Stories of Irish immigrants in post-Famine America to be told in new book by Limerick academic

STORIES of Irish immigrants in post-Famine America are to be told in new book from a Limerick academic.

‘Of Memory and the Misplaced‘, by Mary Immaculate College academic Dr Sarah O’Brien, tells the stories of Irish immigrants in post-Famine America.

The book draws from 30 memoirs written between 1900 and 1970 and shows the prevalence of intimate and taboo themes in ordinary immigrants’ writing, such as domestic violence, same-sex love, and famine-induced trauma.

Combining literary and historical theory, the book highlights voices that have traditionally been silenced and offers a rare and unexplored collection of autobiographical texts to better understand the experiences of Irish immigrants.