The National Memorial of An Gorta Mór commemorates the horrific Irish Starvation from 1845 to 1850. We honor those who perished and fled, celebrating their profound courage and immense contributions to our City, State, and Nation.
AN ENDURING LEGACY
Oidhreacht Bhuan
Standing as a powerful testament to triumph over tragedy, The Memorial captures profound grief and loss, the struggles of a difficult journey and the hopeful arrival on new shores, ensuring the stories of our ancestors are never forgotten and become woven into the fabric of America.
FOOTSTEPS OF THE IMMIGRANTS
Céimeanna na nImirceach
Every element of the Memorial’s landscape is designed to honor those who fled the Great Hunger. As you walk past the standing stones toward the arriving ship, you follow in the spiritual footsteps of the thousands who sought a new life here.
HOPE IN A NEW WORLD
Dóchas san Oileán Nua
The sculpture culminates in a powerful vision of hope. While honoring unimaginable loss, the bronze masterpiece depicts the arrival on new shores and the determination required to build a lasting legacy in Philadelphia.
Dedicated to the memory of more than one million innocent men, women, and children who perished during The Great Hunger (An Gorta Mór), and the millions more who were forced to emigrate. We invite you to explore this masterpiece of bronze and history, standing as a testament to human resilience and the enduring spirit of the Irish diaspora.
Important Visitor Update: Due to the multi-year I-95 reconstruction project at Penn’s Landing, The Irish Memorial has been carefully relocated to a temporary home at 109 Spruce Street. While the bronze monument remains completely open and accessible to the public, please note that the original landscaping and some other site elements are temporarily missing. These features will be fully restored once the memorial is moved to its future permanent park at Front & Walnut. We warmly invite you to visit us at this peaceful new location in the meantime.
A MASTERPIECE IN BRONZE
Glenna Goodacre’s massive casting contains 35 individual figures arranged in powerful vignettes. It captures the raw human emotion of the harrowing journey from the despair of starvation to the hope of the American immigrant’s story.
