It is estimated that over half of people in Liverpool (up to 75% even) can trace their ancestry back to Irish history. It is additionally why Liverpool has earned the nickname the 33rd county of Ireland by residents.
Reasons for the Irish migration
Long before the Great Famine, Liverpool had a large, well-established Irish community, but growing levels of poverty in Ireland saw an increase in the numbers of Irish making the trip across the Irish Sea to Liverpool.
The potato crop failures, which created the Great Famine, and the class system led to the deaths of over 1 million Irishmen and women in Ireland. This stimulated a whole new level of migration out of Ireland, with anyone who could escape, leaving the country. Between 1845 and 1850 the Great Famine dramatically changed the Irish community in Liverpool.
Over 100,000 famine refugees landed in the Liverpool port during the first three months of 1847 alone. Many continued onto the United States, but a considerable number remained in Liverpool, so by 1850, over 50,000 Irish migrants were calling Liverpool their home. Jonathan Tonge, a lecturer at the University of Liverpool, explains why most Irish immigrants chose to reside in Liverpool, saying: “Partly because of the geography of it, if you’re coming from Dublin, escaping from the fact that famine in eastern Ireland, where Dublin is, the first port you’re going to hit is Liverpool.” He added “Although there was competition for jobs, there was employment.” Emma Smith, a director at the Liverpool Irish Festival, also adds that it is inconceivable to think of Liverpool without Irish immigration.
Irish migrants settling down in Liverpool
The famine migrants in Liverpool had to endure immense hardship as they forged their new home on Merseyside. Most arrived severely weakened, with little or no money, and although there was initial sympathy for the plight of the Irish, Jonathan Tonge explains there was still resentment. He noted: “They were not welcome for two reasons. One was racism, anti-Irish sentiment, which was reflected in some of the local press. And the other was sectarian, anti-Catholic sentiment.”
The feeling towards the Irish in Liverpool has definitely changed since then. Louise Coyne, a history lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University describes how this has happened. She states: “The 1970s and 80s and the stories about like things getting put through letterboxes, ‘go home IRA’ bullshit, things like that, which are quite shocking to people who’ve kind of raised children there. They’ve become part of the community and then they get that through the letterbox, is quite harrowing to hear. But I think there’s definitely been a shift where you can see in town how many pubs there are now, it’s become quite trendy to be Irish.”
Jonathan Tonge added: “The Irish St Patrick’s Day wasn’t allowed to leave the Liverpool Irish Centre, but nowadays people celebrate Liverpool Irish, and celebrate it in a way that would have been unthinkable a couple of generations ago.” The Irish community is now at the heart of Liverpool, as Louise Coyne states: “It’s great to see that intergenerational relationships…It’s great to see, when you see kids learning Irish dancing and then doing a Kaylee (Ceilidh), with the old generation. It’s great to see that the community is living on, and kind of expanding in that way.”
The city is now very proud of its Irish heritage.The Irish in Liverpool continue to impact local culture, especially through music. The city is known for its pub scene, with the city surrounded by Irish pubs on every corner. Furthermore, St Patrick’s Day is woven into Merseyside culture, and is one of the most celebrated days on the calendar, with thousands turning out to join in the festivities across the city.
Louise Coyne details her experiences growing up around the Irish community: “I grew up surrounded by Irish history, so I grew up going to the old Liverpool Irish Centre… I grew up in that whole community and they’re just the most welcoming community. My Grandad was from Mayo, so my Dad had grown up going to the old Irish Centre, sharing that kind of community spirit, and they’re just my favourite people. Whenever I go into the Liverpool Irish Centre it feels like home in that sense.”
Influential Irish people in Liverpool’s history
T.P. O’Connor
Thomas Power O’Connor was a journalist and Irish Nationalist Politician who served as MP for almost 50 years, representing Galway first, and Liverpool later.
Jonathan Tonge in a lecture explained why T.P. O’Connor is one of the most influential Irishman in Liverpool history, saying “He was the only Irish nationalist MP that’s ever been elected outside of Ireland.”
James Larkin
Born to Irish parents in Liverpool, James Larkin, or ‘Big Jim’, was influential in changing how companies treated and paid their workforce. Despite growing up with little formal education, Larkin went on to become a trade union leader and social activist in Liverpool. During his time on the front line, Larkin played a pivotal role in shaping the Irish labour movement.
He was active in Liverpool and Scotland, and from 1907 in Ireland. He campaigned tirelessly for improved wages, In Ireland effectively uniting Catholic and Protestant workers, and successfully moving the movement south to Dublin. Larkin went on to further become a founding member of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union in 1908, which still exists today.
James is also remembered for his leadership in the 1913 Dublin lockout, which was a major disagreement between 20,000 workers and 300 employees in Dublin’s City Centre where he fought for workers’ rights, pay and conditions.
The strike lasted for five months with workers starving and numerous businesses going bankrupt. The strike was crucial in paving the way for other unions and shone a light on the solidarity of Irish workers, which sent a message to employers that their unity and bond would never be broken again.
Furthermore, Larkin has had a street named after him, called “James Larkin Way”.
Michael James Whitty
Michael Whitty was instrumental in establishing some of Liverpool’s most crucial institutions. An Irishman at heart, Whitty moved to Liverpool in 1828. Michael Whitty had been the Superintendant of the Night Watch in Liverpool.When a law change required police forces to be formed,he was offered the post of Head Constable of Constabulary Force for the city bythe Liverpool Watch Committee in 1836. As Head Constable he then hadthe responsibility to establish a Fire Brigade for Liverpool. When Whitty retired as Superintendant 11 years later the two forces had become well established.
After retiring from this position, Whitty purchased the Liverpool Journal with his £1000 retirement payment from the council. Whitty was pivotal in abolishing the stamp duty on newspapers. Once this tax was repealed, he founded the Daily Post newspaper, which was the first penny daily newspaper in the UK. It ran for over 158 years until 19 December 2013, when the Echo became the main source of news for the city.
Kitty Wilkinson
In 1832, Cholera took the lives of over 55,000 people in Liverpool. Kitty Wilkinson saved the lives of many, by inviting the people to wash their bedding and clothing in her house as she was the only one on her estate to have a boiler. Kitty went on to open the first combined public washhouse and baths, before taking in homeless children, and teaching them that cleanliness was the most important weapon against disease. In the present day, Kitty’s memory lives on via a marble statue in St Georges Hall.
Agnes Elizabeth Jones
Agnes, who had connections to Florence Nightingale, became the first trained nursing superintendent of the Liverpool Workhouse infirmary. She led an experiment, alongside William Rathbone, introducing trained nurses to the Liverpool Workhouse Infirmary, and thus she contributed hugely towards the welfare of the sick and poor.
Agnes unfortunately passed away at the age of 35, after contracting typhus which was rife amongst the poor in the 1860s. Her work did not go unnoticed, and she is well remembered amongst the nursing community of Liverpool with a window in the Anglican Cathedral dedicated to her tireless work.
As Louise Coyne said:
I think it’s vitally important that we celebrate Irish people in Liverpool.
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