For years, I knew there was an Irish Hunger Memorial set in Lower Manhattan, but hadn't made the journey to see it until yesterday.I found a small corner of Ireland in Battery Park City at Vesey Street and North End Avenue. Here artist Brian Tolle created on a half acre a living reminder of the Irish Famine of 1845-52, "An Gorta Mor," an event which brought many, including my own great-grandmother, from Ireland to the U.S.
At the heart of the monument is a derelict Famine-era fieldstone cottage, which was brought from County Mayo and reconstructed on the site. A winding path circles small fields dotted with native Irish plants including bearberry, blackthorn, burnet rose, foxglove, gorse and heather. The yellow flag irises were just a few days past blooming.
Set along the pathways are 32 large stones, each one etched with name of one of the Irish counties. You can easily find Cork, Kerry, Tyrone, Monaghan and Armagh. Other names hide under grass or at the sides of stones.
The entire memorial is supported by a limestone plinth and overlooks a small fountain pond and the boat traffic on the Hudson River.
Quotations from Irish texts and authors encircle the outside wall of the base of the memorial. More text on the Famine times lines the walls of the passageway entrance to the memorial. Listen carefully to hear the audio presentation about world hunger during the short walk.
There was no signage on the nearby streets directing to the memorial, but the site should call to the naturally curious. The gorse was not in bloom yet, so I will have to go back to see the profusion of yellow that promises.
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