First ever Great Hunger museum opens next month in the US

Where did the name the GREAT HUNGER come from ? My parents; grandparents;greatgrandparents all lived in Ireland as I do and everyone talks about the Famine. As for the story of British Government sending food out of Ireland during the famine - what did they send - potatoes were the staple crop - did we have vast corn fields then or perhaps huge orchards full of fruit. It's sad to see this report

Odd that Ireland still embraces it`s Famine Culture, even as Edna Kenny gets Bolder and Bolder, the further Ireland drifts towards EU, Right Wing, Subordination !

Yes but the british do not actually believe they committed any significant atrocities and continue in them.

Memories mired in misiry produce anger, and guilt. This HungerMuseum will not help toward forgiveness, and the peace process. I feel the same about The African American Diaspora, and the Jewish Diaspora. Keep dredging up the negative past and we will generate a negative future. All these human atrocities are well documented in the annals of history. But may we please move forward with forgiveness and love. I will never visit a place dedicated to human atrocities. I do not have the time. I am too busy loving and living for today and tomorrow.

There ought to be a centralized museum dedicated to exposing the long history of britain's worldwide atrocities.

Thanks John Lahey for bringing this dark period in Irish history to the people. Strokestown Famine Museum has not closed, my Father as a young boys worked there in the early 1900's and met my Mother there. I have a special interest in that place. I hope to get to CT. In the near future to visit this museum.

Well done John Lahey, the full truth needs to be told, especially here in Ireland were some Anglo Irish still don't like the full story to be told. The truth hurts sometimes. Be proud John for all your effort and those who helped.

Glad to hear of the museum, and very glad to see IrishCentral.com stating "Great Hunger" in a headline, instead of the misnomer, "Famine," we've seen in print all too much over the past year on here. This is progress! Thank U, Mr. Lahey, Mr. O'Doherty, and IrishCentral.com editors!

The famines effect is still beiong felt. Its more than just history.

There is a small but very impactful famine memorial park by the dock in downtown Toronto set exactly where the Irish famine immigrants landed and, in may cases, died. Very out of the way and hard to find but well worth the visit.

This first of it's kind museum recognizes through the extremely gifted artists and various art mediums -the incredible traumatic hardship of our ancestors... The mission is not to dwell on negative yet to inform, educate those of us that are unaware of Man's darkside. Shown in our lives by inhumane treatment to each other... It is not only the Irish story.. It is The Holocaust, The American Indian, Slavery and still more. Life was given to be so much more than this..We can and we will be better.

Why Connecticut? It was his idea and as president of a university in CT, so there it is. Plus many Irish settled in that state, and still reside there. The current governor's first name is Danel, and is a graduate of Boston College, a university more Irish than Notre Dame.

The first ever in the US maybe, but not worldwide, since Strokestown, CO Roscommon has had a Famine Museum in Strokestown Park House since 1994.

And this is in Connecticut, why?

There is a great museum in Strokestown, unless it has been forrced to close.