LOCATION:  The H.A.R.P. Museum in the Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley 623 Columbia Street Utica

In 1825 Pádraig Cúndún or Patrick Condon and his young family left their home in County Cork for a better life in America and settled in Deerfield, NY. Little is known of Condon’s early education other than he never learned English but could read and write in the Irish language. Classified by scholars as a folk or farmer poet, his writings in the Irish language, Gaeilge, cast a unique perspective on the early 19th century Irish immigrant experience.

What was his life like in Ireland and why did he come to America? What was his life like in America and why are his writings so important? We will shed some light on these questions as well as present some examples of his writings. We may even have a surprise guest or two to help us out.