The Shillelagh Club / Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh-Essex County

09/21/2026

09/20/2026

FREE Clinic for West Orange Middle Schools

Email from The Shillelagh Club Don't Miss Out! Sign Up for Our Middle School Gaelic Football Program Today!   Essex Shillelaghs GAA September 20, 2026   Gaelic Football Comes to West Orange Middle Sch

09/17/2026

What did your Irish ancestors do after settling in New Jersey during the Great Hunger?

For families who fled hunger in Ireland, reaching America was only the beginning. In New Jersey, Irish immigrants built rail lines, worked in mills and factories, and cooked, cleaned, and cared for children in other people’s homes.

Many worked long hours and still found a way to send money home to family in Ireland. Some saved enough to bring loved ones across the Atlantic.

Look at the generations that followed. The descendants of those workers became business leaders, doctors and nurses, attorneys, police officers, firefighters, and leaders throughout our communities. The people who arrived with so little helped build futures they may never have imagined.

What work did your Irish ancestors find when they came to New Jersey? We’d be honored to hear your family’s story: www.globalirishfaminewaynj.org

09/13/2026

Could This Have Been Your Ancestors’ Journey?

For Irish families fleeing the Great Hunger, leaving Ireland was only the beginning.

The voyage across the Atlantic could take six weeks or more. Crowded below deck with inadequate food, sanitation and ventilation, passengers endured hunger, storms, fever and disease. Many never survived the crossing.

Those who reached North America arrived with little more than hope. Some eventually made their way to New Jersey, built new lives and became part of our state’s history.

Could your family’s story have begun with a journey like this?

Share your story at
www.globalirishfaminewaynj.org