Irish Hunger Memorial

Memorial park · Battery Park City

Irish Hunger Memorial

Memorial park · Battery Park City

North End Ave &, Vesey St, New York, NY 10280

Highlights

The Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park City beautifully captures the essence of rural Ireland, featuring stones from all counties and a historic cottage, all while honoring the poignant legacy of the Irish famine.

North End Ave &, Vesey St, New York, NY 10280 Get directions

bpca.ny.gov

@afar

"Setting foot on Irish soil in New York The Irish potato famine ("An Gorta Mor") is in the mid 1800s saw the migration of a million people to America following a blight destruction of potato crops in Ireland . Visitors to Battery Park City can appreciate the depth and beauty of Ireland (complete with original soil from Carradoogan from the parish of Attymass in County Mayo) if they visit the Irish Hunger Memorial memorial located on Vesey Street and North End Avenue. Haunting, exquisite and deeply moving in a raw agrarian way, the Memorial was designed by artist Brian Tolle and landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird. What I loved about the memorial is its quiet beauty. There are no ostentatious plaques or audio system; instead, the landscaped plot tells a story in and of itself, using stones, soil, native vegetation and an original cottage which belonged to the Irish Slack family which was deserted in the 1960s because of their move to the United States. Visitors can wander freely on the path at all hours of the day (there is no gate or entry times) and gaze at a peach-colored sunset settling into the skyscrapers. A powerful memorial located close to the World Trade Center and smack opposite to the Conrad Hilton in New York (my hotel room had a direct view), the memorial deepens your appreciation for the cultural and ethnic melting pot that is New York. By Charu Suri"

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Angela Carmen Sanchez

Google

This was my first time at this memorial. It is intriguing to me because I just learned about the plight of the Irish People at that time. It is beautifully done in stone in Irish Architecture at that time. (See Lou M review for details about this place)

Stephen Coakley

Google

An incredible piece of artwork with very moving quotes and facts relating back to the time. A well thought out monument with as much meaning today as it did 180 years ago A sad start to the day but a poignant one 🍀

Neil P McGuinness

Google

This is a beautiful memorial to Ireland's Great Fame. It's a living memorial with plants and trees to make it look like a hillside in Ireland in the middle of Battery Park City. It's definitely worth the visit. Especially if you are Irish. ☘️

Lou M

Google

This is definitely one of the interesting and well-thought memorials in New York. The architecture design is grabbing the attention of everyone walking there and makes you want to learn more about it. It is a great way to educate and raise awareness of the Great Irish Hunger between 1845-1852 when more than one million people starved to death. All the material used there - stones, soil, vegetation were transported from Ireland and the stones are from each Irish country. The authentic cottage which was also donated by an Irish family brings even more realistic vibe of the memorial.

John Higgins (Diggz)

Google

Tucked between the WTC site and the Hudson River, this is a an authentic Irish cottage from 19th century Carradoogan, in the parish of Attymass, County Mayo, Ireland that has been relocated stone by stone near Manhattan's Battery Park. Free, great sunset views over the Hudson.

Ailsa Dempsey

Google

An Irish cottage placed in the middle of New York. This place was just beautiful and full of sad stories about Irish famine. It is free.

Manuel Girisch

Google

The Irish Hunger Memorial is designed to raise public awareness of the events that led to the famine of 1845-52 and to encourage efforts to address current and future hunger worldwide. You see an abandoned, authentic cottage from Ireland in beautiful irish flora.

Patrick Olden

Google

Powerful memorial that highlights the struggles of Irish immigrants who left a Ireland in search of a better life in America. Built from resources taken from the west of Ireland the memorial is a perfect representation of rural Ireland and contains stones representing each of the 32 counties. The memorial also offers great views of New Jersey and World Trade Center.