10/08/2025
In the Battery Park neighbourhood of Manhattan, New York lies the Irish Hunger Memorial. The famine cottage comes from Co. Mayo and the stone, soil, and natural vegetation all come from the West of Ireland. Surrounding the cottage there are stones from every Irish county, with the name of the county inscribed on each stone. The memorial was completed in 2002. Incredibly beautiful and well worth a visit.
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In fields once green with golden grain,
Now silent lies the land in pain.
The blight came swift, the hunger stayed,
And hope beneath the soil was laid.
A mother weeps with empty bowl,
A child fades with no control.
Across the sea, the lost set sail,
With broken hearts and faces pale.
Yet still they rose, through grief and strife,
To plant new roots, to build new life.
And in their songs, we hear the cry—
Of those who starved, but would not die.
