Author-storyteller shares story of the Potato Famine that brought Irish to America

Irish-American author Terence O’Leary of Tecumseh told the story of the 1846 Irish potato famine that killed one million people and sent another million to the United States as immigrants. His presentation at the Belleville Area District Library on March 12 was titled “The Potato Famine and the Coming of the Irish to America.”
The wooden clipper ships that carried lumber to Great Britain were offered as transportation to the U.S. in the holds of the cargo ships. Twenty percent died during the six-week voyage on the “coffin ships.”
About 60% of the Irish farmers could not read or write and used ditch digging and other manual labor to feed their families once in America. O’Leary said the next generation learned of the power the Irish had and got political appointments to jobs as police officers, fire fighters, and other positions in exchange for their votes.
O’Leary, who based his series of books on “Irish Crossings” on his family’s experiences, signed his books after the presentation. He was presented by the library and the Belleville Area Rotary Club. His website is www.terenceoleary.com .