2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of United States forces in Ireland to participate in World War One. Thousands of Americans were based in Ireland, the majority in Cork, be it on naval vessels in places like Cork Harbour or at United States Naval Air Stations such as those at Aghada and Whiddy Island, or the Kite Balloon Station in Berehaven. U.S. personnel were a common site around the county, most notably in Queenstown (now Cobh). In addition U.S. Naval personnel were based in places like the Wexford, Dublin and Donegal. All told they had a dramatic impact on the military and social landscape of the country.
The Midleton Archaeology & Heritage Project in association with Rubicon Heritage will be exploring this American presence over the course of the centenary. We are delighted to have received official approval for this work from the WWI Centennial Commission in the United States. Our aims will be achieved through both historical research and archaeological survey of surviving sites associated with the Americans. The latter element will also form a component of a wider community-based archaeological project we will be announcing later in 2016, exploring the War of Independence and World War One Landscapes of East Cork. Regular posts on this site will deal specifically with the American presence and influence on Ireland, and will be collated here for ease of reference. If any readers have images or information relating to the American presence in Ireland during World War One, please contact the project lead damian.shiels@rubiconheritage.com as we would love to hear from you. Our work thus far on the project can be explored via the links below:
“The People Seem Odd & Talk Funny”: US Sailors Write About Cork During World War One
Database of Photos & Images of Irish Women Who Married U.S. Servicemen in World War One
Video: Aghada’s World War One U.S. Naval Air Station
Visualising the Journeys of Irish Women who Married U.S. Navymen in World War One
In Search of Cork’s First World War American Doughboys: New York
Revealed: The Life Experiences of One of Corks’ First World War American War Brides
The Midleton Archaeology & Heritage Project 