When I was growing up in the Savannah area, St. Patrick’s Day was always one of my favorite events of the year. We were usually out of school and almost always attended the parade downtown. I remember the parade fondly, particularly the Clydesdale horses, the marching bands and the families who walked the parade.
I have been blessed to be able to participate in many of the activities of the Irish holiday, first as mayor of the city of Pooler, then when serving in the Georgia state legislature and now while serving in Congress. That has given me an even better understanding of the importance of celebrating Savannah’s Irish heritage.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
But the history and heritage we share with Ireland goes much deeper than an annual parade.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit and tour Georgia Southern University’s European campus in Wexford, Ireland. The Wexford campus is the first learning center in Ireland established by an American public university and, in keeping with Ireland’s commitment to preserving its past, it is in a building built in 1812. GSU is currently renovating a building from 1886 as a student residence.
My visit was led by Howard Keeley, a native of Dublin and the first director of the Center for Irish Research and Teaching program at GSU. He was awarded the 2023 Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad, the highest honor that the country of Ireland can bestow on a nonresident.
Ireland, known as the Emerald Isle, is simply magical with breathtaking seashores and rolling hills and pastures. After visiting a beautiful seaside town in County Wexford, we had lunch at a beautiful manor house hotel and were joined by Irish Sen. Malcolm Byrne from Gorey, who serves as the spokesperson on further and higher education in Ireland and has been a key partner in GSU’s teaching and research endeavors in Ireland.
Next, we headed to Wexford Town, where we visited the Wexford Arts Centre and witnessed some of the work done by GSU students researching the Wexford-Savannah Axis, including some of the advertisements from the 1840s and 1850s encouraging Wexford people to emigrate to Savannah. We were welcomed to Wexford Town by local dignitaries including the mayor and county chair and James Brown, one of Wexford Towns members of the Irish Parliament House.
The next morning, we toured the GSU Learning Center before stopping by the statue of John Barry, who was born 11 miles south of Wexford Town and is known as the “Father of the U.S. Navy.” Afterward, we traveled to New Ross, where we visited the Dunbrody Emigration Center and saw a full-scale reproduction of the Dunbrody, a three-mast sailing ship. GSU students discovered that this ship made its maiden commercial voyage to Savannah in 1845 and berthed at the River Street docks. For more than 10 years, the Dunbrody brought Irish immigrants to Savannah, immigrants with family names like Corish, Kehoe, O’Connor and Rossiter, forever shaping the culture of our beloved city.
Wherever I travel, I am constantly reminded of the impact Georgia has on the world. Thanks to the outstanding work of GSU, the Savannah-Wexford axis remains alive, always keeping our Irish heritage and Georgia on my mind.
This story has been updated to correct a reference to Georgia Southern.
Buddy Carter, a Republican, represents Coastal Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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