Irish immigrants fleeing famine came to Butte

This is when my ancestors moved to the U.S. too, although they didn't go to Montana.    - - Donna Poisl

 By John Grant Emeigh of The Montana Standard

One of the darkest periods in Irish history would end up changing the dynamic and history of North America.

Irish speaker Donnchadh O Baoill talked about the impact the Great Irish Famine had on the population of Ireland and immigration to America and to Butte during a presentation at the Butte Archives Saturday as part of the Irish festival.

“It was the most pivotal part of modern Irish history,” he said of the famine.

The An Gorta Mor (The Great Hunger) occurred in Ireland from 1845 to 1852, and was the main cause of Irish migration to the United States. Many of these newly arrived Irish moved on to Butte, he said.
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