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August 1, 2023 to November 1, 2023:Girls: Irish Immigrant Working Women Working in Onondaga County

In many ways, the Famine (An Gorta Mor) changed Irish culture forever. The women who chose to come to America, including those who traveled to Syracuse, found that their skills made them well suited to domestic work. This included housekeepers, cooks, maids, waitresses, laundresses, and general servants. Many families could only afford one “hired girl” who performed all of these tasks. While these women originally found work as domestic help, they soon moved into other exciting new professions like seamstresses, teaching, stenography, mill and factory work. These women were training in the newest technology, bringing them to the forefront of their fields.