This Creator Is Travelling The Globe To Discover Irish Communities
Cian Gannon is a video creator who has been on a journey to document the most Irish people in the world. The only catch is that none of them live in Ireland and most have never even visited.
Over the past year, Cian has made it his mission to explore the bizarre parts of Ireland. However, what has captured the minds of his audience is his expeditions to uncover the Irish diaspora that remain after centuries of Ireland’s population emigrating.
“I went on a trip to New York in January 2024. While I was there my friend showed me a monument called the “Irish Hunger Memorial”. I knew about the Irish in New York but seeing this beside the one World Trade Centre building put into perspective just how ingrained we were in the culture. After that I started researching which was the most Irish town and it happened to be in the Bronx in New York so the following year I went back. Since then, I’ve learned about a lot of other places like that across the world.” Cian told us.
Cian’s explorations started in the neighbourhood of Woodlawn in the Bronx, cited as “The Most Irish Town in America”. The town harbours a rich history of Irish immigration, which still sees a continuous influx of young Irish natives to this day.
“In the Bronx, it was mainly Irish-born people that I met. People who had moved over in the 1970s and some people within the last 15 years. I was met with open arms and invited into the community as if it were a small town in Ireland.” Cian said.
Cian’s next venture saw him travel to the remote Canadian province of Newfoundland. The remote territory is Ireland’s lost county, with many inhabitants still retaining the accent, slang and looks of their Irish ancestors.
“Newfoundland is the most similar to Ireland I’ve seen outside of Ireland so far. The people, the jokes, the slang, the names all had such a similarity that it was hard to tell you were in Canada. They have a warmth and friendliness to them I haven’t experienced before it was almost overwhelming how friendly they were,” Cian told us.
As Cian has embarked on his journey, the sheer vastness and variety of Irish communities abroad has unravelled to him. The list of places keeps growing, with each country having their own unique connection to Ireland.
“To my surprise, it’s actually a lot of places I didn’t think there would be so many. Australia, Argentina, Jamaica and Montserrat are at the top of the list right now,” Cian said.
Through Cian’s videos, we are seeing documentation of the continuation of Irish history abroad. Ireland will always be synonymous with its history of emigration. What’s more, we are seeing how Irish people have not only survived but thrived across the globe.
“We can also see ourselves within these people, they are like our distant cousins or relatives, they are familiar enough that we can understand them but different enough and we can learn different things from them. I also just think it’s cool to see how Irish people adapt to different scenarios and how they navigate the world.”
