Alcoholism, Domestic Violence and Murder: Assessing English Sentiments of Irish Immigrants in the Nineteenth Century

The migration and settlement account of the McKerney family in Lancashire from 1855 acts as a case study in this article to reflect on English sentiments towards Irish immigrants in the mid-to-late nineteenth century following the economic hardship caused by the Great Famine. After starting a new life in England free of starvation and disease, several members of the McKerney family suffered from alcoholism, domestic violence, mental illness and crime while living in the slums of Preston’s Irish quarter. This article examines two murder cases involving members of the McKerney family in 1876 and 1887 that symbolised several Irish stereotypes widely circulated during the period, revealing underlying negative sentiments towards the Irish in the ways the authorities investigated the murders and the local press portrayed those involved. The dramatic events in the McKerney family history serve as a springboard to explore broader themes in the history of Irish immigration to England, including the illustration of nuanced points of othering experienced by the Irish.