ASSISTED EMIGRATION TOPIC AT IRISH MEETING

Those who assisted the poor Irish to emigrate to other countries are usually thought of as charitable and unselfish.  However, there is more to the subject than may appear on the surface.  The subject of “Assisted Emigration” will be the topic at the Irish Cultural Society meeting on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m.  The meeting will be held in the Garden City Library, 60 Seventh Street, across the street from the Garden City Hotel.  The meeting is free and open to the public.

The president of the Irish Cultural Society, Clare Curtin, will be the guest speaker at the meeting.    Clare has spoken on the topic of “Assisted Emigration” both at universities locally and at venues in Ireland.  The mass emigration from Ireland is part of Irish heritage.  Less well known is the motivation of the individuals and institutions which made emigration feasible for poor Irish.  What were the motives for assisting the poor Irish to leave Ireland?  Clare’s research has discovered many surprising answers to that question.

Clare Curtin is one of those rare individuals who has succeeded in one of the most daunting undertakings among the Irish—the study of the Irish language.  She is so proficient in Irish that she teaches the language.  Over the years Clare has brought to the Garden City Library stage many scholars, like Joe Lee and Terry Golway, through her connections to the Irish Roundtable and Glucksman Ireland House at NYU.  Her talk is another contribution of the many which Clare Curtin has made to the Irish Cultural Society.