Behind the Pubs: 19th Century Irish Emigration & You

Why does it seem like there’s an Irish pub in every city you visit?

The first reason is because of the mass emigration that took place during the 1700s-1900s. The second; a strategic business move made between Irish Entrepreneur & Architect Mel McNally and Guinness Brewery, effectively creating the "Irish Pub Concept." Mel's company would reproduce quintessential Irish pub designs and send them around the world in 40-foot-long shipping containers to give everyone a tase of the Irish Pub Experience.

The Irish pub in your local town or favorite holiday destination is more than just a watering hole. It's a mark of resilience. It's a testament to hope and innovation amidst a time when the Great Famine, economic hardship, and political instability pushed Irish citizens out of their country, forcing them to create a sense of home in unknown lands.

The Irish Diaspora is one of the largest in human history. It should be in every history textbook. And today, more than 70 million people around the world proudly get to say they "got a bit of Irish in 'em."

I get to say that too.

Just instead of it being Irish, I say Jamaican. And instead of "just a bit,"? I say "half."

Life as a Second Gen Kid

Generations born from a diaspora grapple with cultural loyalty.

It's a silly way to think and it brings on unnecessary pressure but it's undeniably a reality kids between culture face as they grow up in countries outside of their parents birthplace, especially during their teenage years.

Your parents never say it but at certain crossroads in my adolescence, I could see it in my mother’s eyes: “Okay, Kanaar, what are you gonna choose: the Jamaican way or the Canadian way?” It came up in regard to food, romantic choices, friend choices, and which social norms to follow. As a second gen kid, there’s always this constant question of cultural identity. What to keep, how to embrace, how to preserve and protect.?

Right now, at this moment, I am 4,000 miles and a great big oceans distance away from my mother, my sister, my aunties and uncles. All Jamaicans who are now living in Canada. Emigration has shaped my worldview and the trajectory of my life thus far. From my parents leaving Jamaica for Canada to my own journey of leaving Canada to live in Ireland, where my first daughter would be born.

When I was younger, I loved the excitement of movement. I never thought about what I could possibly be leaving behind — I was just up for the adventure. Now I find myself asking;

“How do I preserve my Jamaican heritage? How can I teach my daughter about that side of her? What if I fail?”

Preserving the Stories That Built Us

It’s this reason, along with my fascination for the history of Irish emigration, and the impacts on culture today, that led me to jump for joy when I was offered the position of Digital Marketing Executive at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum.?

It’s funny, I live about 1hr outside the big city – “in the bog,” they call it – and I ask multiple generations of people I know in my town:?

• What do you know about your grandparents' history??
• Has your family always lived here, in Ireland??
• Do you have family anywhere outside Ireland??

Many tell me an off-the-shoulder story about their grandparents' profession back in the day, a relative that served in the war, or humble beginnings on the farm. My wife’s nanny is 73, which makes her part of the Baby Boomer Generation. Her parents and her 9 siblings lived in the same town that she lives in now.? She can point around and tell me which areas used to be army barracks. She can tell me about what a normal day looked like without a phone in your hand. She can tell me about food scarcity and making it last in a house of 11 which makes me feel like a privileged glutton being able to shove two massive pieces of lasagna down my gullet yesterday evening.?

Why am I telling you this? Because stories are disappearing.?

These are the same stories from ancestral times that made it possible for you and I to stand where we are today. While I understand that culture is evolving and that we must adapt to survive and thrive, I wonder if we can do so while still explicitly carrying those stories with us. I wonder if we can strive to see where we fit in that timeline, that narrative. And if the Emigrant Hero’s Journey continues, I wonder what meaning we can derive from that journey to summon courage, creativity, and belonging when we need it most.

The preservation of the stories that built us. That is the mission I’ve dedicated myself to in this new role. And damn it feels good to be able to wake up and go do something purposeful again.

So when you’re traveling and you see an Irish pub in Spain, Canada, the States, the UK, Argentina, Australia, Mexico or elsewhere (which for some reason just have this homely vibe that makes you walk in without thinking twice) ask yourself how it came to be there, in a land objectively so foreign to its own.?

Better yet, find the founder and ask them.