Generation Irish Research Articles

The Irish abroad: Better questions through a better source, the Canadian census

A considerable body of writing on the Irish abroad now exists and it is possible from this literature to identify certain patterns of inquiry. For the most part the British studies of the Irish abroad are confined to actual emigrants and little attention is devoted to the issue of acculturation of second and third generation Irish in Britain. It is apparent, also, that many of these studies treat only the Catholic Irish. In the Canadian context, however, it is possible, using religious and ethnic census data, to identify the relative fortunes of Catholic and Protestant Irish emigrants in both the first and successive generations. A method of analysis is described and it is suggested that, employing alternative sources, a similar approach might be feasible for studies of the Irish in countries other than Canada.

Modelling carbon emissions in electric systems

We model energy consumption of network electricity and compute Carbon emissions (CE) based on obtained energy data. We review various models of electricity consumption and propose an adaptive seasonal model based on the Hyperbolic tangent function (HTF). We incorporate HTF to define seasonal and daily trends of electricity demand. We then build a stochastic model that combines the trends and white noise component and the resulting simulations are estimated using Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF), which provides ensemble simulations of groups of electricity consumers; similarly, we estimate carbon emissions from electricity generators. Three case studies of electricity generation and consumption are modelled: Brunel University photovoltaic generation data, Elexon national electricity generation data (various fuel types) and Irish smart grid data, with ensemble estimations by EnKF and computation of carbon emissions. We show the flexibility of HTF-based functions for modelling realistic cycles of energy consumption, the efficiency of EnKF in ensemble estimation of energy consumption and generation, and report the obtained estimates of the carbon emissions in the considered case studies.

Irish Blood, English Heart: Second Generation Irish Musicians in England by Sean Campbell (review)

Irish Blood, English Heart: Second Generation Irish Musicians in England by Sean Campbell (review)

1911 – Does childhood adversity account for poorer mental health in second generation irish people living in Britain? Birth cohort study from Britain

Background Worldwide, the Irish diaspora experience elevated psychiatric morbidity across generations, not accounted for through socioeconomic position. The present study assessed the contribution of intergenerational migration and settlementrelated adversity in accounting for adult mental health, in second generation Irish people. Methods Analysis of prospective data from a nationally representative birth cohort from Britain, comprising 17,000 babies born in a single week in 1958 and followed up to mid-life. Common mental disorders were assessed at age 44/ 45. Results Relative to the rest of the cohort, second generation Irish children grew up in marked material and social disadvantage, which tracked into early adulthood. By mid-life, parity was reached between second generation Irish cohort members and the rest of the sample on most disadvantage indicators. At age 23 Irish cohort members were more likely to screen positive for common mental disorders (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.94). This had reduced slightly by mid-life (OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.69). Adjustment for childhood and early adulthood adversity fully attenuated differences in adult mental health disadvantages. Conclusions Social and material disadvantage experienced in childhood continues to have long-range adverse effects on mental health at mid-life, in second generation Irish cohort members. This suggests important mechanisms over the lifecourse, which may have important policy implications in the settlement of migrant families.

II. Economic assessment for first generation green biorefinery (GBR): Scenarios for an Irish GBR blueprint

Abstract Green biorefinery (GBR) is an alternative use of grassland biomass. GBR involves applying technology to chemically and physically fractionate (split) biomass such as grass and grass silage to produce marketable products. Three GBR system models were developed in a companion paper to determine, using scenario analysis, the most technically feasible scenario for the development of a blueprint Irish GBR system. The three GBR system models were a combination of feedstock system and biorefinery technology: Grass/silage – basic technology (GS), Silage – basic technology (S) and Silage – advanced technology (AT). The models were then assessed at different input volumes. The focus of this paper is on the development of the economic modelling component of the three GBR system models in order to identify which of the previously selected GBR scenarios is the most technically and economically viable to develop a blueprint for a first generation GBR. Six scenarios were assessed in this paper. The GS, S and AT GBR systems, at two input volume rates: medium volume and low volume. Additional scenario analyses were also carried out to investigate two possible production scenarios No (fibre product only), and Prot (includes proteinaceous secondary product). Both the economic and technical scenario analyses of this paper and its companion paper suggest the most appropriate GBR systems for a first generation Irish blueprint are the combination of Silage feedstock – basic biorefinery technology (S), at the medium input volume and both Prot and No systems.

I. Technical assessment for first generation green biorefinery (GBR) using mass and energy balances: Scenarios for an Irish GBR blueprint

Abstract “Green biorefinery” (GBR) could be an alternative option for using grassland biomass. GBR involves applying technology to chemically and physically fractionate (split) biomass such as grass and grass silage into marketable products. From the grass fibre fraction insulation materials can be produced. From the grass juice fraction, proteinaceous products for animal feed and lactic acid (LA) for plastic production (polylactic acid – PLA) can be produced. This paper is the first part in the analysis to develop a blueprint for a first generation Irish GBR system. The focus of this paper is on the technical aspects of developing three GBR system models and subsequent scenario analyses. The three GBR system models were a combination of feedstock system and biorefinery technology; Grass/silage–basic technology (GS), Silage–basic technology (S) and Silage–High Tech (AT). The models, which were integrated mass and energy balances, were then assessed at the three different input volumes, to generate nine scenarios. The scenarios which required further economic analysis in a companion paper to determine their overall feasibility (technical and economic) in the development of blueprint for a first generation Irish GBR system were identified. From the technical analysis outlined in this paper six scenarios were identified which require further economic analysis. These were scenarios generated for the GS, S and AT GBR systems, at two input volume rates.

Born into adversity; The intergenerational transmission of psychological morbidity in second generation Irish children living in Britain

ObjectiveDespite relative improvements in socioeconomic position across generations, Irish people living in Britain continue to suffer from excess psychological morbidity. This study will aim to elucidate factors relating to the...

Ties that Bind: Ethnic and Religious Factors in the Marriage Choices of Irish-American Catholics on the Dakota Frontier

Research on the marriage patterns of the Irish in nineteenthand early twentieth-century urban America points to a significant degree of group cohe siveness. Studies of the Irish in such cities as Worcester, New York, Butte, and San Francisco show that Irish immigrants had very high rates of in-group mar riage, usually over 90 percent.1 Equally significant is that the propensity for in group marriage continued among the American-born children of the immi grants, although, as might be expected, to a lesser extent than among the first generation. For example, in Worcester in 1880,91.7 percent of second-generation Irish men and 81.2 percent of second-generation Irish women had first or sec ond generation Irish spouses, while in 1900 the in-group rates were 79.7 percent for men and 76.3 percent for women.2 In New York City from 1908 through 1912 the second-generation Irish had an in-group marriage rate of 66.0 percent (70.2 percent for men and 61.7 for women).3 Similarly, in 1880 in San Francisco

The Irish health disadvantage in England: contribution of structure and identity components of Irish ethnicity

Background. Irish people living in Britain face a significant health disadvantage when compared to the white British host population. Objectives. Using recent survey data, determine whether there is an ‘Irish health disadvantage’ independent of socio-economic factors and explore whether there is an Irish ethnic identity effect which operates on health. Design. Data from the Census 2001 Individual Licensed SARs was analysed using binary logistic regression to study the relationship between the self-reported Irish ethnicity measure (which is presumed to reflect self-identification with Irish culture and community), considering country of birth subgroups, and the self-reported health measures of general health and limiting long-term illness. The analysis was adjusted for key demographic and socio-economic factors. Results. When compared to the white British reference population, the self-reported ‘white Irish’ population overall, the Irish born in Northern Ireland, and UK-born Irish, show a significantly increased risk of both self-reported poor general health and limiting long-term illness. The increased risk of poor health of the Irish born in the Republic of Ireland is greatly diminished after the socio-economic adjustments, and only statistically significant in the case of general health. Finally, the Irish born in Northern Ireland who self-report as Irish are significantly more likely than those who self-report as British to report poor general health, which may suggest an Irish ethnic identity effect. Conclusions. The findings demonstrate a persistent ethnic health disadvantage for first generation and UK-born Irish people living in England with respect to self-reported general health and limiting long-term illness, which cannot be fully explained by demographic and key socio-economic factors. Aspects of ethnicity related to both structure and identity may affect Irish self-reported health.

Second Generation European Corn Borer Injury and Irish Potato Physiology, Yield, and Quality

European corn borer (ECB) [Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)] (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) is known to infest Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) but only causes economic damage during the first generation in East Coast potato producing areas. However, in Nebraska, second generation ECB infest potato plants during the bulking period and may reduce yield and/or potato quality. Experiments were conducted in 2001, 2002, and 2003 to examine physiological and yield effects of second generation ECB injury to potato in Nebraska. Pike, Atlantic, and three Frito Lay proprietary varieties (FL1867, FL1879, and FL1833) were used. Experimental plots were infested with four ECB egg masses per plant to simulate ECB infestation by second‐generation larvae; controls received no egg masses. Photosynthetic rates, tuber weights, tuber size grades, solids, and fry quality were measured. Potato plants with ECB infestation had significantly reduced photosynthetic rates on ECB‐infested stems and on uninfested stems on the same plant when larvae were in the fifth instar. When insects were in the fourth instar, photosynthetic rates were reduced only on ECB‐infested stems. In 2001, ECB infestation reduced the average mass of large tubers and increased the amount of small tubers in FL1867 and FL1879. In 2002, significant yield reductions were not observed. Across both years, ECB‐infested plots produced fewer large (65‐ to 100‐mm diam.) tubers than control plots. Other tuber properties and chip qualities were unaffected. This study indicates that second generation ECB infestation of approximately 30% infested plants results in economic loss for some chipping varieties and affects tuber bulking. In contrast to east coast growers, Midwest potato farmers must be concerned with second generation ECB.

“When I Wake Up in the Morning, It All Depends on What I Want to Do”: An Ethnography of Leisure in the Lives of Elderly Women

This article is derived from a two-and-a-half year ethnographic inquiry into the nature of literacy development at the end of the life span, inspired by Barbara Myerhoff's 1978 classic Number Our Days, a study of elderly Jewish immigrant women at a senior center in Venice, California. In this research, I examined the relationship between the past and the present literacies of elderly women. The setting, the Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town (PCV/ST) Senior Lounge, is a recreation center in a private apartment complex in downtown Manhattan. PCV/ST (often called simply, StuyTown) was built by the insurance company Metropolitan Life as housing for returning servicemen after World War II and is one of the last enclaves of the white middle and working class in Manhattan—although due to gentrification, that is rapidly changing. The participants are all second generation Irish or Eastern European Jewish women in their 80s, who self-selected to first learn how to use the Internet in individual lessons, and the...

Thomas Francis Meagher and the Irish Brigade in the Civil War

When President Abraham Lincoln issued his call to arms in 1861, the 63rd, 69th and 88th New York Volunteers were among the first to step forward to defend the Union. Comprised primarily of first and second generation Irish immigrants, these three regiments were later joined by the 28th Massachusetts and the 116th Pennsylvania, both of which had a similar ethnic composition. Although many of these Irish men were decidedly anti-Lincoln - blaming the northern abolitionists as much as the southern rebels for the nation's plight - they worked around their dilemma by pledging their allegiance to their new country and its flag rather than its president. Suffering heavy casualties, this Irish Brigade under the command of Thomas Francis Meagher became one of the most legendary fighting groups of the Civil War. This work provides a balanced, historically factual picture of the Irish Brigade and its commander by re-examining and re-interpreting existing accounts. It presents an unbiased account of the role that the Brigade played in the confrontations at Fair Oaks, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. The author examines the ways in which contemporary sources distorted the historical actualities regarding the Irish Brigade - attempting to write into the annals of legend a story which, ironically, needed no embellishment - and the tempering effect which chronological distance has produced, resulting in more critical and dispassionate publications. The effect of politics and political manipulation on the Irish regiments is also discussed. Sources range from memoirs published by Brigade veterans in the years immediately following the war to letters and memoirs published as recently as 1996.

Tales from the Fifth Green Field: The Psychodynamics of Migration, Masculinity and National Identity amongst Republic of Ireland Soccer Supporters in England

Based on qualitative research on Irish soccer supporters in England in the 1990s it is argued that these supporters' substantial devotions of time, emotion, imagination and money were psychic investments through which international soccer became a symbolic means of negotiating the contingency and vicissitudes of emigrant Irish national identity. However, this projected symbolism was inevitably contradictory. While collective gathering and drinking created a ‘liminal’ space through which individual lives' spatio-temporal coordinates and uneven migrant biographies temporarily dissolved in rituals of national identification, these were inextricably intertwined with the construction and reconstruction of masculine identities, entailing occasions for both ‘bonding’ and internal mutual differentiation and disputes arising from disagreements regarding supporters' origins and commitment. These were particularly significant for ‘second generation Irish’ supporters whose ‘Irishness’ was predicated on unambiguous masculine identity and continuity despite familial histories of migration, but whose ‘credentials’ as such were repeatedly questioned.

‘The English Have no Altruism’

The stereotyped transition of the Irish in Australia from rebellious dissenters to respectable citizens glosses an abiding sense of difference that was reproduced down the generations of Irish-Australians. Exploring these tensions in the personal biography of John Vincent Barry, a prominent judge, intellectual and civil libertarian of the mid-twentieth century, offers an unusual opportunity to assess what it meant to be of second or third generation Irish descent in a settler society. These tensions are examined through the rich archive of Barry’s private papers as well as his public writing and action. This article has been peer-reviewed.

‘DWELLING IN DISPLACEMENT’

This paper is a successor to an earlier one (Malone, Community, Work & Family, 4(2), 195–213, 2001) which described the development of a ‘community saved’ among first-generation Irish immigrants in North-West London, UK. A distinct and health-enhancing ‘sense’ of community founded on mutual helping networks, a belief in family ties, the importance of paid work and the Roman Catholic Church was identified within this Irish immigrant group. For the second generation or London Irish, upon whom this paper focuses, ‘community’ and ‘sense’ of community have meanings which differ significantly from those of their first-generation forebears. The London Irish describe the anonymity they experience within their contemporary urban ‘home’ and yearn, instead, for an idyllic but mythical ‘homeland’ — the rural Ireland of long ago. Disparities between the two groups yield insights into those elements which truly shape experience of ‘community’ and ‘sense’ of community and which can only be understood within the conceptual, geographical and intellectual boundaries of what has been called the ‘diasporic space’. Ce papier suit à un précédent (Malone, Community, Work & Family, 4(2), 195–213, 2001) qui a dépeint le développement d'une ‘communauté sauvé’ parmi les immigrants irlandais de la première génération au nord-ouest de Londres. Un ‘sentiment de communauté’, à la fois marqué et assanisant, et fondé sur des résaux d'assistance réciproque, le croyance dans les liens familiaux, l'importance du travail salarié, et l'Eglise Catholique, a été identifié parmi ce groupe immigrant irlandais. Pour les immigrants de la deuzième génération, ainsi nommé les ‘London Irish’, et sujet de ce papier-ci, ‘la communauté’ et ‘le sentiment de communauté’ ont des significations très différentes de la première génération. Les London Irish parle de l'anonyme de leur expérience dans le domicile urbain, ils brûlent de revoir le ‘terre patrie’, idylle mythique d'un Irlande rural du bon vieux temps. Ces différences fournissent des aperçus des éléments qui forment l'expérience de ‘la communauté’ et du ‘sentiment de communauté’, éléments qui ne sont compris que dans les bornes de la conception, de la géographie et de l'intellect, bornes de ce qui a été désigné ‘l'espace diasporique’.

‘Women of the Wild Geese’: Irish Women, Exile and Identity in Spain, 1750–1775

This study focuses upon the experiences of first and second generation Irish female migrants in Spain during the mid-eighteenth century. Recent scholarship has sought to place Irish migrants in Europe within a broad context of assimilation. The experience of Irish communities in Spain appears to have been particularly positive, with the Irish as a group being awarded equal citizenship at the beginning of the seventeenth century. However, the gendered experience of Irish assimilation into Spanish society has received limited scholarly attention. This essay analyses the experiences of two groups of Irish women living in Spain: women who lived in religious communities and the female members of one of the most elite families to have migrated from Ireland. The lives of the daughters of Ignatius White reveal the ways in which Irish women worked their way into spheres of power and influence, including the Spanish court. The networks and activities of these women show a crystallisation of the ambitions of many Irish from the first and second generation to be born in Spain. The relationship between these women, their kinship groups and their networks of power and influence offers a positive and successful example of Irish female migrant experience.

Young (Male) Irelanders

This article explores the experiences of second generation Irish young men living in Britain. Drawing upon theories of globalization, diaspora and subjectivity, it considers how ethnic invisibility (in Britain) and national exclusion (in Ireland) are shaping young people's specific experience of cultural peripheries. At the same time, such a position provides an insight into the centrality of the black/white dualism on a lived-out level, while also highlighting the continuing salience of the racial dualism as a dominant explanatory framework. More specifically, it examines young people's reclamation and rearticulation of being and belonging, the cultural politics of Irishness and the visibility of Irish ethnicity. It concludes by bringing together some of the empirical, theoretical and methodological complexities involved in working in this area.

The health experience of Irish people in a North West London 'community saved'

This paper describes the development of a 'community saved' among first generation Irish immigrants in London. A 'community saved' is defined by its containment of numerous personal relationships formed over time; it is 'densely knit' and 'bounded'. Within this paper links are described between the development and survival of this Irish immigrant community, with its emphasis upon both family ties and work as a means of enhancing social cohesion, and its members' lived health experience. Social theory in its most comprehensive form, as a 'tool' of social research which seeks to provide explanations of events in the real world, provides a unifying theoretical framework for the study. The development of 'social capital', or the growth of values such as trust and reciprocity that facilitate societal functioning and community life, provides the main unifying theme linking community life to health experience. Precisely how it does so may mean moving, at times, in and out of empirical data. It involves participants using their own words and their own phrases to describe their particular experience: an exposition beyond the scope of mere statistical measurement. Cette article offre un portrait d'une 'communauté sauvée' parmi des immigrés irlandais Londinien de la première génération. Une 'communuaté sauvée' se défine par son endiguement de plusiers rapports crées depuis longtemps. C'est une communuaté unie et bornée qui met en valeur les rapports familiales et le travail comme moyens d améliorer la cohésion sociale. L'article brosse un tableau des liens entre le développement et la survivance de cette colonie irlandaise, et ses expériences vis àvis de la santé. La théorie sociale, dans sa forme la plus compréhensive, c'est àdire comme un instrument de recherche sociale qui s'addresse à expliquer les événements dans la vie réelle, fournit ici un cadre théorique unifiant. Le développement du 'biens d'équipement' où la croissance des valeurs telles que la confiance et la réciprocité, valeurs facilitant le fonctionnement de la societé et la vie associative, fournit la thème qui unit la vie associative aux expériences salutaires.

Mortality of third generation Irish people living in England and Wales: longitudinal study

We previously reported high mortality and high incidence of cancer in second generation Irish people (children of Irish migrants) living in England and Wales. 1 2 In this study we...

Identity, coping style, and health behaviour among first generation Irish immigrants in England

Berry's (1997) framework for acculturation research was used to explore the relationship between identity and health among Irish immigrants in England. One hundred and twelve first generation Irish immigrants completed questionnaire measures of ethnic identity, opportunities for identity expression, generalised coping style, and health behaviour. Significant, though small, positive correlations were observed between identity and health behaviour as predicted. Regression analyses and path analysis were used to present a model of the link between variables. Of particular note were the contrasting ways in which the two dimensions of identity were associated with health behaviour. Participants who positively evaluated their ethnic origins reported engaging in healthier behaviour and adopting more beneficial coping strategies when faced with day-to-day stresses and problems. Participants who reported their ethnic origin as more central to their overall identity were also more likely to adopt beneficial coping strategies. Concomitantly, however, they had fewer than desired opportunities for expressing their ethnic identity which was, in turn, associated with less beneficial coping and health behaviour. In looking for ways to tackle the well-documented health problems of both first and second generation Irish in England, the results suggest that encouragement to feel more positive about their ethnic identity might result in greater usage of behavioural approach coping and, relatedly, to improved health behaviour.