These cities and regions around the world make the Irish feel no further from home soil than their local pub.
Mass emigration cause by Ireland’s devastating Great Famine of 1845 to 1852 means that there are millions of people dotted around every corner of the world with Irish lineage.
Over the past almost two centuries, Irish families have built their lives in these corners of the globe, bringing with them the Irish culture and spirit.
As such, there are certain places around the world that are surprisingly Irish in nature. Let’s take a look.
7. Prince Edward Island, Canada – enduring Irish heritage
There are many parts of Canada that have large Irish populations, Prince Edward Island included. There are around 180,000 residents of Prince Edward Island, 27-30% of which claim Irish heritage.
That means that out of the approximate 180,000 residents, more than 50,000 people have Irish descent, making it one of the most densely populated Irish-heritage Canadian provinces as well as one of the most Irish places outside of Ireland anywhere in the world.
6. Montserrat, Caribbean – the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean
Known widely as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, the Caribbean island of Montserrat is one of the most Irish places outside of Ireland.
By the late 17th century, over half the population of Ireland was of Irish descent due Irish refugees landing on Montserrat’s shores due to religious conflict and eventually being exiled under Oliver Cromwell.
Today, Montserrat is only place outside of Ireland that recognises St. Patrick’s Day as a public holiday. What could be more Irish than that?
The island’s tourist authority celebrates the occasion every year with a ten to 14 day festival, one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day festivals outside of Ireland that blends together the Irish and African cultures in a vibrant and wonderful celebration.
5. New York, United States – reflected in the city’s culture today
The Famine saw a huge influx of Irish to the United States, with many choosing to put down roots in New York.
By 1860, one in four New Yorkers was born in Ireland. Immigrants, including thousands of Irish immigrants, can be thanked for city’s infrastructure as they worked in building and infrastructure.
Certain areas of the city are inherently linked to the original Irish settlement, like the Bronx is a notoriously Irish neighbourhood that boasts Irish shops and pubs.
With a population of more than 20 million people across New York State, roughly 10% of those people claim Irish heritage today.
4. Glasgow, Scotland – largely thanks to Celtic F.C.
Glasgow is synonymous with Irish spirit, culture, and craic. Scotland and Ireland are like brothers from another mother anyway, but Glasgow is like the Irish hub of Caledonia.
Many Irish people ended up in Glasgow fleeing from the Famine and ended up setting down roots there. As such, there is a strong Irish presence in the city to this day.
Glagow Celtic Football Club is one of the biggest links between the city and Ireland, as it was founded in the late 19th century by a Catholic Marist Brother named Walfrid.
Originally, the football club was created to raise food and funds for poor Irish families in Glasgow’s East End and today remains an enduring reminder of the link between Glasgow and Ireland.
3. Liverpool, United Kingdom – a huge percentage of Irish heritage today
Liverpool is renowned for its Irish culture. It’s said that the unique Liverpool accent actually comes from a mix of its Irish and Welsh immigrants.
Many sources claim that a whopping 75% of Liverpool’s population today has some degree of Irish heritage.
The Irishness of the city is reflected in its many cultural hubs, museums, pubs, and yearly festivals.
2. Newfoundland, Canada – is this the most Irish place outside of Ireland?
The island of Newfoundland, and the enitre province of Newfoundland and Labrador itself, has one of the most unique Irish diaspora connections across the globe.
While Boston often seems like the most Irish place outside of Ireland, we think Newfoundland has it beat. Newfoundland saw a wave of Irish immigration that predates the Famine.
Many people from Ireland, mainly Irish speaking Munster counties, travelled across the globe to work seasonally in Newfoundland’s cod fishing scene in the 18th century.
Between 1790 and 1835, tens of thousands of Irish settled permamently on Newfoundland’s shores, bringing with them their language, culture, and more. A Munster-style dialect of the Irish language was spoken in Newfoundland until it died out in the 20th century.
However, place names and Irish accents were left behind, as today, signs for Newfound in Irish, Talamh an Éisc (Land of the Fish), can still be seen, and an enduring Irish twang can still be heard in residents accents today.
1. Boston, United States – one of the biggest Irish populations around the world
Boston was once a Puritan stronghold (we’re looking at you, The Scarlett Letter), but this started to shift dramatically in the 19th century with the arrival of immigrants from all over the world, including thousands of Irish immigrants fleeing the Famine.
While you might not know it in the Boston of today, which proudly boasts its Irish heritage, the huge wave of Irish immigrants entering Boston in the 1840s and 50s were subjected to ongoing anti-Irish, specifically anti-Catholic Irish rhetoric.
Irish Catholics were targeted by the anti-immigrant Know Nothing movement in Boston at the time. To try and prove their patriotism, thousands of Irish Bostonions signed up to fight for the Union during the American Civil War.
This, along with Irish-born Hugh O’Brien being elected Boston’s first Catholic mayor, the tide started to turn for the Irish in Boston.
Today, Boston boasts a proud, strong, and loud Irish population. This is reflected in the cities Irish pubs, wider culture, and 22% of its approx 675,000 residents claiming Irish heritage.
