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How many Irish immigrants returned to Ireland?
According to the CSO, 35.6% of immigrants came from countries outside the EU, representing the majority at 30,400. The next most common cohort among immigrants were the Irish, with 28,900 people returning to Ireland during the same period, with 700 more Irish women than men coming home.
What happened to the Irish immigrants?
While approximately 1 million perished, another 2 million abandoned the land that had abandoned them in the largest-single population movement of the 19th century. Most of the exiles—nearly a quarter of the Irish nation—washed up on the shores of the United States.
What happened in Ireland that forced many Irish to immigrate to America?
Ireland’s 1845 Potato Blight is often credited with launching the second wave of Irish immigration to America. The fungus which decimated potato crops created a devastating famine.
Why did most Irish immigrants flee Ireland and settle in the US?
Pushed out of Ireland by religious conflicts, lack of political autonomy and dire economic conditions, these immigrants, who were often called “Scotch-Irish,” were pulled to America by the promise of land ownership and greater religious freedom.
Where did most Irish settle in America?
The immigrants who reached America settled in Boston, New York, and other cities where they lived in difficult conditions. But most managed to survive, and their descendants have become a vibrant part of American culture. Even before the famine, Ireland was a country of extreme poverty.
Why did the Irish immigrants in America return to Ireland?
Their return to Ireland was prompted by the unexpected, tragic death of their daughter in 1935. They left New York as America tried to emerge from the Great Depression, only to suffer further impoverishment in Ireland.
Where did the Irish go when they left Ireland?
Many Irish prisoners were sent to America, primarily to Virginia and Maryland, until 1775. From 1788 to 1869, over forty thousand Irish prisoners were sent to Australia. Many of those deported were later pardoned on the condition that they would never return to Ireland.
Is there an official emigration record for Ireland?
No countrywide, official record was kept for people leaving Ireland. If you are using emigration/immigration records to find the name of your ancestors’ town in Ireland, see Ireland Finding Town of Origin for additional research strategies. The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants especially in countries such as:
What was the first wave of Irish immigration?
The first wave of Irish immigration. Irish American history began in the late-16th century with the transportation of petty criminals and beggars to the West Indies. These transportees were subsequently joined by prisoners of war, deported in the middle of the 17th century following Oliver Cromwell’s bloody conquest of Ireland,…