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Irish Hunger Memorial

Irish Hunger Memorial is a memorial in Manhattan, New York, located on North End Avenue between Vesey and Barclay Streets. It was built in memory of the Great Famine in Ireland of 1845–1852, during which about one million Irish people died. Construction began on 15 March 2001, with artist Brian Tolle, 1100: Architect, landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird, and historian Maureen O’Rourke involved in its design and creation. The memorial covers a quarter acre and is designed as a replica of a typical Irish hillside, with 62 plants native to County Mayo, stone walls from a house in Mayo, limestone from County Kilkenny, and quotations from contemporary observers. It was opened on 16 July 2002 and also honors Irish-American firefighters, police officers, rescue workers, and office workers who died on 11 September.

Irish Hunger Memorial with a rocky upper facade and illuminated stepped section beside downtown skyscrapers at night.
The Irish Hunger Memorial stands illuminated among downtown skyscrapers at night.
© · CC BY 3.0
Grassy embankment with small white flowers and a stone wall at the Irish Hunger Memorial, with city buildings and cranes beyond.
The Irish Hunger Memorial’s planted slope and stone wall in foreground, with Manhattan towers rising beyond.
June 2009 © · Public domain
Grassy hillside with wildflowers, weathered stone walls, a wooden fence, and a path on the Irish Hunger Memorial.
A grassy section of the Irish Hunger Memorial with stone wall remnants and a path through the landscape.
© · CC BY 3.0
Stone walls and vine-covered mound at the Irish Hunger Memorial, surrounded by tall grasses and green vegetation.
Stone walls and lush vegetation at the Irish Hunger Memorial.
July 2007 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Irish Hunger Memorial stone wall in front of modern Manhattan skyscrapers under a clear blue sky.
The Irish Hunger Memorial’s stone wall contrasts with nearby Manhattan skyscrapers.
October 2014 © · CC BY 2.0

Identification

TitleIrish Hunger Memorial
Typememorial sculpture
Spanish nameMemorial de la gran hambruna irlandesa

Location and ownership

LocationCorner of Vesey Street and North End Avenue, Battery Park City, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Specific locationNorth End Avenue between Vesey Street and Barclay Street

Historical context

Historical period commemorated1845–1852
Historical event commemoratedThe Great Irish Famine, during which about one million Irish people died of starvation
Historical event death tollAbout one million Irish people
Related migration contextIn the decade after 1845, over 900,000 Irish emigrants entered the port of New York; by 1855 Irish-born New Yorkers made up almost one third of the city's population
Dedicated toRaising awareness of the Great Irish Famine (An Gorta Mór)

Creator

ArtistBrian Tolle
Landscape architectGail Wittwer-Laird
Architecture firm1100 Architect

History and restoration

Temporary closureClosed in August 2016 for waterproofing work
Cottage historyAbandoned in the 1960s
Opened16 July 2002
ReopenedAugust 2017
Status during September 11 attacksStill under construction when the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks occurred; construction and the surrounding area were affected, but the memorial was completed anyway
Completed2002
Construction startedMarch 2001

Physical characteristics

Inscription excerptA contemporary account describing at least 300 emaciated people in various stages of fever, starvation, and nakedness, many too weak to stand and lying on damp ground
Floral planting62 plants characteristic of County Mayo, including foxglove and common gorse
Lower wall inscriptionsQuotes by contemporaries describing the horrors of the catastrophe
Upper slope stones32 stones, one from each county of Ireland
PassagewayConnects the west side to the ruined stone cottage and the roof
Roof detailStones placed on the roof with the names of the Irish counties
RoofNo roof on the upper walls, echoing the roofless houses of many Irish people during the famine years who removed roofs to prove poverty and qualify for relief
InteriorInterior of the cottage ruins
North sideShows the structure's gradual rise
Landscape representationRecreates a 19th-century landscape with a ruined farmhouse
FormReplica of a typical Irish hillside
Area0.2 hectares
West sideShows the elevated end

Materials

Landscape materialsStones, soil, and native vegetation transported from the west coast of Ireland
Upper wall materialStone from a house built in County Mayo in 1820
Lower section materialsLimestone from County Kilkenny and glass
Stone provenanceStones from all counties of Ireland
Included structureAn authentic 19th-century Irish cottage from Carradoogan, parish of Attymass, County Mayo, Ireland

Discovery and provenance

Cottage former ownershipBelonged to the Slack family
Cottage donationThe Slack family donated the cottage to the memorial in memory of earlier generations of the family who emigrated to America