Introduction

Irish immigrants and Irish-Americans have a long and storied history in Connecticut.

They have been involved in the settlement, defense, and development of our state since well before the Revolutionary War. They were an integral labor force involved with digging canals, laying the tracks for railroads, building bridges, and working in the factories and quarries that helped Connecticut prosper before and after the Industrial Revolution.

Irish immigrants and their ancestors have been at the forefront of caring for and educating generations of Connecticut children, have been a mainstay of the public service workforce and military, and have organized and developed powerful political entities at the local and state level. Irish activists helped organize movements for workers' rights, have broken down barriers of religious and social prejudice, and instituted numerous charitable and fraternal organizations that remain active today.

The Irish experience has had a profound impact on Connecticut's past, and its narrative spans all periods of the state's history and touches every one of its eight counties and 169 towns.


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