According to the 2020 Census, there are over 31.5 million Americans that claim Irish ancestry. Over 6.8 million of them live in the state of Massachusetts. That is just over the population of the actual Republic of Ireland (5 million), and over three times the population of Northern Ireland. Considering “Anglo-Protestants and Ulster Presbyterians, defining themselves as Scots-Irish,” were able to blend with the Protestant hegemony of the US in a way Catholics could not, partially through their own contribution to the othering of Catholic immigrants, the difference in those communities and their experience in America is large (McCaffrey 2004). Thus, I focus my analysis of Irish Americans on Catholic communities, and their relations to Catholic republicans in Northern Ireland.
Thus, it would seem at the very least improbable that these diasporic communities wouldn’t be involved in the Troubles in some way, considering the population of people identifying with Irish identity outside of the conflict. Indeed, Catholic Irish Americans had a very deep and complex relationship with the Troubles. Alongside their general connection through shared struggle with discrimination and oppression, some Irish Americans felt very tied to the conflict and did whatever they could to support the cause. In addition to political action in the US government, aided by a mid-20th century improvement in socio-political status that was conducive to larger-scale influence, Irish Americans rallied support, raised funding, and even directly supplied weapons for the IRA. In all of these diverse ways, Irish Americans assisted other Catholics suffering from the Troubles.
Also across all of these methods of support, you find ties back to Boston, Massachusetts. Boston’s South End, or “Southie,” is notably one of the most Irish neighborhoods in the United States. This large population of Irish Americans left their mark on the Troubles in many ways, from the dollars gathered in pubs, to firepower from the Irish mob, and even just providing an accepting community for visiting IRA members. Outside of Southie, the Massachusetts originating Kennedy family’s rise to political dominance in the mid-20th century marked a shift in US Catholic tolerance that brought new opportunities to all Irish Americans.
Oh to hear the cheers from Southie when JFK won, may he rest in peace.
In this exhibit, I’ve analyzed the growth and evolution of the Irish American identity, looking at the sources of Irish emigration and how they influenced the communities it spawned. I’ve shown how these communities remain spiritually connected to those still in Ireland, and how this connection inspired support for the Catholic cause in Northern Ireland, extending to support for the paramilitary action of the PIRA. I’ve displayed the various avenues of interaction Irish Americans have had with the Troubles, and how they ultimately culminated in peaceful, political action. Finally, I look forward to the future of Irish American relations with the island, and how they extend beyond the Troubles as much as the Troubles have proven to display this relationship.
