This page was created by Ellen Rethwisch.  The last update was by Erika Strandjord.

Star of the Sea : A Postcolonial/Postmodern Voyage into the Irish Famine

United States

The first picture here is of the “Irish Hunger Memorial” in Battery Park City, New York. It was designed by artist Brian Tolle with the help of the 1100 Architects firm and was completed in 2002 after being commissioned by Battery Park City Authority. Inscribed on the monument is “We do not live to extenuate the memories of the past nor to accept as incurable those of the present,” reaffirming the memorial's position in context with the future. In addition, there are two miles of text wrapping around the monument that is designed to be interchangeable and altered occasionally as seen fitting with time.

The second picture is of the “Philadelphia Irish Memorial” at Penn’s landing. The artist Glenna Goodare designed it and it was completed in 2003 after being commissioned by the Irish Memorial, Inc. There are seven plaques at this location, with extensive inscriptions focused more on giving educational insight as to what caused the potato blight and the implications it had for the lives of many Irish. Once it reaches the point of the Irish being forced to immigrate, it shifts focus and describes how they were received in Philadelphia specifically, before returning to broadly discuss the Irish immigrants’ early experience in America. The final plaque is titled “The Lessons of the Great Hunger” that neatly summarizes key points to consider as we face the future.

Works Cited

Mark-Fitzgerald, Emily. "Irish Famine Memorials." Irish Famine Memorials. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.
Researcher/Writer: Ben Deetz
Technical Designers: Abbey Benson and Ellen Rethwisch

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