Beginning in 1845, a terrible blight destroyed the Irish potato crop, the main food of a poor nation. Starvation was widespread, and those who could scrape together money for passage left for America in search of a better life.
Arriving all but penniless, most families went to northern cities. The men worked on construction gangs that built the nation’s new canals and railroads, and in coalfields. Some Americans resented the Irish immigrants because they were Roman Catholics and because they were willing to work for very low wages. Gradually, however, the Irish settled comfortably into American society. They have made many important contributions to American life, and have made many important contributions to American life. And have been particularly prominent in politics and the labor movements
In 1851 alone, more than 220,000 Irish men and women came to the United States.