The Irish in Rhode Island: A Historical Appreciation (Rhode Island Ethnic Heritage Pamphlet Ser.)

In the 1980 federal census, the first to pose the question of ancestry, 210,950 Rhode Islanders claimed Irish descent. This figure represents more than 22 percent of the state's total population. Despite the early advantage of the English and subsequent waves of immigration from French Canada and Italy, Irish-Americans have been Rhode Island's numerically dominant ethnic group for more than a century. Rhode Island's Irish are a diverse lot and defy easy generalization. Statistically, it can be determined that the bulk are middle-class, Roman Catholic, and Democratic; that they are urban or suburban dwellers; and that they are clustered near the center of the political and ideological spectrum. Presented here, then, is their history including photographs and a Suggested Reading and Reference list.