| Irish Americans number over forty-four million, | | | | 'Emerald Societies', bagpipe marching bands or |
| twelve percent of the total American population, | | | | other units demonstrating their Irish heritage. A |
| the only larger ethnic group are | | | | large number of Irish Catholic women took jobs |
| German-Americans. The largest Irish-American | | | | as maids in middle class households and hotels. |
| communities are in Chicago, Boston, New York | | | | Although they started very low on the social |
| City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Kansas City and | | | | scale, by 1900 they had improved themselves |
| Savannah, Georgia. Irish people and been | | | | and were on a par with the average wage. After |
| emigrating in considerable numbers to the States | | | | 1945, they began to enter the higher ranks of |
| since the 1760s, however it was during and after | | | | the social hierarchy, this was especially a result of |
| the Great Famine of the 1840s that literally | | | | their high rate of college attendance. |
| millions sailed west across the Atlantic. After 1860, | | | | The annual celebration of St. Patrick's Day is the |
| Irish immigration into America continued with | | | | most widely recognised symbol of the Irish in |
| family reunification attracting people into the | | | | America when all things Irish are celebrated, the |
| major cities where Irish ghettos were established. | | | | New York parade attracts upwards of two million |
| They were hired by Irish labour contractors to | | | | people. According to the latest census, the Irish |
| work in labour gangs on the railroads, streets and | | | | language ranks sixty-sixth out of the three |
| other construction projects, Irish men also found | | | | hundred and twenty two languages spoken today |
| employment in the police departments, fire | | | | in the U.S., with over twenty-five thousand |
| departments. Many departments maintain large | | | | speakers. |