Irish Ancestry

The Center for Irish Research and Teaching at Georgia Southern announced in March the launch of the Wexford-Savannah Axis research partnership with the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland.

The partnership examines how and why so many people from the Irish town of Wexford and Southeastern Ireland immigrated to Savannah, Georgia, in the 19th century, and the impact that had on Irish and American generations in both countries.

The Center held a reception at the Eugene M. Bishop Alumni Center to recognize the launch of the partnership, which is a joint project between the Waterford Institute of Technology, Georgia Southern, the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah and the John F. Kennedy Trust, based in New Ross, Co. Wexford, Ireland.

Special guest Dr. Leo Varadkar, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in Ireland, attended the ceremony to announce his excitement and support of the project. “I am very excited by this project. There is huge potential to develop links between the southeast of Ireland and Georgia, and in particular to increase tourist traffic between those two parts of the world. We are always pleased to welcome American visitors to Ireland, and in this case it will be wonderful to welcome so many people from Savannah home.

Howard Keeley, Ph.D., director of the Center for Irish Research and Teaching, noted his excitement about the project as well. “Not only will our shared inquiry uncover much about the Wexford-Savannah migration pathway, the knowledge we gain will also help us better comprehend and address the challenges faced by present-day immigrant communities, whether in the U.S., Ireland or elsewhere. In addition, we look forward to sharing the links between Southeastern Ireland and Georgia with as many as possible of the 12 million tourists that visit Savannah annually.” – Crissie Elrick