Helen Thorpe has recently published a book called Finding Motherland – a wonderful collection of essays on topics like life on the dairy farm in Ireland where her mother grew up and her family’s decision to immigrate to the United States and how that reshaped her parents. In the final essay, she shows how the problematic relationship of Irish-American immigrants to their forgotten past has led some to adopt an anti-immigrant stance that is at odds with their own history. Helen asks why so many prominent Irish-Americans are involved in the current persecution of other immigrants, when their own ancestors arrived in the United States penniless and starving during the potato famine.
We are delighted to welcome Helen as our guest speaker for our first Irish Network Colorado Virtual event via Zoom on Monday, September 21st at 7pm MST. The event will be free but an RSVP is required and Zoom details will be provided via email to registrants prior to the event.
Helen is an award-winning journalist and former First Lady of Colorado. She is the author of three other books – Just Like Us, Soldier Girls, and The Newcomers. These are works of narrative nonfiction that document in a human way the lives of immigrants, veterans, and refugees.
