‘Meeting the Irish of the Past’
The Irish Memorial, which overlooks the Delaware River, is located in a 1.75 acre park in Penn’s Landing, right at the southeast corner of Front and Chestnut Streets. It first opened on October 25, 2003 and is recognized as a National Monument.
The Irish Memorial was sculpted by Glenna Goodacre, the artist who sculpted the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C.. The monument is dedicated to the memory of more than one million men, women and children who died during the years 1845 to 1850, better known as “The Great Hunger in Ireland” which was triggered by the failure of the potato crop tragedy that was called the “Irish Potato Famine”.
This Memorial is also dedicated to the million plus that were forced to emigrate to the United States of America for their freedom and liberty of which was denied to their ancestors in Ireland. The problem being is that they met a lot of resistance when coming to America and were swiftly associated with poverty, disease, alcohol abuse, crime and violence.
The memorial is designed to be observed from all angles with approximately 35 bronze figures arranged in clusters or vignettes. As you walk around it, the Irish immigrant’s story slowly unfolds, from the graveyards in Ireland to the arrival in America. Many Irish first set foot on American soil in Philadelphia, so the location of this memorial seems quite fitting. And the life-size figures that compose the statue are silently evocative in their detail.
From the Irish Memorial web site;
“The monument, rectangular in shape, is made of bronze and is approximately 12′ high, 24′ long and 12′ wide. The basic profile is a large “wedge” with the highest end facing west as anxious immigrants dock in America, full of hope and looking to the future of freedom and opportunity. The east end depicts the lowest, blackest days, the depths of the misery of starvation. The south side provides a view to grasp the full length and height of the bronze memorial.”
What is so fitting of The Irish Memorial and its location is that it speaks to the profound importance of the historic role of all immigrants in building America. It’s also close to the Independence National Historical Park which further enhances how we started as a Nation. Lastly, this memorial is a great collection of Philadelphia Art and is one of the few pieces created by a major female artist.
Location
Front & Chestnut Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Web Site
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