Though the majority of memorials to the Easter Rising are on the East Coast, the influence of the revolution are spread from Golden Gate Park to Long Island Sound.
Springfield, MA
Construction began on a new remembrance garden in Springfield’s Forest Park in January, the first of its kind in America to pay homage to the centenary of the 1916 Rising. It will feature seven oak trees to represent the seven signatories of the Proclamation, a stone replica of the proclamation, and the Irish tricolor alongside the American stars and stripes. Opens in May.
springfield-ma.gov/park
Fairfield, CT
The Gaelic American Club of Connecticut will dedicate a new memorial to the 1916 Rising on April 24. A dedication Mass will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, officiated by the Bishop of Bridgeport, followed by the dedication of the memorial in front of the G.A.C. headquarters and a community parade.
gaconline.org
Troy, NY
James Connolly only lived in Troy for two years, but local trade unionists raised funds to commemorate his time there. The bust was unveiled in 1986 and stands atop a granite pillar in Troy’s Riverside Park. It was re-dedicated in 2013.
troyrecord.com
Long Island, NY
Tom Clarke lived in Manorville, Suffolk County, New York on Long Island just prior to returning to Dublin in 1907. On the site of his 60-acre farm, a Wicklow granite obelisk in his memory, dedicated in 1987.
And on May 3, 100 years to the day of Tom Clarke’s execution, the Suffolk County Courthouse in Central Islip will dedicate a new memorial in his honor. In neighboring Nassau County, an Irish Monument dedicated in 1979 sits at Courts of Justice in Mineola as a living symbol of the county’s dedication to end discrimination in Northern Ireland.
Monument.
iagovt.org/easter-rising-monument
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY
On March 19, the Bay Ridge St. Patrick’s Day parade will begin with a tree-planting ceremony and rock dedication in memory of the Rising at the edge of Brooklyn on the Atlantic Ocean.
bayridgestpatricksday.com
Chicago, IL
A life-size statue of James Connolly stands in Union Park. The sculpture monument was commissioned by Frank O’Lone, President of the Irish-American Labor Council of Chicago and was placed in 2008. Another is planned for his birthplace in Edinburgh, Scotland.
unionparkchicago.com
San Francisco, CA / Emmetsburg, IA / Washington, D.C.
There are three identical statues of Robert Emmet in the U.S. Each dedicated in the years following the Rising in memory of the event, the original was crafted by Irishman Jerome Connor (see page 26). A copy now stands in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, in Emmetsburg, IA, and near the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C. It’s a simple statement of Emmet’s importance to the ideals of 1916.
goldengatepark.com / emmetsburg.com / dcmemorials.com
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