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Erin Go Bragh
"Erin Go Bragh" is the Anglicization of a Gaelic phrase used to express allegiance to Ireland. It is translated most often
as "Ireland Forever." You'll hear and see this phrase often in March because March is Irish American Heritage Month,
and also because St. Patrick's Day is March 17. More than 35 million Americans (12% of total population) reported Irish
ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey. The only ancestral group that's larger than Irish Americans are
German Americans.
Between 1820 and 1860, two-thirds of the Irish immigrants to the United States were Catholic and constituted one third
of all immigrants to the U.S. By the 1840s, as a result of the Irish potato famine, half of all immigrants to the U.S. came
from Ireland.
Many of these immigrants went to the largest cities, especially Boston and New York, as well as Chicago, Pittsburgh,
San Francisco, St. Louis, Missouri, Philadelphia, and Detroit. Today, many of these cities retain a substantial Irish
American community. In fact, New York City today has more people who claim Irish heritage than Dublin's current
population.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and the Irish, was born about 385 A.D. in Northern Wales. He studied religion in
Europe to become a priest and bishop. He then brought Christianity to the Irish by teaching in Ireland for 29 years. St.
Patrick is best known for driving all the snakes out of Ireland. The anniversary of his death (March 17, 461 A.D.) is
celebrated as St. Patrick's Day by Irish Americans, Canadians, and millions of other Americans with parades, parties,
wearing of green, Irish songs, and Irish jigs.
BookCart Activity
Students can learn more about the history and heritage of Irish Americans using a special model
BookCart created by ProQuest: "Irish American Heritage."
The BookCart includes examples of essential questions for critical thinking that motivate and guide students to do more
than find and regurgitate facts. You can create additional questions when appropriate. You can also add student
directions, correlated print resources, and a QuizCart to make each of these BookCarts a complete lesson plan.
To learn more about lesson planning with BookCarts, click here.
Pathfinder:
- Open the eLibrary CE Teacher Edition.
- Click the BookCart Admin link at the top right.
- Select the ProQuest Carts tab.
- Click the folder "Ethnic Culture and Interest."
- Select the Copy icon (eye) to the right of "Irish American Heritage."
- Click Return to My Local Carts.
This BookCart can be easily edited for the most effective use in your collection:
- Click the BookCart Title that will have "Copy of" as its prefix to open BookCart Editor.
- Delete "Copy of" in the Title.
- Type your name in the Author boxes.
- Scroll down and click the Save button > Return to My Local Carts.
Assign students a report of 150-200 words that cites at least three resources. Alternatively, assign a two to three
minute PowerPoint report. Remember that each of these BookCarts includes essential questions for critical
thinking--you can add or substitute others if appropriate.
Students can address essential questions directly using these new ProQuest models for reports and presentations (see Curriculum Builders and Learning with PowerPoint.)
ProQuest Learning: Literature Activity
Assign students to survey the works of one of the famous Irish or Irish American
authors listed below. Students should produce a report or presentation of 150-200 words that cites at least three
resources. If students choose to do a PowerPoint report, then two to three minutes is appropriate.
Click the Literature icon in eLibrary CE, then click to locate each author.
- Tom Clancy
- Mary Higgins Clark
- Padraic Colum
- Henry James
- John F. Kennedy
- William J. Kennedy
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Frank McCourt
- Richard White
- Margaret Mitchell
- Eugene O'Neill
- John Synge
- Sean O'Faolain
- William Butler Yeats
- Elizabeth Bowen
- George Bernard Shaw
- James Joyce
- Kate Chopin
- Timothy Leary
- Maureen Dowd
- Michael Ryan
- Mickey Spillane
- Michael McClure
You can add others, or omit some of those listed here.
Pathfinder for students to use: Click the Author link at the top left of the Search page, then select the appropriate
alphabetic index search category.
Each student report should integrate critical thinking skills to challenge student to use original thought. Here are some
sample questions. Consider assigning at least two to students (you can also create your own):
- Why was the author's work recognized by the literary community?
- What is the focus of the literary criticism related to the works of this author?
- What is your opinion of any of these works that you may have read?
- What overall themes does this author focus on and why?
- What experiences helped to motivate this author's works?
Students can use these ProQuest models for their written or PowerPoint reports.
History Study Center Activity
Students should write a report of approximately 150 words and cite at least three
sources. The report should address at least three of the following essential questions for critical thinking:
- How are the experiences of Irish American immigrants similar to or different from other immigrants?
- How does economics play a role in the Irish immigration to America?
- How does religion play a role in the acceptance of Irish immigrants?
- Why did most of the Irish settle in the big cities of the U.S.?
- What types of prejudice still exist against Irish Americans today and why?
Pathfinder for History Study Center Resources:
- Click the History icon in eLibrary CE.
- Click the Study Units button that will provide these three sources to use.
- In Main Topics, select: British and Irish history > Irish history > Potato Famine
- In Main Topics, click: American history > The United States of America, 1865-1918 > European
emigration to the United States
- In Main Topics, select: American history > The United States of America, 1865-1918 > Immigration and
multiculturalism in America
Read more about how Carolyn built easy curriculum resources with eLibrary BookCarts...
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