A Letter Home

Over the centuries, millions of people emigrated from the island of Ireland to the United States. Every one of those people left someone behind as they went to find a better life in a new land. The only way to stay in touch with family and friends was through a letter home and millions were written and sent back and forth over time. Now a new archive at University of Galway reveals the stories of these Irish emigrants as they went in search of a new lives from the silver mines of Colorado to Jazz age Hollywood via head-hunters in the Amazon forest. Dating from the late 1600s through to the mid-20th century, this archive contains over 7,000 letters.

Credits: Narrated and produced by Tim Desmond. Additional recording by Pat McGrath. Readings By Patrick Dunne, Jan Ní Fhlanagain, Goretti Slavin, Muireann Ahern, Louis Lovett, Damien Ó Dónaill Paula Sheilds and Shauna McGreevy.(2024)

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