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Great Hunger Memorial How it Began: June 2001 “WHY
A GREAT HUNGER MEMORIAL IN WESTCHESTER” The
Great Irish Famine: Poorly clad and terribly housed, the Irish
peasants were entirely dependent on the potato for sustenance--out of
8:million, some 3.5 million ate little else; consuming 12-14 lbs per
day. This dependency was to become fatal. Famines were nothing new in
Ireland by the I 840s, but a fungus virtually destrOyed the potato
crops. During 1840-50. 1.5 million died from hunger. and related
diseases. The few doctors working among the poor were unable to cope.
Children were most susceptible to the famine fever. Yet in one year
alone, 1847, 4000 ships carrying export peas,-beans, rabbits, salmon,
honey, arid potatoes left Ireland for English ports. There were 9,992
Irish. cattle, 4,000 horses, 1,000, 000 gallons of butter sent to
England too. in 1847, 400,000 Irish died due to starvation. Between
1845 and 1855, 2 million Irish emigrated. During 1846-51, over 600,000
entered the port of New York. The 1850 U.S. Census shows 7068
Irish-born living in Westchester, In Irish history, this period is
called An Gala Mar, the Great
Hunger. it is the single most important event in Irish history. The
Atlantic Crossing:
So many perished on the ships bound for the New World that these
filthy, fever-ridden vessels became known as ‘Coffin Ships.1’
For every death on American ships, three died on British ships; where
there was one diseased person on American ships, there were five on
British ships. What propelled the Irish on these ships? According to
Evelyn Waugh, a new start in America was the difference between two
realities: “Hell and the United States The first Irish to arrive
were rejected and perceived as an alien culture that could not
be assimilated. Eventually, they were able to find their place in
American society, without losing their cultural heritage. The Irish and Westchester County: Where they
went, they were known as “Diggers.” In Westchester County, they
were largely responsible for the building of the railroads, dams, and
aqueducts. The early Catholic parishes in the County were built by and
for f he Irish. They made their mark in the Civil War and soon began
to prosper. For those who were willing to persevere, the United States
offered the best opportunity for success. THE PRESENT Hunger is not alone as a scourge on the planet:
Unicef reports there are one billion illiterate people in the
world--ho of the world’s population. $7 billion is estimated to
eliminate illiteracy--roughly what Americans spend on cosmetics.
Furthermore, 1/5 of the world’s population has at its disposal 4/5
of the worlds resources. Churchill remarked that those who are unaware
of history, or ignore it are doomed to make the same mistakes as those
who preceded them. This is the current applicabilty of this memorial. The mission of the Hunger Memorial: The Great Hunger
Memorial of Westchester County wants to erect a monument not only in
memory of those who perished 150 years ago, but to call attention to
the homeless, the indigent hungry, or anyone whether in this County or
across the land who feels they do not have the means for a meal. The
committee hopes to create a living memorial at V.E. Macy Park, the
home to the monument, by running a series of on-going events to
benefit local not-for-profits in Westchester who provide assistance in
feeding the hungry. Learning the lessons: The Irish Famine is only recently being scrutinized and elevated throughout curricula to the status of the greatest tragedy of the nineteenth century. Like the Holocaust, many watched while others perished; governments pursued policies at the expense of peoples’ lives. The Great Hunger Memorial will be commissioning a writing contest for County elementary, middle school, high school, and college students. The winning entries will be read aloud at dedication and it is hoped that the youth will start to understand the tremendous resources available to most as well as to those who are deprived when it comes to ending hunger. The Irish Hunger Memorial Committee
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