The coastal area of South Carolina and Georgia, known as the "Lowcountry", may not be the first place that springs to mind when it comes to Irish America. But the historic cities of Savannah and Charleston have long, rich histories of Irish immigration that have forged connections which endure to this day. In the case of Savannah, that immigration was so large it saw the Irish population reach a percentage of the city's total white population that was comparable to New York. In this episode Professor David Gleeson makes a return to Transatlantic to discuss Charleston and Savannah's story and offer insights into a part of the U.S. he knows extremely well. We chat about their colonial origins and 18th century Ulster-Scots migrations, the expanding Irish Catholic communities of the 19th century, and the political and cultural legacies of the Irish in Savannah and Charleston in the 20th and 21st centuries. Along the way David introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters and uncovers some of the very specific regional ties the Lowcountry maintained with Ireland.

Dr David Gleeson is a Professor of History in the School of of Humanities and Social Sciences at Northumbia University Newcastle. The leading historian of the Irish in the southern United States, among his many publications are The Irish in the South, 1815-1817 and The Green and the Gray: The Irish in the Confederate States of America.

You can hear David's previous episode on Transatlantic, discussing the Irish in New Orleans in Episode 10, here.

Savannah St Patrick's Day Parade

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The U.S. entry into World War II in 1941 led to the deployment of tens of thousands of American troops to Ireland, just as it had during World War I. But this time they were concentrated only in Northern Ireland, which had remained part of the United Kingdom. The American arrival led to an unparalleled explosion in Northern Ireland's population. In this episode we are joined by Dr James O'Neill to discuss the U.S. military's return to the island. We cover the who, when and why of their presence, and move beyond the military to explore their social impact--covering everything from chewing gum and buying rounds to interactions with local women and racial segregation.

Dr James O'Neill is Collections Officer at the Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum in Belfast's Catheral Quarter, which is dedicated to exploring the story of the Second World War in Northern Ireland. Jim is also the leading historian of the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) in Ireland; you can find his books on that here and here.

Northern Ireland War Memorial Museum

Transatlantic Episode 3: 1917- The American Invasion of Ireland

War and Navy Departments Washington D.C., 1942: A Pocket Guide to Northern Ireland

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The St. Patrick's Day Parade is the centrepiece of celebrations of Ireland's patron saint the world over. But how did it start--and just who started it? In this episode Fin and Damian are joined by noted historian of the Irish aboard, Dr Cian McMahon, who is currently working on a new history of the Parade. In a far-reaching episode we discuss the Parade's origins, influences and legacy down to contemporary times. Among the nuggets Cian discusses are the misconceptions that ihe Parade's origins are as a Catholic Irish American event, and the idea that Dublin's Parade has been increasingly "Americanised."

Cian T. McMahon is Professor of History at the Department of History and Honors College at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. He was the co-editor of The Routledge History of Irish America and is the author The Coffin Ship: Life and Death at Sea during the Great Irish Famine and The Global Dimensions of Irish Identity: Race, Nation and the Popular Press, 1840-1880.

Listen to Cian discuss his Coffin Ship book with Fin on the Irish History Podcast here

Read about some early St. Patrick's Day horrors in Temple Bar, involving a giant St. Patrick, a pint, and a plastic bag: https://www.thejournal.ie/st-patrick-temple-bar-pub-6968056-Feb2026/

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