The Last King of Ireland and Irish Immigrants
The heraldic achievement of Hugh O'Neill, which quartered his rightful arms with the arms of the Burkes of Ulster as a claim on their land.
Source for coat of arms -http://www.geoghegan.org/clan/earloftyrone.gif
I recently watched a video on Irish-Americans. The first wave of Irish immigrants to America was credited to the fleeing of Hugh O'Neill from Ireland.
"The rebel Hugh O'Neill, 2nd (or 3rd) Earl of Tyrone, born c.1540, regarded as the last King of Ulster, and hence the last native king in Ireland, eloped 1591 with Mabel Bagenal, died Rome, 1616."Source - http://humphrysfamilytree.com/Fitzgerald/oneill.html
The second wave of Irish immigrants was credited to U.S. western expansion and in particular the building of the Erie Canal in 1817. Irish immigrants became canal builders.
"Many of the laborers working on the canal were Scots Irish, who had recently come to the United States as a group of about 5,000 from Northern Ireland, most of whom were Protestants and wealthy enough to pay for this caravan."Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal
And the third wave of Irish immigrants was credited to the Potato Famine in 1845.
Just a bit of Irish trivia for St Patrick's Day. Erin go braugh!!!
