Forgetting Ireland

by Bridget Connelly

Forgetting Ireland is both a history and mystery, a story of western Ireland's Connemara coast and of Graceville, a small town in western Minnesota. In 1880, at the height of Ireland's second famine, a ship of paupers was sent from Galway to take up land granted them by a Catholic bishop in Minnesota. There they encountered the worst winter in the state's history and nearly froze to death in shanties on the prairie. National and international newspapers featured their plight as the welfare scandal of the year, and priests and politicians traded accusations as to who was responsible. The immigrants were at last removed from the colony; their name became the town's shorthand for lying, drunken failures.

By chance more than a century later, Bridget Connelly, who grew up in Graceville, discovers her Connemara past. As Connelly uncovers the deliberately suppressed history of her family's emigration, she exposes an old scandal that surrounded the settling of the land around Graceville, one that pitted Masons, Protestants, Germans, and Yankees against Irish Catholics — and one that set lace-curtain Irish against the Connemara paupers. She also learns of an archbishop who was, according to farmer lore, 'worse than Jesse James'. In this compelling combination of history and memoir, Connelly tells stories of an epochal blizzard, a famous Irish bard, an infamous Irish woman pirate, feuding frontier communities, and an archbishop's questionable legacy. She also learns why her family tried so hard to forget Ireland.

Genres: Ireland, History

271 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2003

Reviews

[Mindy Greiling · Rating 2 out of 5]

If only the entire book had been written in the style of the epilogue, as a fascinating story. Instead, earlier chapters were written as a research paper that only a relative could love.

[The Retro Reader (NICOLE) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool to read about the history of Graceville, MN. A lot of info though😂

[Ruthmarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful journey incorporating traditional scholarly research with traditional oral research, with evocative descriptions of both Connemara in Galway and Graceville, the settlement for the "Connemara" orchestrated by Bishop Ireland of Saint Paul. A sad story for most, including the reputation of the bishop whose promotion of Catholicism in Minnesota was tarnished (perhaps beyond repair) by the project he instigated ending in a debacle. Yet, several "Connemaras" endured and profited, including the family of the author, though it seems they hid their success for reasons pertaining both to their Irish history as well as to their conditions in their new homeland. This is an intriguing story of something from nothing, in a way. The author's profession of folklorist harks to the seanchaidhe in her family and facilitates a fascinating "reveal." Well written and engaging. A good read for genealogists.

[Mike Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an excellent example of genealogical research. The author, of Irish descent, searches records and interviews in both Ireland and Minnesota to uncover fact from fiction regarding a small contingent of Irish Connemara immigrants onto the harsh plains of western Minnesota in 1880, the year of a great winter storm. She looks at the subsequent history of struggle, famine, freezing and land misdealings by a Catholic bishop who took apparent advantage of them, and the ethnic slander that arose during the following years.

The book earns a 5-star rating for its history and research, but for me it was a bit involved and not quite my cup of tea. Nevertheless, if this is one of your favored genres, it's a good read.

[Gail]

I've read only about 1/5 (?) of this book; what I've read so far has been interesting, but I question whether there are many more "surprises" in it. (That's what got me interested in it to begin with: the dust jacket promised surprises/ twists and turns in this true story.) So, we'll see if I pick it up again to read more.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting as I am familiar with the Joe Cook the author mentions throughout the book, and also just returned from the Connemara area. Now I might have to visit my neighboring state to see Graceville! The author certainly devoted countless hours to researching this book, one I'm sure it is dear to her.

[Maureen Mahowald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fascinating. It's easy in our modern age to forget those who came before us and the hardships and losses that they faced. Scandals are not limited to the 21st century; the stories of the powerful over the weak are timeless.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Kathleen Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a pastor in the Congregational Church in Graceville for 7 years, this book was of deep interest for me.