Ireland’s Great Hunger Bord A Triumph

By Ellen Russell Beatty
Ponder This

Ellen Russell Beatty

In a previous column, titled Forging a Future for the Great Hunger Museum, I wrote about the many challenges facing the collection upon announcement of the closing of the Irish Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University. The collection told a visual story of the famine, including governmental neglect, the great migration and the quest for equality and justice. The goal of the museum was to educate about the underlying political, social, economic and historical causes of the Great Hunger.

It seemed a tragedy to close the museum and diminish efforts to continue its fundamental purpose. But this particular story has a promising closing as indicated by the following excerpts of recent press coverage.

An Aug. 18 press release from the newly formed Ireland’s Great Hunger Bord expressed satisfaction in the recent ruling issued by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. The result of an inquiry initiated in October 2021 into the closure and subsequent intended relocation by Quinnipiac University of the collection was well received by significant leaders of the Irish American community. In particular, Turlough McConnell, executive director of the Save Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum and chairperson of the Great Hunger Bord, the newly created 501(c)(3), expressed appreciation that the office of the attorney general would provide some oversight responsibilities for the collection.

Special appreciation and admiration to Turlough McConnell, chair of Ireland’s Great Hunger Bord, which was formed with the intention of preserving and maintaining this Irish Hunger collection. It is worth thinking about the terms used by McConnell’s group to describe the Great Hunger Museum collection – as public cultural property. Had this important understanding been present from the beginning, the museum would not have been closed without a plan for the special care and boarding necessary for both the scholarship and the art.

The hope of Ireland’s Great Hunger Bord is that the collection can be preserved until an appropriate entity can emerge with both the financial resources and capacity to build a museum to care for the scholarship and collection. A special mention to Dr. Christine Kinealy, a professor of history, renowned Irish scholar and founder of the Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac who worked as part of the group to protect the collection as a new home is created.

The plan is that the Gaelic-American Club of Fairfield will accept the collection as it plans to build a permanent facility, according to John Foley, former vice president of the club. Ireland’s Great Hunger Bord is dedicated to assisting in the preservation of the collection until a suitable entity can emerge with both the financial resources and capacity to build a museum.

These developments provide needed hope and validation that advocacy can pay off and eventually reap benefits. The investigation and subsequent report by influential elected officials certainly rebuke Quinnipiac University even if the university remains impervious to critique and suggestion.

The issues of cultural destruction with resultant historical obliteration remain a risk for people worldwide. Perhaps this small success can be a beacon for Ukraine and indigenous peoples throughout the globe who risk loss of culture, language and religion to powerful oppression.

We are fortunate in Connecticut to have elected leaders who have courage and determination to do the right thing. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Rosa DeLauro remained steadfast due to their understanding and concern about equity, injustice and oppression. The legacy of the Irish story resonated with each of these individuals and prompted them to engage their time, knowledge and leadership. Thank you for being steadfast to the future. The state attorney general’s office was once again deliberate and effective in bringing about a plan to protect and preserve the collection and the story.

So hats off to my colleagues, friends and supportive comrades who listened and learned from this modern Irish saga of continued insult that ended in triumph.

Dr. Ellen Russell Beatty served seven years as Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at Southern Connecticut State University, and also served as interim Academic Vice president, Dean of Health & Human Services and Director of Faculty Development. In addition to the broad perspective and a multitude of skills required of high-level administrators, her areas of special expertise lie in strategic planning, accreditation, assessment and planning and budgetary allocation.