Travel Tips

The Irish potato famine which struck in the late 1840’s left over a million dead and lead to 1-2 million leaving Ireland for other countries. Some of those Irish emigrants eventually made their way over the Oregon Trail. It is thought that Irish emigrants made up to a third of the foreign-born pioneers who came to Oregon in the 1850’s helping establish Oregon as a State.

In recognition of the traumatic experience of the Great Famine in the lives of their ancestors, local Portlanders of Irish descent came together to erect a memorial to those who died and to those others who came out west to create a new lie in Oregon.

The memorial is a replica of the thousand year old Celtic Cross of the Scriptures found in Clonmacnase, Ireland. Fourteen feet high and five tons, the stone cross was sculpted by Irish artist Brendan McGloin of County Donegal. Panels on the cross show stories from the Bible. The cross stands on a prominent spot in a corner of the Mt Calvary Catholic Cemetery located along the main thoroughfare of Burnside Avenue as it crosses over the West Hills.

To dedicate the memorial, Mary McAleese, the eighth President of Ireland, was on hand on a cold snowy Saturday in December to say a few words.

“This memorial demands our respect and admiration for those whose faith and resilience overcame ….

It is a symbol of spirit, faith and hope.”

Her visit to Portland was the first for any sitting President of Ireland.

The motorcade, local Irish bands and the cold, snowy weather all added to the drama of the proceedings. The memorial is a grand addition to the Portland scene.