THE Irish immigrant to the United States is the first man to become Americanised and the last man to forget his native country," said Minnesota Senator James Shields in 1859. This is probably one of the more accurate descriptions of what it means, and has meant to be. Irish in New York over the last three centuries.
Gaelic Gotham: History of the Irish in New York, a rambling but enthralling exhibition at the Museum of the City in New York (MCNY), explores one of New York's largest and oldest ethnic groups.
Looking at the images alone, which cover the walls of this massive exhibition (running until October 27th), it is hard to deny the complex, confusing, ever changing identity the Irish have had in New York. The majestic St Patrick's Cathedral (1877), dwarfing the surrounding trees and horse ridden carriages; an 1890s theatre poster for Miss Ada Rehan; Hughson Hawley's 1880 painting of Irish labourers laying railway tracks; and Alton Tobey's 1928 portrait of a beaming Al Smith campaigning for the Presidency.
Forgotten Memories
Visiting Gaelic Gotham is like stumbling upon an old, long forgotten attic chest. Over 400 original artefacts are on display, each one with its own story to tell of how the Irish arrived, struggled, irrevocably changed and settled into the world that was previously the preserve of the Dutch and the British. And this upbeat sentiment sets the mood for the entire exhibition bravery, pride, spiritual (and later political) empowerment. But this sentiment is also the cause of the controversy which has dogged Gaelic Gotham even before it opened.
When a leading curatorial consultant was dropped, lenders withdrew their material and Irish history scholars caused a rumpus, claiming that their views were not being represented. As the New York Times commented: "This exhibition threatened to become New York's local version of the Smithsonian Institution's Enola Gay contretemps in 1995," when disputes over the Air and Space Museum's exhibition for the 50th anniversary of the atomic bomb became so heated that the event was abandoned.
However, Robert R MacDonald, the MCNY's director wisely refused to bow to criticism and give an outline of the exhibition before its opening. It consequently went ahead.
Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine the exhibition is a celebration of the Irish contribution to New York cultural life. An admirable task, except the Famine is mentioned, although not adequately investigated. This would have put the exhibition in a more purposeful context. But what it lacks in direction, it makes up for in earnestness; it starts with the first reference to the Irish in New York, by Isaac Jogues, a French Jesuit missionary in 1643.
The humble beginnings of Irish journalism in New York are credited to Belfast born Hugh Gaines, who established the New York Gazette and the Weekly Mercury in 1752, seven years after arriving in America. An issue dated March 17th, 1783 is on display, which promotes a "cure" for whooping cough.
Irish Newspapers
The Shamrock and Hibernian Chronical first specifically targeted the Irish readership in 1810. Today, one can choose from the Irish Echo, the newer Irish Voice, the ten year old Irish American magazine and the most recent Irish American glossy, Hibernia, launched last year.
The most publicised artefacts in Gaelic Gotham came from a reader of the Irish Echo, who found a trunkfull of memories in a house in Upper Manhattan. The trunk and its contents is still intact, as if the owner, a former maid named Annie Finnegan (1877-1948), had just been sorting through it. Her Mass cards, vintage photographs of Irish bishops, straw hat, tricolour scarf and Tiffany and Co engraved invitation to her daughter's graduation give a touching account of one immigrant's life.
Although Gaelic Gotham falls short of giving a balanced review of the Irish experience, there are modest pieces of history among the artefacts that could be a metaphor for the emigrant's experience. A letter from Patrick Murphy to his mother, dated September 15th 1885, is one such item:
"Now that I am here a while, I like it better than ever. New York is a grand handsome city. But you would hardly know you had left Ireland. There are so many Irish people here, some of them are becoming rich. Some of them are big men in Government. For most of us it is hard work, but there is plenty of it and the pay is alright."
Around this time, the Irish flooded into New York with a lower rate of return than any other ethnic group except Russian Jews. Second and third generation Irish moved into the ranks of skilled labour and the professions, including teaching, nursing, police work, and to some extent, the more entrepreneurial sector. By 1910, however, the Russian Jews and Italian Catholics had become the city's two largest ethno religious groups, providing some natives with a new target for their hatred.
Fighting Irish
The days when the Irish had to fight their way up Fifth Avenue on St Patrick's Day were disappearing into the past. The "fighting Irish" soon gained notoriety, due to the heavy Irish involvement in the famous 69th Regiment of the New York National Guard during the first World War, which has traditionally led the parade.
Gaelic Gotham only fleetingly mentions the less appealing side of some Irish emigrants: Irish gangs in the "Hell's Kitchen" ghetto, Irish American Republican organisations, the Irish involvement in the 1863 Civil War draft riots, one of the most violent civic disturbances the city has seen and the corrupt Tammany Hall political machine. An 1869 editorial in the Irish Citizen cautioned against the "ready made Democrat" concept and advised the Irish American citizen not to be pressurised by others when voting.
There has been a recent surge in Irish historical consciousness, caused by renewed emigration to America, the quest for peace in Northern Ireland, and a renaissance in traditional Irish music and dance. Gaelic Gotham is therefore well timed and (for all its faults) quite memorable.
It was predictable that the exhibition would be accused of painting the Irish in an unflattering light or, as it turned out, not dealing with the less attractive issues head on. The organisers were to a large extent in a "no win" situation.