Ireland's Great Hunger Museum ( ga, Músaem An Ghorta Mhóir) was founded in 2012 in

Hamden, Connecticut Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant". The population was 61,169 at the 2020 census. History The peaceful tribe of Quinnipiacs were the first residents of the ...

as part of

Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University () is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering, School of C ...

to document and educate the public on the Irish Great Famine of 1845–1852, as well as its causes and consequences. In addition to literature and artifacts, the museum contains the world's largest collection of Great Hunger-related art by both contemporary and 19th-century Irish and Irish-American artists. A small sister gallery, containing literature and statues related to the Famine, is located within a special section of the Arnold Bernhard Library on the Mount Carmel campus of

itself.

History

The 8th President of Quinnipiac University

John L. Lahey John L. Lahey (born 1946) is an American academic administrator who served as the 8th President of Quinnipiac University from 1987 to 2018. Early life and education Lahey was born and raised in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, where he gradu ...

became invested in the history of the Famine in the 1990s. As encouraged by

Murray Lender Murray Isaac Lender (October 29, 1930 – March 21, 2012) was an American businessman and entrepreneur who helped expand his father's small, Connecticut bagel bakery, Lender's Bagels, into a nationwide brand. Murray Lender served as the chief exe ...

, Lahey began collecting artworks and documents related to the Famine. Ireland's Great Hunger Museum opened its doors in October 2012 at the site of a former public library and office building renovated into a museum space by Wyeth Architects. Grace O'Sullivan of

NCAD The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of th ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

was the museum's inaugural curator, author

Christine Kinealy Christine Kinealy is an Irish historian, author, and founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University. She is an authority on Irish history.

its director, and Grace Brady of the Met its executive director. Lahey stepped down from his position as president in 2018. By 2019, the museum was facing a lack of support and revenue. These problems were worsened by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and in August 2021, the university's board of trustees announced the museum would remain closed following a vote. This decision has been met with ongoing opposition. Donors grew concerned over the fate of the artifacts in the museum, with some calling on the state attorney general's office to intervene. Lahey called it "disappointing and perplexing". A Norwalk-based committee Save Ireland's Great Hunger Museum was formed, who wrote an open letter to Lahey's successor

Judy Olian Judy D. Olian is an Australian-American academic administrator serving as the 9th president of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Early life and education Olian was born and raised in Australia, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Duri ...

and have held in-person demonstrations. The university released a statement assuring that the collection would not be sold and that a search for a new institution interested in publicly displaying it was underway.

Collection

Works by noted contemporary Irish artists are featured in the museum's permanent collection including internationally known sculptors John Behan, Rowan Gillespie and Éamonn O'Doherty; as well as contemporary visual artists, Robert Ballagh,

Alanna O'Kelly Alanna O'Kelly (, also spelled Alannah; born 1955) is an Irish artist, active in performance art and installation art, as well as sculpture, song, land art and film. She is a member of Aosdána, an elite association of Irish artists. Biography ...

, Brian Maguire and Hughie O'Donoghue. Featured paintings include several important 19th- and 20th‐century works by artists such as James Brenan, Daniel Macdonald, James Arthur O'Connor and Jack B. Yeats. Ireland's Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University publishes a series of booklets called Famine Folios, a unique resource for students, scholars and researchers, as well as general readers, covering many aspects of the Famine in Ireland from 1845 to 1852 — the worst demographic catastrophe of 19th-century Europe. The essays are interdisciplinary in nature, and make available new research in Famine studies by internationally established scholars in history, art history, cultural theory, philosophy, media history, political economy, literature and music. This publication's initiative was devised to augment the museum experience, and is part of the museum's commitment to making its collection accessible to audiences of all ages and levels of educational interest. The pamphlets are produced to the highest level, beautifully illustrated with works from the museum and related collections. It ensures that audiences have access to the latest scholarship as it pertains to both the historical and contemporary dimensions of the collection.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland's Great Hunger Museum 2012 establishments in Connecticut 2021 disestablishments in Connecticut Art museums and galleries in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Hamden, Connecticut Defunct museums in Connecticut Great Famine (Ireland) museums History museums in Connecticut Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts and cultural heritage Irish-American museums Irish diaspora Museums established in 2012 Museums in New Haven County, Connecticut Quinnipiac University University museums in Connecticut