HOPE ON THIS SIDE OF THE GRAVE: IRISH WOMEN EMIGRANTS IN AMERICA 1880-1910

Abstract

The Great Famine which occurred in Ireland in the 1840s profoundly changed the lives of Irish women. Many found themselves single, without the hope of marrying or finding gainful employment. Thousands of them chose to emigrate, coming to the newlyemerging cities of America and working as domestics; so many that the popular nickname for a female servant was "Biddy." But they brought with them the memories and experiences of hunger and Famine and it profoundly influenced their behavior in the New World. Famine shaped their priorities and their determination to leave it behind can be seen in the notably successful rise to the American middle-class of the Irish in America in the early twentieth century. But women have often been left out of the story; they get little credit for their contribution and I hope that this paper will in some way redress the balance.