The purpose of this post is neither to deny Irish oppression within Ireland or the US, nor is it to detract from the many positive impacts which Irish people have had around the world. This is a little long but please read if you are interested in this topic.

However, I wish to clarify one strand of Irish history which has been glossed over - that of direct Irish involvement in slavery within the US. Not only were many within the Irish American community and native Irish population active supporters of slavery, but records show involvement as slave owners.

Finally, the narrative of Irish slaves in America is a myth that many Irish Americans have been led to believe. This claim is often brought up to suggest that Black Americans need to 'get over it' or to suggest that Irish hands were totally uninvolved. I am Irish and proud to be such. I am not afraid to acknowledge the faults of some ancestors.

1) the myth of Irish slavery

This is commonly attributed to Irish who were in indentured servitude in the Caribbean. It is true that they were treated horribly but they retained their status as human beings (which African slaves did not) and had the opportunity to advance to positions of power and to owning African slaves. The first two screenshots from a paper published in historical journal 'Past and Present' demonstrate this (one of many papers).

2) Irish Slave Owners

Irish in America and at home were recorded as slave owners in multiple historical accounts. The third screenshot is from the journal 'history Ireland's and the fourth is a newspaper article based on research of Liam Hogan, a Limerick Historian, which demonstrate this (again there are many more papers).

3) Active Support or Indifference to Slavery

The Irish in America based in the south were recorded as being supportive of slavery and in the north were recorded as being ambivalent at best. Daniel O'Connell (the Irish champion of Catholic Emancipation in Ireland) called For Young Ireland (the Irish in America) to vehemently fight against slavery. They refused. The reasons for this attitude are complex but that isn't the purpose of this post. The last two screenshots are from a paper published in Britain and the World which explain this situation.