about
Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield was established by leaders of the Gaelic-American Club of Fairfield and investigates the Famine and its impact through art. We have partnered with Quinnipiac University to serve as the new caretakers and curators of the IGHM collection, and our museum interprets the Famine visually, allowing artists — both those contemporaneous with the Great Hunger and those working today — to explore the impact of the loss of life, the leeching of the land, and the erosions of language and culture. Through its display of outstanding historical and contemporary images, layers of history are peeled back, to uncover aspects of the Famine indecipherable by other means.
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A Journey of Hope: The Irish American Immigrant Experience
March 12, 2026 - May 17, 2026
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With a loan courtesy of Quinnipiac University, in conjunction with Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum will open a new exhibition on March 12 titled, A Journey of Hope: The Irish American Immigrant Experience.
The show will run through May 17, 2026, and feature paintings and sculptures displayed in the Mansion’s Billiards Room/Art Gallery as well as in the Servants’ Quarters.
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Larry Kirwan Guest speaker at Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield's Founders' Gala
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May 2nd at the Gaelic American promied to be an evening to remember - Learn more
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Use link below to for more information on sponsorship levels
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In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the exhibition In God We Trust: The Knights of Columbus and the American Experience explores a U.S.-born institution and how the history of the United States helped shape the Order’s founding and its development into the global institution it is today.
In addition, the exhibit shares how the Knights of Columbus have persevered in improving society through its core principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.
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Quinnipiac University, in conjunction with Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield lent sculptures on a rotating schedule as part of the exhibition.
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Read More​​
Per Special Request*
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Layers of History: Kilmallock in County
Limerick During the Famine
Famine Commemoration Day Presentation
by Loretto Leary
May 18th 2025
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A town's rise and fall is like an ancient tapestry interwoven with layers of history—at times it is woven with golden threads of prosperity, displaying vibrant scenes of bustling streets and booming trades. As time passes, the tapestry's colors fade, and fraying edges whisper stories of abandonment in empty streets and silent village squares. In County Limerick, Kilmallock is a town interwoven with layers of history, which has known both the golden threads of prosperity and the silent squares of abandonment.
In 1832, Kilmallock was recognized as a historic town in County Limerick, renowned for its rich ecclesiastical and architectural heritage. Once a fortified settlement, it housed monasteries, castles, and stone houses, tracing back to a monastery founded by St. Maloch in the 6th century. The town declined sharply after Cromwell’s forces dismantled it and became caught in historic battles surrounding the famine and the Irish Civil War in 1922.
* Due to the overwhelming response to Loretto Leary's presentation on Famine Commemoration Day at the GAC we have published her presentation in it's entirety
Art, Memory, and the Irish Experience
Reflections from Muldoon-Doyle Cultural Night
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By John Foley, IGHMF President
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he Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield exists at the intersection of art, history, and moral imagination.
Rooted in the story of Ireland, but speaking to the wider world, our mission is to remember what happens when a society turns away from its most vulnerable – and to honor the resilience of those who endure.
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Why This Story Matters
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I grew up in Ireland, in a place where education was treasured. We believed that if people had the chance to learn, to think, and to create, the world would move toward something better. For us, America stood as the leader of that movement – a place where progress was not just a dream, but a shared project.
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​Fairfield Hosts Irish Famine Commemoration Day to Honor Resilience and
Remembrance at the
Gaelic American Club in Fairfield, CT
Loretto Leary
Contributor @IrishCentral
May 20, 2025
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On Sunday, May 18, the Gaelic American Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, hosted the 2nd Annual Irish Famine Commemoration Day Ceremony, an event held in conjunction with Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield.
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This solemn and poignant gathering paid tribute to the millions affected by one of the darkest periods in Irish history - the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1852.
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The ceremony commenced with the stirring performances of the Irish and American National Anthems, sung by Judy O’Halloran Sullivan and Con O’Halloran, setting a reverent tone for the occasion.
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Area Events & Presentations​
Irish Immigrant Experience on Staten Island
The Maine Irish Heritage
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Power and Protest in Famine-Era
Portumna County Galway
Milford Library
57 New Haven Avenue, Milford CT
Sunday March 7, 2:00 pm
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Irish Immigrant Experience on Staten Island
Darien Library,
1441 Post Rd, Darien CT.
Saturday April 11​​
Famine Commemoration Day May 17th
Irish Heritage Society of Milford.
131 Bridgeport Avenue, Milford CT
​To Support Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at one of the following Sponsorship levels.
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Use link below to for more information on sponsorship levels
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'The dreadful reality is beyond yea or nay in this county. From one end to the other the weal has gone forth that the rot is increasing with fearful rapidity. We regret to say no description of potatoes have escaped. One thing is certain, the staple food of the people is gone: and the Government cannot too soon exert themselves to make provision to provide against certain famine' The Mayo Telegraph, August 1846.
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​County Mayo During the Great Hunger​
By Paddy Gannon​
​December 1, 2025
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30 Mar 1849: In a windswept mountain pass, somewhere between Louisburgh, Co. Mayo and Delphi, Catherine Dillon, along with her son Patrick and daughter Honor, trudged their way toward a hunting lodge owned by the Marquess of Sligo. Making this journey, of roughly 15 miles, was a last-minute decision, and this destitute family, already in a weakened condition was hardly dressed for the bitter, wintry conditions they now faced.
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Read More​​
Per Special Request*
​
Layers of History: Kilmallock in County
Limerick During the Famine
Famine Commemoration Day Presentation
by Loretto Leary
May 18th 2025
​
A town's rise and fall is like an ancient tapestry interwoven with layers of history—at times it is woven with golden threads of prosperity, displaying vibrant scenes of bustling streets and booming trades. As time passes, the tapestry's colors fade, and fraying edges whisper stories of abandonment in empty streets and silent village squares. In County Limerick, Kilmallock is a town interwoven with layers of history, which has known both the golden threads of prosperity and the silent squares of abandonment.
In 1832, Kilmallock was recognized as a historic town in County Limerick, renowned for its rich ecclesiastical and architectural heritage. Once a fortified settlement, it housed monasteries, castles, and stone houses, tracing back to a monastery founded by St. Maloch in the 6th century. The town declined sharply after Cromwell’s forces dismantled it and became caught in historic battles surrounding the famine and the Irish Civil War in 1922.
* Due to the overwhelming response to Loretto Leary's presentation on Famine Commemoration Day at the GAC we have published her presentation in it's entirety
Art, Memory, and the Irish Experience
Reflections from Muldoon-Doyle Cultural Night
​
By John Foley, IGHMF President
​
he Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield exists at the intersection of art, history, and moral imagination.
Rooted in the story of Ireland, but speaking to the wider world, our mission is to remember what happens when a society turns away from its most vulnerable – and to honor the resilience of those who endure.
​
Why This Story Matters
​
I grew up in Ireland, in a place where education was treasured. We believed that if people had the chance to learn, to think, and to create, the world would move toward something better. For us, America stood as the leader of that movement – a place where progress was not just a dream, but a shared project.
​
​
​
​
​Fairfield Hosts Irish Famine Commemoration Day to Honor Resilience and
Remembrance at the
Gaelic American Club in Fairfield, CT
Loretto Leary
Contributor @IrishCentral
May 20, 2025
​
On Sunday, May 18, the Gaelic American Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, hosted the 2nd Annual Irish Famine Commemoration Day Ceremony, an event held in conjunction with Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield.
​
This solemn and poignant gathering paid tribute to the millions affected by one of the darkest periods in Irish history - the Great Hunger of 1845 to 1852.
​
The ceremony commenced with the stirring performances of the Irish and American National Anthems, sung by Judy O’Halloran Sullivan and Con O’Halloran, setting a reverent tone for the occasion.
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IGHMF needs your support
Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield is a work in progress and needs your support to see it to completion.
You can help IGHMF along this journey by making a donation and by volunteering your time.
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Please visit the IGHMF Donation Page