Migration and Immigration of Ireland

Migration

Demography looks at populations and how they change over time. One thing that impacts demography and populations is migration. Human migration is defined as the movement of people from one place to another, with the intention of settling there permanently. Often the move is overseas or long distance, but can also occur within a region. Migration occurs all over the world, and Ireland is no exception.

Immigration

Source: www.irishamericanjourney.com

During the 19th century, more than one half of the population of Ireland moved to the United States. This would categorize this group of people as "Irish Immigrants" because they left their homeland and moved into the United States. From 1820-1870, over 7 and a half million immigrants came to the United States and nearly all of them were from Europe. 

Why do people migrate? 

People migrate for a  number of reasons- Perhaps a new job opportunity, relief from civil unrest or conflict, or maybe in dealing with a hardship they experienced, they decide to move. This was true for many Irish immigrants. Many people, a majority in fact, lived on farms. They produced very little income for families to thrive on and many were poor. Potatoes became a popular food as many lived in poverty, and farms could produce them more rapidly. The crops though failed, and it led to a great famine and starving over 750,000 people to death. Over 2 million people moved to the United States seeking relief from their impoverished conditions. They boarded ships at Liverpool and began their transatlantic voyage to a new place. Immigrants moved to cities where they landed, mostly in the northeastern part of the  U.S., as they had no money to buy their own properties. The influx of immigrants, who were not only Irish, but other nationalities as well, made finding a job all that more difficult. Many had large families and created new lives for themselves in the US, but that was not without struggle either. 

(Information from www.ushistory.org)

Personal Touch

Source: inquiryunlimited.org

My grandfather was an Irish immigrant. Although his experience occurred years after the great potato famine, his experience still speaks to immigration and the things people went through to start over in a new place. At the very young age of 19 years old, my grandfather immigrated to the US. The year was 1949. He wanted to make a better life for himself and his future family. He left his parents and six siblings, not knowing when or if he would see them again. The journey would take him seven days by ship. He arrived in the port of Boston with only $8.00 in his pocket. Due to his limited education and work experience on a farm, there were little job opportunities offered. Luckily he lived with an aunt who had sponsored his entrance into Massachusetts, and he was able to have a home, with relatives, and food on the table. He ended up working as a busboy at a small restaurant and years later was employed at Polaroid. There he was able to make a stable income to support himself and was also afforded the opportunity to complete his education through the company. My grandfather is now in his eighties and has been happily married for 50 years. He created a large family who are all very close and live within 10 miles of each other. He often tells stories from his childhood and his experience as an immigrant. As a family, we are grateful that he did move to Boston other wise we would not be here. I'm sure many other families share the same sentiments as well. 

(You can find more information online and actual documents like the one pictured above online.)

Current Statistics (Most recent available)

Source: www.breakingnews.ie

People in Ireland continue to migrate elsewhere. This is due to educational and economic opportunities especially. According to the Central Statistics Office, in the year of 2013, about 55,900 people immigrated to Ireland, and over 89,000 emigrated out of the country.  The Net migration then is -33,100 people. Almost half of those that emigrated, were Irish Nationals. This means that they were Irish citizens. Using analysis they were able to determine that the majority of them were working or a student in the time prior to leaving. Knowing that other factors play a role in migration including but not limited to age, sex, education, and economic status. People now also are able to travel via airplane or another form of current transportation. 

(Information from www.cso.ie.)

Interesting Websites:

Looking for information on an immigrant? Massachusetts officials started recording the names of immigrants who arrived by ship in January of 1848, a procedure which continued until July of 1891, when federal records-keeping programs superseded those of the state. Although immigrants arrived at numerous Massachusetts ports, the Archives holds manifests for Boston, MA. Check out this link here to search by traveler's name, date, or ship name:   http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ArchivesSearch/Passengermanifest.aspx

Using the FamilySearch website, you can find Boston passenger lists of the years 1891-1943. It lists the name of the vessel traveled on and you are able to search by a first or last name, birthplace, or even with a particular life event. You can also view and download original passenger documents. Check it out here:

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1923995