The Great Hunger Memorial is a 16-foot tall Celtic cross located on Deer Island in Boston Harbor.[1][2]
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| Location | Deer Island, Massachusetts, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Type | Celtic cross |
In the late 1840s, the Boston Corporation erected a hospital on the island.[3] Irish immigrants, who arrived on coffin ships, were quarantined there.[3] The memorial commemorates the 850 people who died on the island between 1847 and 1850, as they were trying to escape the Great Irish Famine.[2] Their bodies were discovered during construction work done on the island in 1990.[4]
The memorial is the result of decades long effort of a number of local Irish-American activists.[5] Its construction was also championed by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and other local officials.[2][3][6]
The memorial was the brainchild of Michael Kearney, John Flaherty, Peter O’Malley, Bernard Callaghan, and the late William and Rita O’Connell.[3][5] It was cut and engraved at a quarry in Pennsylvania.[3] It was erected with the help of Feeney Brothers of Boston and Local 25 of the Teamsters Union.[3]
The monument was dedicated on May 25, 2019 in a ceremony attended by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Cardinal Sean O’Malley. The dedication included a speech from Boston City Archivist John J. McColgan.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Great Hunger Memorial unveiled on Deer Island". WCVB. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d Fox, Jeremy C. (25 May 2019). "Irish famine memorial dedicated on Deer Island". Boston Globe. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Woodcock, Sue Ellen (31 May 2019). "Irish Memorial Dedicated on Deer Island". Winthrop Transcript. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ Estrin, Robin (23 June 1997). "A proper burial, 150 years later". South Coast Today. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ a b O'Hanlon, Rory (21 May 2019). "Great Hunger memorial rises in Boston Harbor". Irish Echo. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "MWRA Deer Island Memorials Project". www.mwra.state.ma.us.