In Philadelphia, there is a memorial near the waterfront at Front and Chestnut Streets. It is dedicated to one million Irish who perished during the Great Famine of 1845-50 and to the millions of Irish who immigrated here during and after the famine to find freedom and escape the hunger. There is a representation of the Irish at home and the Irish arriving in Philadelphia by ship. The sculptor is Glenna Goodacre. It was installed at the waterfront location on October 25, 2003. I have included photos of the memorial in the gallery page.
My great-great-grandfather, Charles Gallen, arrived in Philadelphia very close to this location around 1850 and his family arrived in 1853. This is described in Chapter 15 and 17 of Book 3 in my novel.
A “standing stone” monument is also located at the memorial. Standing stones (Gallain in Irish) are found throughout Ireland. They are believed to be from the Bronze Age and nobody is quite sure of their function. They could be boundary markers or related to honoring the dead. In the 4th and 5th century,the Irish used the stones for Ogham inscriptions. They are the notches found on the edges of the stone. The Ogham alphabet was used for writing in the Irish language at the time.
Irish Memorial, Front and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia
