When the Molly Maguire era ended in violent repression, hundreds of Irish miners fled PA's Coal Region — some traveling 1,700 miles west to Leadville, Colorado, and bringing their legal troubles with them. Dr. Jim Walsh of UC Denver joins the Transatlantic podcast and as part of their discussion, shares these fascinating connections. Listen to the episode.
In this episode of "Public History," Jake sits down with Irish History Podcast host Fin Dwyer to talk about the craft of storytelling, the rise of podcasting, and what it means to bring history to a global audience in the digital age. Listen to the Episode.
In Sligo, Ireland a bronze family waits forever on the quay—one small reminder of events that sent more than 30,000 people from that port city toward places like Pennsylvania’s coal towns. Read the full story.
In December 1845, as famine loomed in Ireland, a Pottsville newspaper advertised ship passages from Londonderry to Philadelphia. It’s a small notice that reveals how Irish migration began to reshape the Coal Region - and how welcome later turned to backlash. This story traces that turning point. Read the full story.
In February 1832, an Irish newcomer named Patt Gildea sat down in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and tried to explain this strange new country to his brother back in County Mayo. Fresh from Quebec, Montreal, New York, and finally the booming Coal Region, he laid out wages, work, land prices, and daily life in blunt, practical detail — good prospects for single young men, hard choices for families. His letter, later published in an Irish newspaper, offers one of the earliest on-the-ground views of Pottsville’s “Coal Rush” from the eyes of an immigrant still figuring out if he’d made the right move. Read the full story.
Alexander Campbell’s 1877 wake wasn’t the wild scene newspapers loved to imagine. A reporter found a quiet house, women keeping vigil, and men talking in low voices after the execution of 10 Molly Maguires. But his funeral the next day drew one of the biggest crowds the Coal Region had ever seen. Behind the legends, a far more human story comes into focus. Read the full story.
This episode of the Public History podcast looks beyond the Irish Brigade to the everyday lives of Irish-born Union soldiers. We dig into letters, pension files, class, money, and memory with historian Damien Shiels and why Irish Civil War service has long been misunderstood on both sides of the Atlantic. Listen to the episode.
In January 1865, an Irish emigrant in Scranton wrote home with urgency and affection: he’s prepaid a passage, warns that “gold is so high,” and begs his brother-in-law to come—packing pipes, oatmeal, and “Paddy’s eye water.” Amid war, paper money, and longing, the letter captures the costs, logistics, and hope of Coal Region migration. Read the full story.
In June 1877, Schuylkill County Prison in Pottsville prepared for the largest mass execution in Pennsylvania history, hanging six men accused of being Molly Maguires. Controversial trials, largely based on Pinkerton detective James McParlan’s testimony, left lingering doubts about whether the executions were justice or a crackdown on Irish labor activism. Read the story.
Join me, Fin Dwyer, and Damian Shiels on the “Transatlantic” podcast for a deep dive into how 19th-century Irish newcomers shaped coal mining communities in eastern Pennsylvania. From labor battles to cultural legacies, discover their enduring impact on the region’s history. Listen to the full story.