Diaspora has been used throughout history to refer to a mass dispersion of a population from their home country. Most countries have had some form of a diaspora. There are also many reasons for people leaving their homelands in large numbers such as famine, war, better opportunities, etc. One of the countries with the largest diaspora is Ireland. It is estimated that 80 million people worldwide have some Irish descent. This from the 9 to 10 million people who were born in Ireland and left in hopes of better opportunities.
There are large Irish populations in Argentina and South Africa
While doing research there seems to be many occurrences of families back in Ireland not hearing from their loved ones once they emigrated. The phrase they “took the boat” carried with it the hope that one day their loved ones would return. But, leaving loved ones was just one of the hard steps in leaving their homeland. Most were poor and had the cheapest accommodations and poor conditions on the boats they left in. Then they had to find a country to start over in. The Irish are known to be resilient, and I was amazed at some of the places they chose for their homes. We all know that many Irish immigrated to the United States and Canada. Some made a shorter journey and went to England or Scotland. But did you know that there are large populations in Argentina and South Africa?
During the 1800s and early 1900s over 38,000 Irish immigrated to Argentina.
During the 1800s and early 1900s over 38,000 Irish immigrated to Argentina. It is estimated that there are 500,000 people in Argentina with Irish ancestry and the number could be higher because many may have declared themselves as British because Ireland was still part of Great Britain. They even had distinct Irish communities until the Peron years. While not a main destination in the Irish diaspora, an Irish-Argentine man by the name of William Bulfin commented on the number of people he encountered while traveling in Westmeath that had been to Buenos Aires in the early 20th century.
There were three ships of Irish women that came to South Africa over an 8 year period.
In South Africa, Irish settlers were brought to the Cape by Henry Nourse, a shipowner, in 1818. In 1820 there were many Irish among the British settlers that came to settle the eastern cape frontier. Another group of 143 Irish came in 1823 from Cork. There were three ships of Irish women that came to South Africa over an 8 year period. Finally, between 1902 and 1905 about 5,000 Irish immigrants came to South Africa. Still today you can find Irish communities in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley, and Johannesburg. And the majority of white South African Catholics are of Irish descent.
Do you know the stories of any of your Irish ancestors that left their homeland? Do you know where in Ireland they came from? There are so many people who are still trying to figure out where their ancestors came from in Ireland. Why did their ancestors leave? One thing that we do know, the Irish are a resilient people. They went to all parts of the world Africa, Asia, Carribean, South America, Mexico, Australia, and of course North America.Their goal was a better life.
If you need any help finding your ancestors, just let us know.
