The Irish-Language Community in New York
on the Eve of the Rising
Nicholas Wolf
New York University
The Distribution of Irish-Born Native Speakers of Irish Worldwide, ca. 1900-1910
100,000
300,000
500,000
700,000
900,000
Ireland (60%)
United States (29%)
Other (11%)
Distribution of Irish-Born Claiming Irish in the United States
Proportion of All Claimants, by State
Source: Steven Ruggles, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Josiah Grover, and Matthew Sobek, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 6.0. Machine-Readable Database (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2015)
Proportion of Irish-Born Claiming Irish as Mother Tongue
New York City and Surrounding Counties, by Decade of Arrival
| Decade of Immigration | Total Claiming Irish, 1910 | Percent Claiming Irish, 1910 | Percent Claiming Irish, 1920 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830-1839 |
101 | 25.1 | 100.0 |
| 1840-1849 | 300 | 6.6 | 16.4 |
| 1850-1859 | 1,806 | 12.9 | 36.9 |
| 1860-1869 | 3,607 | 12.0 | 17.8 |
| 1870-1879 | 4,016 | 12.5 | 24.1 |
| 1880-1889 | 10,833 | 13.1 | 21.8 |
| 1890-1899 | 9,427 | 12.6 | 17.3 |
| 1900-1909 | 8,929 | 11.6 | 20.6 |
| Total 1830-1909 | 39,019 | 12.3 | 20.6 |
Source: Steven Ruggles, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Josiah Grover, and Matthew Sobek, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 6.0. Machine-Readable Database (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2015)
Proportion of Irish-Born Claiming Irish as Mother Tongue
New York City and Surrounding Counties, by County of Residency
| State | County | Percent Claiming Irish, 1910 | Total Claiming Irish, 1910 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | Bergen | 15.5 | 700 |
| Essex | 12.9 | 2,408 | |
| Hudson | 24.5 | 7,826 | |
| Union | 39.1 | 1,804 | |
| New York | Westchester | 23.3 | 3,918 |
| Kings | 9.6 | 6,825 | |
| Queens | 21.4 | 1,803 | |
| Richmond | 17.2 | 605 | |
| New York (including Bronx) | 8.5 | 13,332 |
Source: Steven Ruggles, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Josiah Grover, and Matthew Sobek, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 6.0. Machine-Readable Database (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2015)
Anna E. McAuliffe, 485 91st St., 1910 Census
Independent Spirit 1916
By Nicholas Wolf
