Why The Great Hunger?

We were at the St. Ignace Public Library on February 6, 2019, to impart a wee bit of knowledge upon the good folks in and around St. Ignace, Michigan.

The topic was “Why The Great Hunger”, subtitled “Why Are There So Many Irish-Americans”. We discussed the conditions of Ireland leading up to the potato famine, and why the famine was so calamitous to the Irish people.

ClanDonnell and the clan live over an hour south of the Mackinac Bridge, and St. Ignace is on the north side of the bridge. This event meant a bridge crossing, which can be treacherous in the winter.

We had a small but enthusiastic audience on a cold night in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The St. Ignace patrons were wonderful, as was the staff of the St. Ignace Public Library. The audience left the library with, we hope, a better understanding of Ireland’s Great Hunger and of their Irish ancestry.

TV 6 Fox UP ran a nice announcement of the program. AND The Sault News of Sault Ste. Marie ran a feature on ClanDonnell for the St. Ignace program as well.

(Photograph of the library sign by Linda McDonnell)