Irish Psyche: the effects of emigration

In the town of New Ross, a replica of the Dunbrody sailing vessel serves as a museum and specimen of the ominously nicknamed "coffin ships", which transported Irish emigrants for decades during and following the Great Famine. The Dunbrody was roughly 200 ft long and 50 ft wide at its widest point, and the emigrants were housed under the deck in steerage.

Conditions were dire: families were squeezed into 6 ft x 6 ft bunks, or if you were single, you shared that 36 sq ft bunk with five other singles. Up to twelve would share the space, and upon entry onto the ship you prayed that you hadn't been assigned to a bottom bunk. Otherwise, the toss bucket contents and sick wouldn't drip down onto you from the top bunk. The steerage passengers were only allowed on deck for up to an hour a day to cook, and if the weather was too stormy for that, they'd eat bread

that'd been cooked three times over (for preservation), dipped in water. The vessels got the "coffin" nickname because mortality rates commonly ranged from 20-40%. Keep those stats in mind when reading reviews about modern cruises.

they didn't mention anything about having pets on board...

It was interesting to see the ships that were largely responsible for the mass emigration that I'd commented on before. To put things into context, the population of Ireland in pre-famine 1845 was ~8.5 million. About 1.5 million emigrated from 1845-1855 (peaking at 250,000 in 1847), with another 2 million dying due to famine. That means that in just ten years, the population had dropped roughly 40%! Emigration continued well into the 20th century and really only slowed down in the 1960s.

<www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/past/famine/emigration.html>

But concerns over emigration didn't stop there. In fact, during my walking tour of Waterford, the guide mentioned that unemployment in the last several years has been as high as 19% in some parts of Ireland, and that much of the youth have emigrated. The current hot spot is Australia, with demand for skilled laborers and industry soaring... plus the climate is much more enjoyable. I've actually heard on a few occasions that Ireland suffers from "brain drain."

A quick google search indicates that emigration remains a troubling situation. Just in December 2013, the Irish Independent Newspaper reported that an average 250 Irish leave every day. That means that about 2% of the population--generally able-bodied youth--depart to build lives elsewhere.

This was a surprising situation to think about, as it's the reversal of what concerns many Americans: immigration.

So, a topic that I think would make an interesting high school research paper is:
"What influence has emigration had on the Irish psyche, as evidenced by cultural and political movements?"

(Hint: a starting point would be the 1967 play, "Philadelphia, Here I Come!" by Irish dramatist Brian Fiel, that centers around a young Irishman's decision to move to the US.)

All eight of JFK's great-grandparents had emigrated from Ireland, and the home of his great-grandfather  (who emigrated on the Dunbrody) is just 15 minutes south of New Ross. His cousins still live there (I met them!) and a small museum was opened in the last year that discusses the great success that his forefather/mothers had in the US. JFK had visited the home in the 1950s as an eccentric historian, then in 1963 as President (the museum features material on his visit... months before his assassination), and then Jackie and the kids visited in 1967.

These were interesting meetings to consider. Whereas the US Kennedys had become extremely wealthy and successful through hard work and good timing, the remaining Irish family had stayed in humble conditions. And at the time in the 20th century, JFK was groundbreaking for being so proud of his Irish heritage. As his cousin said to me, the visit of such an accomplished Kennedy to the Irish Kennedys made them walk "about 6 inches taller."

Ooh, actually this makes the research topic a bit more insightful. Let's elevate it to a college term paper. The new prompt: "What influence has emigration had on the Irish psyche, as evidenced by cultural and political movements? Discuss how the JFK Presidency and Kennedy visits of the 1950s, 1963, and 1967 reversed the psyche, if at all."