Brendan (University of Galway historian)

Brendan, an academic historian at the University of Galway who studies Irish emigration, gives historical context on waves of migration from Ulster to the famine west. He traces Irish settlers’ roles in early America, the institutions that built Irish-American life, and asks whether a distinct Irish-American identity still endures. The conversation ends with ideas for reconnecting the diaspora, from arts to a birthright-style return program.