Irish Immigration to the U.S and Canada
The Irish have played a major role in the settlement, development, and expansion of the United States and Canada. There were three distinct waves of immigrants that came to both countries. Each phase is listed below. The Fort Myers Regional Library offers multiple study guides that discuss this topic in greater detail. Researchers may contact us via the email address listed at the end of the article to obtain electronic copies.
Phase One: Scotch-Irish or Ulster Irish: Originated in Ulster (Northern Ireland) and were predominantly Presbyterians heading for the middle colonies of America. Pennsylvania was a major destination for this group, along with Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia.
Upon settlement, they recreated their closely-knit family farm culture where hard work, family independence, and communal religion dominated all aspects of daily life. They also brought their Irish architecture, house plans, and the use of potatoes as a staple agricultural crop. In addition to their farming talents, they were soldiers, effective administrators and educators; this combination of characteristics made a powerful contribution to the building of the United States. By 1790, the Irish comprised 17% of the total U.S. population and of these, 70% were Ulster-Irish. Around 1,000 immigrants arrived annually in Philadelphia from 1720 to 1770, many of them coming in family groups, some even as full congregations led by the pastor of their respective churches. These people were tough, tenacious farmers, well-educated, prudent managers of money, and strongly identified with Biblical precedents.
Phase Two: The second great 18th century Irish migration was from the southeast counties of Ireland (Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, and Tipperary) to the Atlantic province area of Canada. This group was composed primarily of Catholics and began in the early decades of the 18th century. The English West-Country merchants, who controlled the Newfoundland cod fisheries, discovered that they could recruit Irish youngsters for the cod fishery at a much cheaper rate than in the Bristol Channel area. From 1675 onward, ships from England’s West Country sailed in the spring to Waterford to collect provisions and laborers. Waterford, Ireland’s third largest city, dominated the Irish-Newfoundland trade between 1675-1850, supplying the bulk of the provisions and passengers.
By the mid-1770s over 5,000 immigrants made the annual trip. At this stage, it was still predominantly a seasonal migration (spring-summer). Between 1790 and 1830, the seasonal migration pattern had given way to permanent settlement. Between 1800 and 1830, 35,000 Irish immigrants had arrived in Newfoundland. By 1836, Irish made up 50% of the total population of the island and St. Johns had become the first significant Irish town in the New World.
From Newfoundland, many Irish entered Nova Scotia, especially around Halifax. As the timber trade blossomed, this attracted others to New Brunswick and especially the Miramichi Valley. The migration field for these two provinces overlapped considerably with the Newfoundland one, although with a much heavier Cork presence, and with a more significant South Ulster component. Many immigrants used it as a gateway to interior Canada up the St. Lawrence Valley or down the New England coast to Boston.
Phase Three: The third phase of Irish migration began in the pre-famine period, especially post- 1815, when the Irish economy began to exhibit marked signs of strain. Uninhibited population growth in the 18th century had seen a massive demographic surge of population from around 1 million in 1600 to 8.5 million by 1840. Deteriorating economic circumstances made emigration a necessity for human survival.
Between 1815 and 1845, over 1 million Irish crossed the Atlantic and established a strong Irish footing in the eastern seaboard cities, long before the famine emigrants arrived. Irish-Canadian emigration was largely pre-famine in character and split between Protestants and Catholics. The bulk of these immigrants came from Ulster, due to an economic downturn in the linen industry. By the mid-19th century, the Irish were the largest ethnic group in British North America. Popular stereotypes have always painted the picture of an urban immigration. In reality, the majority of immigrants settled in rural areas. This was especially true in Canada.
In the pre-famine period, the regional origins of migration within Ireland are essential to an understanding of pre-Irish emigration. During this era and subsequent decades, Irish emigration shifted to the west towards the poorest and most densely populated counties along the Atlantic seaboard, especially Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, and Donegal.
The famine broke the older pattern of chain migration, with close ties built up over several generations between “emigrant” and “host” regions. The famine also marked a decisive shift in the class origins of the Irish emigrants. Prior to the famine, the emigrants tended to be from the skilled levels of Irish society. This included carpenters, masons, shoemakers, and other skilled occupations. The famine and post-famine periods saw a shift to unskilled laborers, surplus children to alleviate over-population, and criminals who sought to escape imprisonment. Between 1820-1920, over 5 million Irish immigrants came to the United States. Over 1 million came to Canada during the same period and many eventually made their way into the United States.
Bryan L. Mulcahy
Reference Librarian