Ireland's Great Hunger Museum

NOTE: Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum in Hamden is permanently closed. The collection moved to Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Happy March! It’s one of my favorite months because we celebrate the Irish heritage with St. Patrick’s Day coming up on March 17th. Last year, I read about the Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum in Hamden, Connecticut. Hamden is a suburban town outside of New Haven. The museum is a part of Quinnipiac University. I learned of it when Quinnipiac University’s new President pulled the funding for the museum. I never knew there was a museum dedicated to Irish history right here in the Nutmeg State!

*A sculpture created by Glenna Goodacre.*

On St. Patrick’s Day last year, I thought about what to do and how to celebrate. I looked no where further than Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum. I’m so glad that I went to see it, it was a beautiful museum with a rich collection related to the Irish Famine. The museum had a special event specifically on St. Patrick’s Day in which they collected immigration stories. The museum put these stories into a scrapbook that will be accessible throughout the year. Everyone was allowed to participate by writing or orally share their family immigration stories. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the history of my family coming to America from Ireland so immediately after I toured the museum, I called my grandparents to ask! They were very excited to share the stories.

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum opened in 2012. It caters to all ages, educating about the history of the Irish Famine. The museum currently has the world’s largest collection of the Great Hunger collection with two levels of permanent exhibitions as well as visiting exhibitions. The museum had historical artifacts, printed documents, arts (paintings and sculptures) and more. When I entered the museum, the first room I went into had a short video giving an introduction of The Great Hunger of 1842-1852. Yes, the video was captioned so it is deaf friendly! The tour itself probably took me about 2 hours. I enjoyed seeing some particular Irish artists such as Jack B. Yeats, John Behan (one of my favorite sculptors!), James Brenan and Robert Ballagh. It was fascinating to learn more about the Irish Famine, and it definitely showed the magnitude of disaster it had on Ireland. The museum had a good capacity for stimulating conversations and for fueling you imagination for what it was like back then.

As I mentioned earlier, I only learned of this museum when the current president of Quinnipiac University cut the funding for it. Last I knew, the museum has to be financially self-sufficient by June 2020. They are always accepting donations to continue operating the museum. I hope to see this museum around for years as the rich collection of the Irish Famine is impressive. It definitely was one of the best Irish museums I’ve visited! Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum is opened Wednesday-Sundays with varied hours. Be sure to check the hours on their website which I’ve linked it to this blog title (up above!). The admission fee is $5 for the general public.

Make a day out of it by going to an authentic Irish pub, only 10 minutes down the street. The Playwright Irish Pub! The menu consists of traditional Irish and American cuisine for lunch and dinner. If you go on Sundays, they have brunch (which is perfect as the museum doesn’t open until 1 P.M. on Sundays!). Get the Guinness Stew, Bangers & Mash or Shepherd’s Pie to complete your Irish-themed day! The reviews also have raved about the corned beef reuben sandwiches. The menu had plenty of gluten-free options too (hooray for me!), I enjoyed some delicious whisky BBQ chicken wings. The Playwright’s pub with its dark wood detail, stained glass of the restaurant’s name and the antique furniture definitely makes it authentic - I felt like I was back in a pub in Ireland.

*The corned beef entree at Playwright Irish Pub.*

Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum and The Playwright Irish Pub is only a short drive from New Haven. New Haven is hosting their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday March 15 at 1:30 PM. Erin Go Bragh!

UPDATE: New Haven Irish parade has been postponed to a further date due to the COVID-19. Stay tuned by following their website.