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One of the “must see” sites for any visitor to Portland, Oregon, (especially those with Irish roots) is the Irish Famine Memorial. It is dedicated to the memory of those Irish who died during the disastrous Great Irish Potato Famine between 1845 and 1851.  The tragic famine, caused by the loss of potato crops in five successive years, accounted for the death of one million Irish.

Two million others immigrated to other areas to avoid the same fate. The majority of those emigrating came to America and traveled west on the Oregon Trail to Portland or sailed around the Horn, living the rest of their lives in Oregon.  The Irish made up almost ten percent of Portland’s population between 1850 and 1880.  This monument also serves to commemorate those pioneers.

In 1997, a local Dublin-born engineer David O’Longaigh dreamed of a memorial which would promote awareness and understanding of the Irish Potato Famine while recognizing those who came west on the Oregon Trail.  O’Longaigh’s dream was to build a full-scale replica of the ninth-century Cross of the Scriptures which is located in Ireland.  An Irish stone sculptor Brendan McGloin, Donegal Town, Ireland, hand carved the replica using only hand tools in a centuries-old tradition.

The beautiful reproduction of the Cross of the Scriptures is 13-ft. tall and stands in Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery at West Burnside and Skyline.  It was dedicated on December 13, 2008, by Mary McAleese, President of Ireland.

For more in-depth information about the Memorial, visit these sites:

www.kellsirish.com/portland/famine.php

www.oregonirish.org/history.html