A Hunger for Knowledge: Students Visit Quinnipiac's Great Hunger Museum

A field trip just a couple of miles up Whitney Avenue produced some hands-on learning about the Irish potato famine for our fourth-graders .

Students visited Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum – an educational opportunity provided by Quinnipiac University – and learned about each of the exhibits from museum docents.

Docent Kathy McGuire had the students analyze The Connemara Spinner, an 1840 oil on canvas painting depicting a home in Ireland just prior to the potato famine. Students were given clip boards that had a photo of the painting and were asked to draw and then act out one of the featured details.

“The little boy in the painting may be doing his homework,” said one student, pointing to a young lad who was seated in a chair reading a book.

A stained glass window, titled An Gorta Mor by Robert Ballagh, was of interest to students as they examined the three panels that portrayed farm life before and after the famine years of 1845 to 1852. Fourth-grade teacher Emily Schimelman said she has assigned the piece to past classes because it highlights so well the “worst disaster in Ireland’s history.” More than one million men, women, and children died of starvation and related diseases during the Irish potato famine.

Students asked a plethora of questions at each exhibit, which included striking bronze statues and other works.

Back in their classroom, fourth-graders are learning about immigration in their social studies class and also recently completed a family history project that included an art component. They’ve also taken to the stage and will perform an immigration play on Feb. 2.

“Lisa Daly is literally creating a play for them with our help. It is truly amazing,” said Mrs. Schimelman. “And then after the play there will be a multicultural feast as a celebration.”