The immigration of the Irish to the Americas began in the colonial era 1607-1775. The first group of immigrants came from Ulster while another group came from Leinster, Munster and Connacht and they were mainly Protestant or Presbyterian. During the colonial period, many of the Scots-Irish and their descendants settled in southern Appalachia and the Carolina Piedmont. The immigration during the 17th century was minimal with mostly Catholic servants and 8,000 prisoners from the Cromwellian war in 1650. In 1698 and 1699 many white Catholic servants migrated to Maryland, Virginia, and Carolina.
In 1700, there were 29,600 Irish Catholic migrants in Maryland out of which 2,500 were Catholic. During 1717 to 1775, there were 250,000 Irish immigrants migrated to the Thirteen Colonies. Immigration during the American Revolutionary War in 1775 came to a standstill. Between 1607 and 1820 the majority of emigrants from Ireland were Protestants who were identified as Irish. By 1790, the Catholic immigration from Ireland increased. By this time there were around 400,000 people with Irish ancestry living in the United States, who accounted for about 2% of the total population who lived in the US.
As a part of immigration to the United States from 1815 around 500,000 additional Irish immigrants came from Ulster. Irish immigration significantly increased during the 1830s as there was a need for unskilled labor in canal building, lumbering, and construction works in the Northeast of the US. The large Erie Canal project was one such instance on Irish workers. These communities grew in cities like Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. Between 1851-1920 after the famine, there were approximately 3.7 million Irish who migrated to the United States; among these there were 1 million Ulster Protestant.
These Irish immigrants were mainly was looking for better economic options and lure of highly paid jobs in America. In the south of the US, although majority of the Irish Catholics began as unskilled labor they managed to improve their economic status by 1900. From 1920-1975 there were few waves of Irish Catholic immigration into the country. More recently due to the depression of Irish economy in 1980s around 360,000 Irish immigrated out of the country, with the majority them coming into the United States.
| Irish immigration to the United States (1820–1975) |
| 1820–1830 |
54,338 |
| 1841–1850 |
780,719 |
| 1871–1880 |
436,871 |
| 1891–1900 |
388,416 |
| 1921–1930 |
220,591 |
| 1971–1975 |
6,559 |
The Irish have played a big role on America society with significant contributions in politics, labor organization, religion, literature, music, and art. Millions of Americans celebrate Labor day on the 1st Monday of September each year which is a Irish practice. Irish Immigrants who journeyed to the US were Catholic whose influence quickly spread throughout the country and their legacy is still felt. All major US cities have noticeable Catholic population in the US and this is particularly the Irish heritage more noticeably in the east coast of the country. Saint Patrick’s Day, a global celebration inherited from Ireland is celebrated with gusto in America.
The first recorded Saint Patrick’s Day celebrated in the USA was in 1737 in Boston. Over the decades many famous Irish-Americans have influenced American life in countless ways. American socialists, Mary Harris who was known as “Mother" Jones, John F. Kennedy the most famous Irish-American president of all times being some notable names. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019 there were 32 million Americans with Irish ancestry which is about 10% of the total US population.
Migrating to the US to start a new life is challenging and exciting, however moving away from home brings with it a share of uncertainty and risk. It is essential to good immigrant medical insurance on arrival in the US as healthcare in the US while excellent is very expensive. Visiting a hospital in the US without insurance is scary. A good US immigrant health insurance plan will provide coverage for medical expenses incurred in case of any injury or illness.
Purchasing US immigrant insurance for a Irish immigrant is easy at American Visitor Insurance .One can compare numerous plans for prices and benefits from the comparison tool according to their requirements. You will get 24/7 assistance by one of the licensed customer support service agents and you can also get an instant policy documents by Email. Feel free to give us a call or email us and one of our customer support licensed agents will be able to help you.
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