June 8, 2020 - When Ireland was deep in the throes of the Great Hunger, the cry of millions of starving people was heard across an ocean, by a Native American tribe recently displaced to Oklahoma. The selfless act of the Choctaw people is widely recognized: they came to aid of the Irish while their own suffering was still so raw.
Until the 1830's, the Native American Choctaw had their traditional lands in the south-eastern part of the United States. The "Indian Removal Act" of 1830 looked to forcibly clear them from these desirable lands, and resettle them in what is now Oklahoma. While about 5,000 Choctaws remained in the Southeast of the US, about 21,000 took the long journey along what later became known as the "Trail of Tears". Of these, many thousands died of malnourishment and disease on the trail.
Despite their meager resources, the Choctaw collected the few dollars they could afford and sent a donation to the starving Irish people. The Irish have never forgotten this selfless act and several monuments to the Choctaw have been erected by Irish people around the world. The monument shown here is located in Midleton, County Cork.
Now that Native Americans are suffering greatly from the COVID-19, the Irish people are coming to their aid with donations to help alleviate their suffering. The Connecticut Irish-American Historical Society has joined this effort to help our Native American friends in their time of need.
Thank you to all our members for making this possible.
UPDATE: June 12, 2020
Since our recent email informing our members of our organizational donation to the Native American Covid-19 Relief Fund we have received numerous requests from members who wish to make individual donations.
To make your individual donation (online only), go to the Native America Relief Fund and follow the instructions on the GoFundMe page.
CT Irish-American
Heritage Trail
640 Arrowhead Drive
Orange, CT 06477
The Irish experience has had a profound impact on Connecticut's past, and its narrative spans all periods of the state's history and touches every one of its eight counties and 169 towns.
