The History

It centres on the Lansdowne estate and the assisted emigration of close to five thousand people in the 1850-60s. WS Trench was the 3rd Marquis of Lansdownes agent in Kenmare and he devised the programme to offer to forgive rent arrears and give passage to every tenant who wanted to leave for New York. Many of the Kenmare emigrants, starving and destitute from the famine (drawn from the estate areas of Kenmare Bonane Tuosist Lauragh etc) ended up living in the Five Points area of New York on Manhattans lower east side.

Festival Map
7 2 6 9 3
Ma

8 4 5
in Str ee t

1 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Carnegie Arts Centre Heritage Centre Festival Information Courthouse Naming of New York Street Fr Breen Park Main Street Entrance to the Fair Green Holy Cross Church Kenmare Kenmare Community Hospital The Square

Our Partners
The Five Points area itself was depicted in the 2002 Martin Scorsese movie Gangs of New York, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. One of the most famous people of this lineage was Congressman Big Tim Sullivan whose parents were Lansdowne tenants - he succeeded in naming a street in Manhattan, Kenmare Street in honour of his Mother Catherine Connolly.

t Henry Stree

e Sh

lb

ou

rn

St

re

et

facebook.com/ kenmaregathering @kenmaregathering

osullivan.the@gmail.com 083 3982849

Pre festival weekend events

Friday 23rd August
7pm Naming of New York Street Location: East Park Street Kenmare 3 With thanks to the Madden family of Minnesota

Saturday 31st August

Kerry Genealogy Roadshow will be in Kenmare all day to help those looking to trace their family roots. Admission free. Location: The Square 9 11am & 2pm Historical Tour of Kenmare. Free walking tour of places of historical interest Kenmare with Donal Sleator and Michael Murphy. Admission free. Location: Entrance to the Fair Green 6 7pm Screening of Sen Mrdhas Land is gold, the seminal documentary on the history of Kenmare and the Lansdowne estate. Admission free. Venue: Carnegie Arts Centre 1 8.15pm Unveiling of a plaque detailing the history of the Lansdowne emigrants and the naming of Kenmare Street New York by Big Tim Sullivan. Location: The Square Kenmare (outside Courthouse) 6 With thanks to the Madden family of Minnesota 9pm Historical lecture. Admission free. Venue: The Courthouse 2 Historical lectures featuring: Historian Gerard Lyne Author of The Lansdowne Estate under WS Trench will speak about the history of the estate and the famine emigration programme of the 1850s. Professor Kevin Whelan Director of Notre Dames OConnell House Dublin speaks about the Irish Diaspora in America including the Lansdowne Tenants in New York.

Rachel Foley of Ancestors from Ireland will speak about the genealogical work being undertaken to trace those who left the Kenmare area as part of the emigration programme. Seating limited register with osullivan.the@gmail.com

Saturday 24th August

7pm Shannon Gaels GAA club New York V Kenmare; under 12s exhibition Hurling and Football. Admission free. Location: Fr Breen Park Kenmare 4

festival weekend
Friday 30th August
7.30pm Art Exhibition Students from Pobalscoil Inbhear Scine display art works reflecting the theme of the festival, triumph over adversity; how Lansdowne tenants survived the famine and prospered in New York. Admission free. Venue: Carnegie Arts Centre running all weekend 1 8pm The Gangs of New York Film Screening Martin Scorsese multi Oscar winning depiction of life in the Five Points, preceded by Chairmans address. Admission 2. Tickets available at Carnegie box office +353 64 6648701. Venue: Carnegie Arts Centre 1

Sunday 1st September

12pm Mass Holy Cross Church Kenmare dedicated to the memory of those who perished in the great famine and the close to 5,000 Lansdowne tenants who left as part of the emigration programme. 7 1pm Unveiling of plaque and famine pot on the grounds of Kenmare Community Hospital the site of the 1850s work house from which where many of the tenants passed through before leaving for New York. 8 3.00pm Trip to Derreen Gardens Free transport to and from Derreen Gardens ancestral home of the Lansdowne estate in Ireland. The gardens cover more than 60 acres and have over 12km of paths which wind through mature & varied woodland. Admission free but to register please email osullivan.the@gmail.com. 6