













































 

 FROM FAIRIES TO FAMINE: 
HOW CULTURAL IDENTITY IS CONSTRUCTED THROUGH 
IRISH AND IRISH AMERICAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE 

KAREN HILL McNAMARA 

Wee, magical fairies and cheeky, green leprechauns searching for 
enormous pots of gold jumped off the pages of my childhood books and 
into my consciousness of what defines "Irishness." The stereotypical 
stories routinely reflected light-hearted, slightly daft Irish characters who 
were carefree and often getting into mischief. Contemporary Irish and 
Irish American narratives have moved beyond my childhood 
"shamrockery" reading to richer and more developed texts. This essay 
considers how cultural identity is conveyed in these works. 

Children are extremely impressionable, and what they read impacts 
the way they view the world. Children's literature is a powerful vehicle 
for delivering cultural awareness and national identity. The plots and 
themes act as a "cultural barometer," measuring trends in society. 
Children's literature provides a sense of nationality and helps define the 
character of the people it portrays. Much has been researched on the role 
of narrative in the development of a reader's historical understanding, 
and authorities are clear about its value in children's social and 
intellectual development. 

A short history of Irish children's literature 

Irish themes have been featured in scores of juvenile works both 
inside and outside of Ireland. Indeed, it is quite possible that more "Irish" 
children's stories have been written by American than Irish authors. One 
reason may be demographics, as the ancestral homeland of nearly one-
fifth of all Americans is Ireland, and according to 1990 census figures, 
there are eight times as many people of Irish ancestry living in America 
as there are residents in Ireland today. Another consideration is market 
size, as the United States publishes over 5000 children's stories annually, 
compared with fewer than 200 in Ireland. 

Curiously, despite Ireland's prolific and long literary history, chil-
dren's literature in Ireland is a relatively recent phenomenon. Prior to the 
1980s, "with a population small in number and with a weak economy, 
there was simply no market for children's books in Ireland," observed 
children's literature scholar Emer Sullivan (6). Irish author Tony Hickey 
provided a personal example of how limited the production of children's 
stories in Ireland was during this time. During our interview 



 

FROM FAIRIES TO FAMINE 

in Dublin, Hickey lamented: "When my book, Matchless Mice, came out 
in 1980, I was amazed to discover that it was the only children's book 
published in the Republic that year!" The majority of Irish children's 
writers had regularly turned to the United States or England to be 
published, and these books had to fulfill "foreign expectations" with 
regard to plot, theme, and characterization. "Overseas publishers tend to 
want only their notions of Irishness, the land of the leprechauns" 
(Sullivan 6). Hence, Irish children's stories were trapped in old-
fashioned stereotypes, which some bemoan as "stage Irish." 

Today, there is what many call a "flowering" of Irish children's 
literature. Irish children's author Siobhan Parkinson explained this new 
phenomenon in Horn Book Magazine: 

The success in recent years of Irish children's publishing 
is due partly to the efforts of the publishers and writers them- 
selves, partly to the Arts Council and other government sup 
port (royalties for creative artists are tax-tree), and largely to 
the growth in both the Irish economy and the Irish sense of 
self-esteem, particularly in cultural issues. (I75) 

One of the most popular literary genres published for children in 
Ireland is historical fiction. Celia Keenan analyzed this recent trend in 
her article, "Reflecting a New Confidence: Irish Historical Fiction for 
Children. " 

The historical novel has a particular importance in colo-
nial and post-colonial cultures when people need to explain 
who they are and why their plight is so painful. But the enor-
mous growth of historical fiction for children in Ireland would 
seem to me to reflect a new confidence in Irish society, ema-
nating from widespread popular belief that if we understand 
the past we might behave better in the future. (369) 

Fictional novels set in the past tend to focus on the human side of 
history and give young readers a sense of how life was lived. A water-
shed in modem Irish history is the Great Irish Famine of the mid-
nineteenth century. Literature for children presenting this calamitous 
time illustrates how stories impact the way children view their cultural 
identity and heritage. 

Is the Great Irish Famine a significant event? 

In 1845, there were more than eight million people in Ireland, the 
vast majority of native Irish subsisting almost entirely on potatoes. This 

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KAREN HILL McNAMARA 

dependence on the potato had devastating consequences when a catas-
trophic blight destroyed much of the potato harvests of 1845, 1846, 
1848 and 1849. Over this period, an estimated one to one and a half 
million people died of starvation and disease, and another two million 
were forced to emigrate to new worlds, mainly to the United States, 
Britain, Canada and Australia. 

Irish Famine historian and scholar Christine Kinealy described the 
Great Famine as "one of the most lethal famines in modem history, 
accounting for a loss of 25 percent of the population in Ireland over a 
period of six years" (2). In fact, one hundred and fifty-eight years have 
passed since the start of the Great Famine, and yet Ireland's population 
has never recovered. Ireland remains the only country in Europe today 
with a population smaller than it was in 1845. 

While historians, economists, sociologists, educators, journalists and 
politicians have debated the varied and controversial causes for the Irish 
Famine, all agree that it is a defining event in Irish history. The 
consequences of the Great Famine changed more than the course of Irish 
history; the resulting Irish diaspora affected the shape of world history, 
especially that of America. There are nearly one hundred million people 
around the globe who claim some Irish ancestry and over fifty-two 
million of these are Americans, many of who are in the United States 
today as a result of the Famine ("Irish Identity"). The impact of the Great 
Famine is critical to understanding modem Irish and American history. 

History and Literature 

Despite the significance of the Great Famine, it has inspired rela-
tively little fictional writing, especially in the domain of juvenile litera-
ture. The absence of children's novels in Ireland that sought to educate 
young people about the Great Famine and its ramifications is ironic, for 
Ireland is a nation passionate about history with a world-renowned lit-
erary reputation. Recently, many scholars have been addressing this 
"silence" that seems to have surrounded the Famine. The pathos of suf-
fering and the psychological legacy of diaspora associated with the 
catastrophe appear to have had long-term consequences on the psyches 
of Irish and Irish emigrants. The children's novelists I interviewed spoke 
vehemently about the silence and the Famine's effect on Irish culture. 
Shame and survival guilt are at the core of this issue. Feelings of deep 
shame that are associated with being perceived as passive victims, or 
feelings of guilt that are associated with being perceived as ruthless 
survivors, have contributed to the sounds of silence. I believe 

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FROM FAIRIES TO FAMINE 

that this mentality influenced children's authors and publishers, resulting 
in a paucity of books available on the topic for children. 

Since the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Irish 
Famine in the mid-1990s, the topic has received a dramatic increase in 
media, literary, and scholarly attention. School systems, reacting to this 
new public awareness, have started addressing the Great Famine, and 
today it is taught in every school district in Ireland and is included in 
many American school curriculums as well. This change has also been 
reflected in children's literature, as authors from around the world have 
finally begun producing quality children's literature that depicts this 
historic and traumatic event. Children's writers have imaginatively 
represented the Irish Famine, bringing the event to life in a way that 
traditional textbooks cannot. Young people, rarely represented in history 
books, are the main protagonists in juvenile fiction. Famine novels help 
young readers understand the greatest crisis in Irish history by 
personifying it through fictional characters that they can connect and 
identify with, thus making the history of the Famine feel real to them. 

Christine Kinealy acknowledged that "the impetus to remember the 
Famine was often strongest outside of Ireland," and the chronology of the 
publication dates of children's Famine books is a perfect exam 
ple of this (2). The very first children's Famine story, The Search of 
Mary Katherine Mulloy, was written by an American author in 1974. It is 
interesting to note that the first eight books were all published in the 
United States. The next nationality to explore the subject was, re-
markably, the British, with Michael Morpurgo's Twist of Gold (1983). 
The Irish themselves did not address the Great Famine in children's 
literature until 1990, 140 years after the catastrophe, when Marita Con-
lon-McKenna wrote Under the Hawthorn Tree. The book surprised 
Irish publishers by becoming the most commercially successful Irish 
novel for children, winning countless international awards and resulting 
in two sequels. Today, it is on the national curriculum and read by every 
Irish primary student. This groundbreaking narrative marked the 
beginning of the Irish exploring the subject for its young people. 

Historical novels portraying the Great Famine to children and ado-
lescents tend to follow predictable plot patterns. Generally, there is a 
reliance on two traditional conventions. The first is the quest, which is to 
survive the Famine, and the second is the initiation into adulthood, 
demonstrated by emigrating from Ireland. While some novels present the 
Famine from a slightly non-traditional angle and may insert unique twists 
and turns into the narrative, overall there is a remarkable consistency in 
the way the catastrophe is portrayed. 

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KAREN HILL McNAMARA 

Basic plot formula 

"As they drew near the lane they noticed a strange smell, a smell of 
something rank and putrid" (Lally 12). The typical story opens up with 
the stench of the rotting potatoes in the field of a small farm, the 
desperate attempts to salvage any unspoiled potatoes, and the ultimate 
resignation that blight has occurred. The reader vicariously witnesses the 
vast hunger the young girl and her family experience as they seek to 
survive. Most tales contain the historically accurate portrayal of the 
cruelty meted out to the peasants by the merciless and predatory land-
lords. Eviction scenes show the suffering and deprivation of thousands 
who were callously evicted from their homes by English soldiers. In-
evitability, each story includes the tumbling of a poor widow's cottage. 

With their homes demolished, leaving the main character and her 
family destitute, the quest for food and work begins. There are depictions 
of wretched laborers working for a pittance and the contemptuous export 
of corn and cattle from Ireland while the poor starve. Workhouses feature 
in these accounts, usually as places to be dreaded and feared. But 
sometimes the family is reduced to entering them, resulting in disease 
and disastrous consequences. 

Death is omnipresent. These are not cheery tales, as they deal with 
cruelty and hardship, and are heart wrenching at times. The young hero 
often loses her parents and a baby sister to Famine fever. Yet, despite 
how desperate the situation may appear during the plot, the key to sur-
vival is usually found in the predictable escape from Ireland. There is the 
journey to the docks, usually on foot, where the protagonist has a series 
of encounters with the starving along the road. The initiation into 
adulthood is now unfolding. Eventually the young woman reaches the 
docks and makes the horrendous passage to North America in a "coffin 
ship." Graphic descriptions of the crowded, stench-filled pit of steerage 
where she comes face to face with illness and death are common. In 
fact, the plots are somewhat repetitive with the central character always 
befriending another family, an older passenger always dying of fever 
and being cast overboard, and the typical storm at sea. Sometimes the 
story concludes with the arrival into America and the passage into 
adulthood is completed. These narratives offer the Irish immigrant a 
fresh start, and the story is able to conclude on a happy or at least hope-
ful note. Sequels, all set in America, follow five of these novels. 

When emigration happens early in the story line, the plot formula 
continues to be predictable. The protagonist typically battles discrimi-
nation, struggles with prejudice, and encounters signs that say, "No Irish 
Need Apply." Eventually these tenacious young women find work as 
domestic servants in New York or are employed by the textile mills 

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FROM FAIRIES TO FAMINE 

in Massachusetts. Generally these books also end happily. Often the 
central character raises the passage money for the rest of her family to 
come over and has fallen in love in her new homeland. 

Emigration, commonly employed by novelists because the Famine 
resulted in massive migration, also provides these despairing tales with 
an optimistic and promising ending. Of course, not all of the Famine 
novels end happily. The children never locate their missing parents in 
Under the Hawthorn Tree (1990), Mary dies of cholera in the epilogue in 
So Far from Home (1997), and in Across the Sea from Galway (1975), 
the ship crashes along the coast and nearly everyone onboard perishes. 
Yet, most children's books prescribe a happy ending, or at least conclude 
with a message of hope. 

Heroic Characters 

These are survival stories. The resourcefulness and inner courage 
necessitated in escaping starvation and fever under horrendous circum-
stances lie at the center of these novels. While the body of adult Famine 
literature is often told as one of passive victimization or as one of resis-
tance, children's Famine literature centers on the will to survive in-
credible hardships. The main characters are consistently courageous, 
spirited, quick-witted, and independent. Determined to create new and 
better worlds for themselves, these young heroes learn to endure and to 
seize every chance for survival. It is my argument that the traits and 
qualities of these protagonists represent "Irishness" to readers. 

Take, for example, American Susan Campbell Bartoletti's Black 
Potatoes, which was awarded the coveted Robert F. Sibert Award for the 
most distinguished informational book for children published in 2001. 
This 160-page text examines the events of the Famine and the 
experiences of ordinary people living in that time. I met and interviewed 
Bartoletti, and she told me how she intentionally avoided highlighting 
the victimization and instead focused on heroism. She went on to say, 
"What are the heroic acts? If we look at searching in fields for turnip tops 
and edible weeds, that is a heroic act. Yes, you are a victim, but you are 
also a hero because you are struggling to survive and help your family 
survive." 

This attitude is a familiar one, and several of the authors I inter-
viewed have noted the desire to present heroism. When I spoke with 
Marita Conlon-McKenna in Dublin, she expressed a view similar to 
Bartoletti's, noting that the central theme in Under the Hawthorn Tree 
(1990) is that these children have made up their minds to survive. 
"They're not going to be beaten; they're not going to lie down and die," 
McKenna told me. A passage from the novel illustrates this theme: 

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KAREN HILL McNAMARA 

Michael and Eily decided that they must get Peggy and 
themselves strong enough again for the rest of the journey. It 
was their only chance. 

The next few days were spent hunting for food. They had 
to keep the fire going also. They had finished the blood. Mi-
chael went searching at night and had been lucky enough to 
catch a rat and a hedgehog. They had lost their squeamishness 
by now and knew that all that mattered was their survival. 
Nettles were plentiful, and every ripened berry was also 
picked. (133) 

Novels about the Great Famine allow readers to vicariously ex-
perience the devastating effects that famine, poverty, and homelessness 
can have on people, and provide an understanding of human resilience. 
Children, who are beginning to form their own values and principles, can 
learn from the bravery and hope of the protagonists who persevered 
against the odds. I believe these stories allow young readers today to 
relate to these Irish protagonists as heroes, thus counteracting potential 
guilt and shame that may have plagued the generations before them. 

Why didn't the Irish just fish? 

Consider this personal memory relating to this guilt and shame 
theme that I am trying to convey. I have vague recollections of my social 
studies teacher remarking how it was ludicrous the Irish never fished the 
seas, implying that they were responsible for starving. This sentiment is 
not unique, and some of my American contemporaries had similar 
recollections that the Irish were too lazy, too stupid to save themselves. 
"It is difficult at first to understand why the Irish people, thousands of 
whom lived near the coast, did not fish," Cecil Woodham Smith 
acknowledged in the groundbreaking text, The Great Hunger: Ireland 
1845-1849 (1962), the first mainstream factual account on the Irish 
Famine (298). Certainly it is unflattering for a nation to perceive itself as 
passive victims. 

Contemporary Irish children's literature has changed this miscon-
ception. Imbedded in numerous narratives are the various reasons ex-
plaining why Ireland, an island surrounded by water, failed to take 
advantage of its maritime wealth. Novels such as Under the Hawthorn 
Tree (1990) and Twist of Gold (1983) educate children by portraying 
their characters taking risks by fishing illegally. American author, Eileen 
Carbonneau, informs her readers about the laws in Ireland during the 
1840s in her young adult romance novel, Rachel LeMoyne (1998). 

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FROM FAIRIES TO FAMINE 

Rachel observes the manor home as a "place of crystal chandeliers, oil 
paintings, majestic trees, and a trout-filled river in which the poor might 
be killed for fishing" (65). The disparity between the English landlords 
and the Irish peasants are clearly shown. The Hungry Wind (1997), by 
Irish author Soinbhe Lally, also reveals the hardships endured during the 
Great Famine: 

Each day the women and girls went to the rocks to gather 
seaweed and shellfish. At one end of the strand there were 
stretches of muddy sand, encrusted with acres of mussels, but 
they were not allowed to pick those. For fear that hunger 
would tempt them the landlords agent, Mister Hamilton, sent 
his men to warn tenants, that the mussel beds were not in-
cluded in their shore rights. (14) 

Consider the most popular children's Irish Famine novel in North 
America, Nory Ryan's Song (2000). Written by American Patricia Reilly 
Giff, a descendant of Famine immigrants, this ALA Notable Book has 
been widely distributed in the United States and has sold numerous 
copies. Giff, winner of two Newbery Honor Awards, has recently written 
a sequel, Maggie's Door (2003). In Giff's first Famine story, twelve-
year-old Nory and her family live along the west coast of Ireland, and 
her neighbors fish for a living. Disaster hits when their landlord, Lord 
Cunningham, confiscates their currach: 

The currach was gone too, gone to pay for the Mallons' 
rent from last year. Gone, not even for Cunningham to use. 
"What would he want with the sea, and the cold, and the ach-
ing hard work?" Liam had said. "What would he want with the 
danger?" Devlin (the landlord's agent) had locked it up with 
chains on the pier in the harbor. It would be there, with the tar 
on the canvas drying and cracking, until great holes appeared 
and the currach wasted away. It wouldn't be the first time. 
There were others there, waiting for the owners to pay the rent 
they owed and get them back, but that never happened. (69) 

A passage from the fantasy novel, Knockabeg: A Famine Tale 
(2001), written by Irish American Mary E. Lyons, echoes this theme as 
well. "The shillings go to Lord Armitage Shank for his bloody rent! 
Many families have even sold their hide canoes and fishing nets to pay 
the fee" (5). 

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KAREN HILL McNAMARA 

These examples certainly do not correlate laziness with Irishness. 
Instead, the books educate young readers by illustrating the varied and 
complex circumstances surrounding the fishing problem, such as fish-
ermen being forced to sell their gear to buy food for their families and 
fishing rights belonging to the English landlords. Shame, that may have 
been associated with passive victimization, has now been replaced by an 
accurate historical understanding of this issue. Children's literature of the 
Irish Famine, non-existent during my childhood, sheds a new light on 
complicated issues and educates children by weaving historical 
information throughout the narrative. 

"He took the soup" 

Many may recall the phrase, "he took the soup," or the insulting 
term, "souper." These expressions are still heard today and were coined 
during the Irish Famine when anti-Catholic zealots would provide free 
soup to the destitute villagers if they first agreed to renounce their relig-
ion. So strong was the Catholic faith in Ireland during this time that 
some Irish starved to death rather than convert to Protestantism. Those 
that did turn apostate and partake in the soup were called soupers, a 
disdainful stigma that often marked their families for generations. 
"Souperism," the nickname for this proselytization aspect of evangelical 
Protestant missions, it is more frequent in Famine folklore than in 
historical research. While souperism did occur, it was uncommon. 
However, it created tremendous tension where it did exist, resulting in 
long lasting and bitter memories that have been passed down from gen-
eration to generation. 

Though not a universal motif in the children's Irish Famine narra-
tives, souperism is mentioned in several works. Interestingly, the reac-
tion by the main characters is usually one of ambivalence, and vague 
attention is given to the religious pressure. For example, in Under the 
Hawthorn Tree (1990), Eily, Michael, and Peggy sleep outside a soup 
kitchen in order to be the first in line the next day. "During the night an 
old man shook them and told them to be on their way, as the heathens 
would try to convert them in the morning and if they took another mug 
of soup they may as well take the Queen's shilling. The children were 
puzzled, but simply ignored him" (81-82). The children were offered 
stew the following day and were not asked to renounce their faith. Cer-
tainly no guilt or shame is associated with the old man's remark, and the 
story moves forward without additional comment. 

Souperism is also mentioned in passing in Canadian James 
Heneghan's The Grave (2000), a time-slip novel for young adolescents. 

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FROM FAIRIES TO FAMINE 

The teenage protagonist, Tom Mullen, is also confused when he is la-
beled as a souper. 

We joined a lineup for soup and had to take it inside and listen 
to a sermon from a bad-tempered minister named Nangle who 
went on and on about popery and sin and other stuff I didn't 
understand. As we came out, a bunch of old biddies were 
standing in the street yelling at us, calling us Soupers. I was too 
tired to ask Hannah what the fuss was about. (103) 

Tom appears too famished and fatigued to be concerned about deroga-
tory comments from onlookers, and no conversion of faith in exchange 
for food occurs in the novel. 

In Mary-Anne's Famine (1994), written by Irish author Colette 
McCormack, the soup kitchens are accepted, and the local priest even 
encourages his parishioners to partake in the charity. Mary-Anne records 
in her journal: 

The soup kitchens are near us and we must make use of them. 
Father O'Rourke tells us never to mind that the people who 
give out the soup are not of our religion, to live is the important 
thing. Some people turn from being Catholics so they will get 
more soup and other help. We drink the soup but it is not very 
good. (16-17) 

In Red Bird of Ireland (1983), by American Sondra Gordon Lang-
ford, Aderyn hears about the evangelical Protestants second hand, and 
the story line is sympathetic to the Famine victims who succumb to 
souperism: 

"We saw something else by the wharf, Father 
Domhnaill," said Seamas. "There was a little house from 
which some well-dressed people were offering soup to the 
poor who stood around. There were many poor and hungry, 
but on one would eat. A man told me that, in order to get that 
soup, you have to blaspheme the Blessed Virgin and the Holy 
Catholic Church. Can that be true?" 

"I'm afraid so," said Uncle Domhnaill. "I've been told, 
by priest and others, that there is food being given out, all 
over Ireland, to those who will abjure their Catholic faith. 
Some poor souls are so hungry that they do turn from their 
faith in order to get some food. Those who do so are well 

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KAREN HILL McNAMARA 

cared for, afterward. I don't judge a starving person who does 
what he feels he must in order to stay alive, or keep his family 
alive. I pray for him. God in heaven will be his judge, not I." 
(147-148) 

Collectively, there is a lack of any serious religious tension in 
children's literature of the Famine, and it is interesting to note that sou-
perism is not referenced again during the narratives. These passages 
show compassion to the starving people who took the soup. The char-
acters are not ostracized or made to feel blameworthy in any way. Al-
though the practice of souperism was not widespread, where it did occur 
it still remains an emotive part of the oral culture of the Famine, and 
guilt and anger are still in the mindset of some Irish and Irish Americans 
today. Children's literature, however, appears to playa pivotal role in 
dissipating this souperism friction. Perhaps a more confident Irish 
identity results from this new understanding and awareness. The 
protagonists, with whom the young readers identify, are heroes, 
surviving by any means they can, whether it is accepting soup from 
people of a different religion, fishing illegally on the landlord's land, or 
emigrating from their homeland. 

Conclusions 

Historical fiction presenting the Great Famine provides a nexus be-
tween the past and the present, educating children about this conse-
quential historical event, while revealing the unspoken significance the 
Irish Famine has in their current lives. It is important for children to 
remember that the horrific extremes of famine and poverty during the 
1840s are still prevalent in many parts of the world, and refugees come 
to Ireland and America to escape these conditions. It is vital that Irish 
and Irish Americans make the connection that their ancestors shared the 
plight of these people today. Quality historical fiction can provide young 
readers with a sense of continuity in time and history and an awareness 
of their roots that encourage appreciation for where they came from and 
where they are going. 

As a young American child in the 1960s, my exposure to literary 
Irish characters was limited to the stupid housewife, Mrs. Callahan, in 
Richard and Phyllis Atwater's classic book, Mr. Popper's Penguins, or 
the portly policeman, Michael, and his boss, Clancy, in Make Way for 
Ducklings, Robert McCloskey's Caldecott Award winning book (Savage 
37). My understanding of Irishness was limited to Lucky Charms cereal, 
"Kiss me I'm Irish" buttons, and wearing green on St. Patrick's Day. 
These outdated clichés are being replaced with modem and more 

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FROM FAIRIES TO FAMINE 

accurate definitions of Irish culture through children's literature of the 
Great Famine. Carefree peasants catching leprechauns are now super-
seded by courageous children combating illness, starvation, eviction and 
emigration. 

Consider twelve year old Eily, the eldest of the O'Driscoll children 
in Under the Hawthorn Tree. This character grows in strength and 
courage as she assumes the responsibility for her younger siblings after 
her mother has left. Eily's bold determination and resourcefulness are 
clearly shown as she struggles to find food to live another day and keep 
her siblings alive. She demonstrates maturity and ingenuity as she nurses 
her sister, Peggy, who is stricken with famine fever, and her brother, 
Michael, who is suffering from an infectious wound. In the middle of the 
novel when hunger and homelessness becomes overwhelming, Peggy 
muses "Are we in hell?" and Eily responds, "No, just a place destroyed. 
Come on, we'll move through this as quick as we can" (108). Eily's 
indomitable spirit transcends this time of misery as she endeavors to 
survive. 

"I wanted to make sure the children were intelligent and resource-
ful," Conlon-McKenna explained during our interview. Creating char-
acters that were models for her own children, Conlon-McKenna made the 
O'Driscolls different from her own childhood reading. She lamented that 
very few books in the past portrayed Irish children as clever or thinking 
for themselves. "They were nice kids. Kind, but dull. Not smart. No 
bright sparks." As a child, Conlon-McKenna emulated Laura Ingalls and 
Heidi instead of identifying with Irish characters. "It's a strange thing, 
really, but when I read other children's books from other countries I 
would say, 'I wish I could be her.'" 

Conlon-McKenna's sentiments were echoed by other authors I in-
terviewed. Many writers for children purposely depicted confident and 
positive Irish characters in their Famine narratives. The protagonists 
remained strong throughout the story line by enduring emigration from 
Ireland and battling bigotry and intolerance in America. These attributes 
are rooted in historical fact as Hasia Diner described in her scholarly text 
Erin's Daughters in America (1983). Her research revealed that 
thousands of Irish woman were able to utilize ambition, energy, and 
ability that would otherwise have remained stifled by the effects of the 
Great Famine. Diner describes these educational and occupational 
successes and emphasizes that the qualities that enabled many Irish to 
prosper can be found in Ireland's cultural traditions. 

The personality traits that Diner articulates are repeated in the cen-
tral characters of children's fiction of the Famine. Themes of resiliency, 
gallantry, love, and loyalty, commonly portrayed in Famine novels, are 
interpreted by youngsters as typically Irish. Young readers, who often 

8
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KAREN HILL McNAMARA 

identify with the child characters in the story line, relate to the persever-
ance of these protagonists and believe that they also can successfully 
learn to handle difficult situations. Reading about the Great Famine in 
fictional novels gives Irish and Irish American children a new cultural 
identity and a deeper meaning regarding their ancestral homeland. 

In Ireland, as in all countries, literature is the mirror in which the 
events of a nation's history are reflected. Whether examining historical 
fiction, or the many other literary genres, a study of children's literature 
may be regarded as a study of a country and its people. Authors of Irish 
children's stories play an important role in the developing and nurturing 
of a distinctive Irish identity. The absorption of cultural knowledge from 
early childhood through young adult reading is particularly acute. The 
characters in Irish children's stories have developed from the weak and 
stereotypical images represented in my childhood reading, to the fresh, 
appealing, and strong-willed heroes portrayed in contemporary Irish 
stories that my children are reading today. The story lines have matured 
from traditional folktales to modem and expressive narratives. This 
encouraging and accelerating change over the last few decades is an 
indication of how Irish and Irish American society and cultural identity 
has also evolved. 

WORKS CITED 

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Black Potatoes. Boston: Houghton, 2001.  
_______. Personal interview. 13 June 2002. 
Bolton, Carole. The Search of Mary Katherine Mulloy. New York: Thomas 

Nelson, 1974. 
Charbonneau, Eileen. Rachel Le Moyne. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 

1998. 
Conlon-McKenna, Marita. Personal interview. 21 August 2001. 
______. Under the Hawthorn Tree. New York: Holiday House, 1990. 
Denenberg, Barry. So Far from Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish 
 Mill Girl (Dear America). New York: Scholastic, 1997. 
Diner, Hasia R. Erin's Daughters in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 
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	CFR_2003-2004_Part26
	CFR_2003-2004_Part27
	CFR_2003-2004_Part28
	CFR_2003-2004_Part29



