Historian and author Loretto Leary will present a deeply moving talk, “The Irish Famine Immigrant Experience in the Staten Island Quarantine Station” on Monday, Sep. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh, Belmar. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Leary's presentation sheds light on the harrowing transatlantic crossings of Irish emigrants during one of the most devastating periods in Ireland’s history. Far from a simple story of arrival and opportunity, she explores the uncertain, often traumatic, experiences the arriving immigrants faced navigating illness, loss, and displacement upon reaching America.
Leary, who is pursuing a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, delves into how communities choose which Famine histories are preserved, commemorated, or forgotten. Her research examines the collective memories of the Irish Famine and how Famine burial grounds in North America became contested landscapes of collective memory.
Previously, Leary served as Education and Cultural Director for Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, CT. Currently, she is Co-Chair of the Connecticut Ireland Trade Commission a role that bridges scholarship, cultural diplomacy, and public engagement.
Admission to the meeting is free for members of the Irish American Society of the Jersey Shore. All are welcome to join. For info on the Society’s membership see www.jerseyshoreirish.org/.