Irish Potato Famine Memorial - Boston, MA
Posted by: neoc1
N 42° 21.440 W 071° 03.519
19T E 330461 N 4691504
The Irish Potato Famine Memorial is located at 11 School Street at the junction of Washington Street in Boston, MA.
Waymark Code: WMY0AA
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 03/27/2018
Views: 6
Sources:
Irish Famine Memorials Link
Wikipeia Link
The Irish Potato Famine Memorial contains a grouping of two separate bronze sculptures by Robert Shure. One statue is of an emaciated, starving woman flanked by two equally deprived children living through the Irish Potato Famine of 1845–1852. The other sculpture depicts a healthy, well dressed, family consisting of a mother, father, and their son who have found prosperity in America. well-fed having found prosperity in America.
The memorial was dedicated on June 28, 1998. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the midpoint of Irish Potato Famine. The memorial was funded from a trust led by businessman Thomas Flatley. The sculptures are accompanied by several monuments with plaques.
The plaque describing the Irish Potato Famine is inscribed:
AN GORTA MOR
The great famine which ravaged Ireland
between 1845-50 was the major catastrophe
of the 19th century. It brought horrific suf-
fering and loss to Ireland’s 8.5 million
people. Over one million died of starvation
and disease. Another two million emigrated,
seeking sanctuary in Boston and other
North American cities. Those remaining in
Ireland suffered poverty, eviction, and the
decimation of their culture. This memorial
remembers the famine, known in Irish as
AN GORTA MOR (The Great Hunger). It depicts
the Irish exodus from their homeland, their
arrival in Boston and ultimate triumph over
adversity in America. It was dedicated on
June 28, 1998, as part of the 150th anni-
versary of THE GREAT HUNGER.
The side of monument is inscribed:
IRISH FAMINE MEMORIAL
To commemorate the tragedy of
An Gorta Mór and the triumph of
those immigrants who came to Boston
Dedicated
June 28 1998
Thomas J. Flatley
Chairman
Thomas M. Menino
Mayor of Boston
A. Paul Cellucci
Governor of Massachusetts
Seamus Brennan T. D.
Minister of State
Government of Ireland
H.E. Sean O’Huiginn
Ambassador of Ireland
to the United States
Thomas O’Brien
Boston Redevelopment Authority