About this episode

This episode explores the impact of the Irish Diaspora on Connecticut's history through an art exhibition at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum.

Famine Irish, lace-curtain Irish, shanty Irish: the Irish Diaspora has shaped Connecticut's European immigrant history from the 1840s. Traces of Irish history and culture in the state are not only found in archival and artifact collections but also through the historic buildings, neighborhoods, and cemeteries that stand across the state. Whether they were immigrants, expatriates, refugees, or indentured servants when they arrived from Ireland, 14 percent of Connecticut's current residents claim Irish ancestry. In today's episode, we take you to a new exhibition, A Journey of Hope: The Irish American Immigrant Experience curated by Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield now on exhibit at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum. The exhibit has about 30 art pieces on view ranging from a 1714 map of Ireland to contemporary paintings completed in 2019. For anyone who's watching The Gilded Age television show, a trip to the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion will immerse you in French Second Empire grandeur of the type seen on the show. One of the things that makes the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion perfect for the Irish immigration exhibit is that the mansion had Irish women as domestic servants and…

People in this episode

Guest: John Foley

Topics covered

• Irish immigration
• art exhibition
• Connecticut history
• Irish Diaspora
• cultural heritage

Keywords

• Irish immigration
• art exhibition
• Connecticut
• Irish ancestry
• cultural history
• Famine Irish
• shanty Irish
• Bridget's

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield

Books & works: A Journey of Hope: The Irish American Immigrant Experience, The Gilded Age

Places: Connecticut, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum

More episodes of Grating the Nutmeg

• 228. Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut · April 15, 2026 · 30 min
• 227. Pioneering Woman Sculptor Evelyn Beatrice Longman · April 1, 2026 · 36 min
• 226. Abby (and Julia) Smith and Their Cows · March 15, 2026 · 24 min
• CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH · March 4, 2026
• 225. On Trial: Alfred Marder and Catherine Roraback - A Communist's Arrest in 1950's McCarthy-era New Haven (10th Anniversary Encore Release) · February 15, 2026 · 56 min
• 224. Scholar, Activist, Trailblazer: The Enduring Legacy of Dr. Lorenzo Greene · January 30, 2026 · 28 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Grating the Nutmeg podcast page.