The Story of the Bronze Shoes

At first glance, they are simply a small pair of worn children's shoes. Yet they have become one of the most powerful symbols of An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) and the millions of lives forever changed by it.

Discovered hidden beneath the roof of a ruined nineteenth-century cottage near Strokestown, County Roscommon, Ireland, the shoes were carefully bound together with linen and concealed by a family whose identity has been lost to history. Today, the original shoes are preserved at the National Famine Museum at Strokestown Park.

Inspired by these humble shoes, the Bronze Shoes Monument commemorates the courage and sacrifice of those forced to leave Ireland in search of survival. It also honors the nearly 1,500 tenants who walked the National Famine Way from Strokestown to Dublin in 1847 before boarding emigrant ships for an uncertain future.

The Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh Club, Essex County Chapter has been selected as the home of the second Bronze Shoes Monument in the United States as part of the Global Irish Famine Way.

More than a memorial, the monument will serve as a place of remembrance, education, and reflection. Visitors will be able to learn about the Great Hunger and explore the stories of Irish immigrants who settled throughout New Jersey. 

Through QR code technology, the monument will also connect visitors to a growing digital archive of family stories, helping preserve the legacy of Irish immigration for future generations.

During and after An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger), thousands of Irish immigrants arrived in New Jersey seeking safety, opportunity, and a new beginning. While many entered America through New York, the ports of Newark and Elizabeth also became important gateways, providing access to employment, transportation, and growing Irish communities throughout the region.

Many settled across Northern New Jersey and throughout the state, helping build railroads, canals, factories, churches, schools, businesses, and neighborhoods. Their determination and hard work became an enduring part of New Jersey's history, leaving a legacy that continues to shape our communities today.

The Bronze Shoes Monument is more than a tribute to the past, it is an invitation to remember, reflect, and participate.

Whether you are discovering your family's history, sharing an ancestor's journey, volunteering, or supporting the project through a donation, you are helping preserve an important chapter in both Irish and New Jersey history.

Together, we can ensure that the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of those who came before us will never be forgotten.

Every pair of shoes tells a story. Every family carries a legacy.