“The glory or the story of the sea-divided Gaels. One in name, and one in fame…” : How Atlantic Newspapers Impacted the Irish

Lecture Center 12

The Great Famine was a turning point in history that led to lasting repercussions for not only the country of Ireland, but for its citizens. Destruction ran throughout Ireland and as many of the Irish immigrated to other countries they became sick with typhus along the way. With these sick immigrants coming into ports people in host countries began to panic. For example, in 1847, England and Canada experienced typhus epidemics that were immediately linked to the Irish. My paper asks how mass immigration and fears of epidemics affected the perception of Irish in mid-nineteen century Atlantic World cities? It addresses this question by analyzing how newspapers covered immigration and disease. Looking through English-language newspapers reveals the bias transmitted by the print media with regards to the Irish. Terms such as “Irish fever” and the “Celtic Plague” began to spread in the coverage of typhus. My paper argues that the mass immigration of the Irish to Canada, England, and the United States led many to fear a typhus epidemic. The reactions from the newspapers held real life consequences in regard to the Irish and immigration. The consequences ranged from religious discrimination to medical discrimination contributing to the marginalization of the Irish in these communities.