato famine and depopulation and decline. Indeed the remains of whole “famine villages” which were depopulated en masse can still be seen. A part of the ashes of British pop singer Dusty Springfield (real name Mary O’Brien) were scattered at Cliffs of Moher in 1999 as an indication that this is a place important in the memory of the Irish Diaspora. The traditional ballad popularised by the Irish folk group Planxty evokes this unique sense of place;

You may travel far, far, from your own native home,
Far away o’er the mountains, far away o’er the foam,
But of all the fine places that I’ve ever been,
Oh, there’s none can compare with the Cliffs of Dooneen.

Take a view o’er the mountains, fine sights you’ll see there;
You’ll see high, rocky mountains on the west coast of Clare,
Oh, the towns of Kilkee and Kilrush can be seen,
From the high, rocky slopes ‘round the Cliffs of Dooneen.
<br />
Sunset over the Cliffs

travel