Irish Hunger Memorial
In the 1840s, most of Europe suffered from a blight that ravaged potato crops, but the Irish population fared the worst. Around one million Irish (20-25 percent of the population) died; another million immigrated to the United States to escape the famine.
In memory of this disaster, the Irish Hunger Memorial was inaugurated in New York City’s Battery Park on July 16, 2002. This unusual memorial is, in part, an authentic recreation of a western Irish bog-land ecosystem. The memorial is intended to be a living site that will change with the seasons.
References
“The Irish Hunger Memorial Battery Park Teacher’s Guide.” New York State Education Department.
External Link
Discussions
Discussion for Irish Hunger Memorial
Given the timing of its inauguration, in July 2002, and its location, just blocks from the World Trade Center, the Irish Hunger Memorial was initially…
Design of Irish Hunger Memorial
The artist Brian Tolle and the landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird designed the Irish Hunger Memorial. It consists of a half-acre of land, with 32 stones…
Related Resources
The New York State Education Department has pages on the memorial, including a student guide.
Architectural Record has a slide show of photos of the memorial and a list of the people who worked on it.
Print
Kaizen, William R.
Interview with Brian Tolle. BOMB 76 external link
Print
Richardson, Lynda
“Public Lives; Like Potato Fields, His Memorial Lies Fallow.” New York Times, May 14, 2003.
Print
Dwyer, Jim
“Memorial to Irish Fortitude Comes Undone in New York.” New York Times, May 7, 2003.
Print
Iovine, Julie V
“Memorials Proliferate In Crowded Downtown.” New York Times, March 13, 2003.
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Location & Contacts
New York, NYUnited States
lattitude/longitude: 40.715123, -74.016641
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Keyword Tags
- art
- architecture
- future-oriented
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