Artist’s Biography: Glenna Goodacre, Renowned Sculptor

To commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Great Hunger, a committee of prominent Philadelphians from business, government, and the arts commissioned a monument to the Irish who perished and to those who survived, immeasurably enriching the history and culture of the United States. This monument is called the Irish Memorial.

In a 1997 international competition, Santa Fe artist Glenna Goodacre was unanimously selected as the winning sculptor for the Irish Memorial. On March 13, 2000, the Irish Memorial Committee held a ceremonial contract signing for the monument's commission. This event, which took place at the Plough and the Stars Restaurant in Philadelphia, marked the official beginning of the project, and Goodacre received the first installment of her payment. She then embarked upon sculpting the Irish Memorial, which was a two year project. The piece was permanently installed in early February 2003 and the formal dedication occurred in October 2003 with the completion of the surrounding park.

The Great Hunger was a tragedy that led to the single greatest loss of life in Europe between the Napoleonic Wars and World War I. The Irish potato famine began in 1845 and affected other European countries. But in Ireland, the crisis took place in an economic, political, and social framework that was oppressive and unjust. Ireland and her people endured a disproportionate share of suffering.

When the blight struck, 75 percent of Ireland's tillable land was devoted to growing grains, such as barley, corn, oats and wheat, almost all of which was exported. Likewise, the cattle, pigs and sheep were not eaten by the Irish but sent to Great Britain. All of this food was sufficient to feed the Irish people several times over. Because of the mandatory exporting, as well as an 1847 British legislation that facilitated eviction of Irish tenants by their landlords, a million Irish starved to death, and another million were forced to flee Ireland. This amounted to the loss of almost a quarter of that country's population.

The Irish immigrated to the British Isles, Australia, Canada, the United States and elsewhere. The overwhelming immigration was to North America.

Those who managed to survive the "coffin ships" bound for North America did not receive a warm welcome. They became America's urban poor and were quickly identified with disease, alcohol abuse and crime. However, these entry-level laborers helped build railroads, dig canals, mine coal, and foster the growth of cities, states and the nation. Many Irish went on to make significant contributions in the fields of business, education, industry, government, medicine, science, religion and the arts.Today, more than 44 million Americans claim Irish heritage.