Vigil honors victims of Irish famine

On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, more than 100 people gathered at the Irish Famine Memorial to remember their ancestors who died of starvation or disease during the Irish Famine from 1845-49.

The million-dollar memorial depicts a family leaving Ireland’s shores and another family arriving in Boston, looking ahead with a mixture of hope and sorrow in their eyes. Robert Shure, whose work includes the giant bronze teddy bear in front of FAO Schwarz on Boylston Street, sculpted the Irish Famine Memorial.

Since the memorial’s dedication on June 28, 1998, an annual candlelight vigil has been held to commemorate the deaths of 1 million Irish and the plight of 100,000 Irish emigrants who fled to Boston. In their new home, they faced the challenge of beginning a new life and the challenge of overcoming the prejudice they encountered. According to a brochure organizers handed out at the vigil, “No Irish Need Apply” signs were common in Boston during the late 19th century.

One woman, whose family came to Boston during the famine, said she attended the vigil because she did not want to forget the spirit of her ancestors.

“Everyone gets caught up in the cabbage and Guinness during St. Patrick’s Day, and we sometimes forget about our ancestors’ struggles,” she said.

This year, while audience members surrounded the memorial with candles the Wesley College Choir from Dublin performed Gaelic songs and a piece titled, “The Famine Road,” which Frank Hughes, the director of music at Wesley College, composed especially for the vigil.

Hughes said he set the “The Famine Road” to a poem by the 20th century Irish poet Eavan Boland, whose poetry embodied the “Irishness” Hughes wanted the music to express.

The rush hour commotion made Hughes’ chorus difficult to hear at times and also made attendees question why the memorial was built on the corner of the busy Downtown Crossing area. According to an organizer of the vigil, planners chose the corner of Washington and School streets for the memorial’s location because the site is near the tenements where Irish immigrants lived when they arrived in the United States.

Following the choir’s performance, attendees congratulated Hughes, who eagerly shook hands and praised the hospitality of the people of Boston. The 32 students in his choir echoed his praise and commented on their awe over the city’s tall buildings. For many of the students, this was their first visit to the United States.

In addition to the Irish Famine Memorial, founders created the Boston Irish Famine Institute in 1998. The Institute helps feed people in Africa, Asia and South America. According to Orla O’Hanrahan, the Consul General of Ireland Boston and a member of the memorial’s founding committee, the mission of the Boston Famine Institute is to celebrate the success of the Irish by helping others.