Irish Hunger Memorial

When Vince and Jo Anne were here, she mentioned wanting to see something called "The Irish Hunger Memorial" in Manhattan.  It opened in 2002.  I had not heard of it, but into the city we went.  It is an amazing memorial!  She had mentioned that someone in Ireland had donated an abandoned two room stone cottage which was taken apart, and then moved, stone by stone, to this half-acre site.  It is such a beautiful work of art.   What it stunning is the landscape around the building feels just like Ireland! 

This is the entrance way to the memorial.  Each of these illuminated bands contains text of quotes about the history of the famine in Ireland from 1842 to 1852.  There are also quotations that relate to hunger in the world at the present time.

The memorial was created by artist Brian Tolle and is designed to raise public awareness of the events that led to the famine, and to encourage efforts to address current and future hunger worldwide.  One and a half million Irish were lost through famine related death, mass starvation, disease, and emigration from Ireland between 1845 and 1852.  In addition, political action and inaction exacerbated a desperate situation.

This is a view of one of the stones brought from Ireland - there is a stone from each county in Ireland on display.  Behind the stone is an undulating area of the landscape that I am guessing resembles  "hills" that potatoes would be planted in.

This is a second room of the cottage, and below, this is what the entrance looks like at the ground level.  As you enter, you slowly walk up hill until you are up on top of this structure.  If you want to know more about the memorial, and to be able to read all the quotes, there is a free app for your phone .  Search for "Irish Hunger Memorial."  The quotations are very powerful!