Patricia Trainor O'Malley

Irish in Haverhill, Massachusetts Patricia Trainor O'Malley

James Maroney from Clare. "Capt." Nicholas Costello
from Kilkenny. The Lucey and Hodnett sisters from
Cork. The many Linnehans from Limerick. Bridget
McGovern from Cavan. These were some of Haverhill's
Irish. Some came by sailing ship during the years of the
Great Famine. Others came by steamship at the end of
the century. The immigrants hailed from every part of
Ireland, but especially from the province of Munster.
They were drawn to Haverhill, Massachusetts, to work in
its shoe shops, to cook and clean in its "big houses," and
to be laborers for the city.
The Irish immigrants settled in every part of Haverhill
and put their imprint on the old Yankee town. They
built their own churches and schools, joined together
in fraternal and religious organizations, elected their
fellow Irish to the city government, opened stores, and
saw their children become lawyers, doctors, priests, and
nuns, as well as professional baseball players. They were
a visible presence, and we can view them through this
wonderful collection of photographs lovingly preserved by
their descendants.