| Most of the Irish, who settled in Pennsylvania coal | | | | starvation in Ireland. Coming to Pennsylvania was |
| regions, prior to the great Irish famine | | | | more a necessity than a privilege to them. They |
| (1845-1849), came from the counties of Kilkenny | | | | were financially destitute and did not even have |
| and Laois, in south-central Ireland. These Irish | | | | much wealth to get started on. These two |
| immigrants usually had experience working in coal | | | | factors lead to these Irish immigrants ending up in |
| mines and quickly assimilated into that working | | | | the rough and poor areas of Pennsylvania. |
| environment, progressing up the ladder of | | | | Needless to say, the north-west Irish, in the coal |
| promotions at a steady pace. The coal regions of | | | | regions, did not get along with the south-central |
| Pennsylvania consisted of Lackawanna, Luzerne, | | | | Irish of Kilkenny and Laois, who had already |
| Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill and Northumberland | | | | bonded with the Welsh and English years before. |
| counties. The Kilkenny and Laois Irish generally | | | | Welsh and English minors had come from a |
| were not financially struggling before they came | | | | background in England of organized labor practices. |
| to America, and ended up less poor than many of | | | | In Pennsylvania, attempts were made in the |
| the later Irish immigrants. These south-central | | | | 1860’s to organize coal mine labor into unions. |
| Irish tended to commingle with Welsh and English | | | | First attempts consisted of including all miners in |
| mining families, who generally had all the | | | | unions, regardless of ethnicity. Since the Welsh |
| supervisory positions. This commingling produced | | | | and English were being treated better than the |
| strong working and political bonds between the | | | | Irish, by management, these early attempts failed |
| Welsh, English and the Kilkenny and Laois Irish. | | | | as arguing and fighting broke out between the |
| Because of the great potato famine in Ireland in | | | | Irish and other groups culminating in the “Molly |
| 1845-1849, a large number of Irish immigrants | | | | McGuire” violent era around 1863-1867. During |
| reluctantly descended on Pennsylvania coal regions | | | | this period, the Kilkenny and Laois Irish generally |
| for employment. They really never wanted to | | | | sided with the English and Welsh immigrants. As |
| leave Ireland. These immigrants were mostly | | | | well, the Molly McGuire Irish were Catholics, |
| from the Irish counties of Mayo, Galway and | | | | whereas many of the earlier Irish immigrants |
| Donegal, in north-west Ireland, where the famine | | | | were Protestant. After a few years, some |
| hit the hardest. These Irish immigrants did not | | | | arrests and executions, this labor movement |
| have skilled mining backgrounds and were mostly | | | | ended with tolerable agreements between the |
| farmers and basic laborers, trying to escape | | | | parties. |