Land of Opportunity?

More than 2,000 Irish immigrants moved to northern Delaware between 1802 and 1902. Many found work in the black powder yards at what is now Hagley Museum and Library. Learn more about their experiences at Hagley’s Author Talk, “Black Powder, White Lace: The Irish Community at Hagley,” by Margaret Mulrooney on March 27 at 7 p.m. in Hagley’s Soda House auditorium. Admission is free. Mulrooney will tell the story of the Irish immigrants and their descendants who lived and worked along the banks of the Brandywine Creek, many employed at the DuPont Co.’s powder yards. Explosives work was dangerous, but the du Ponts provided many benefits, including assisted migration, free or low-cost housing, interest-bearing savings accounts and widows’ pensions. As a result, the Irish remained loyal to their employers, convinced by their everyday experiences that their interests and the du Ponts’ were the same. Learn about their vibrant, close-knit community that differed in important ways from popular portrayals of the Irish experience in America. Mulrooney’s talk will draw on material in the archives of the Hagley Library, including oral interviews with many who lived in the Irish communities along the Brandywine. Mulrooney first visited Hagley Museum on an elementary school field trip, just like many other native Delawareans. A graduate of Padua Academy, she received her bachelor’s from the University of Delaware and her doctorate from the College of William & Mary. She presently serves as associate vice provost for university programs at James Madison University and teaches regularly in the history department. Her talk is based on her book, “Black Powder, White Lace: The du Pont Irish and Cultural Identity in Nineteenth Century America” (2002). She is currently completing a new manuscript called “Deep Currents: Race, Place, and Memory in Wilmington, N.C.” Reservations to her talk are requested; call 658-2400, ext. 243, or email clockman@hagley.org
 

March 28
	“The Rabbit Hole” is a tale of love and loss as a husband and wife deal with the sudden death of their child and enter into a complicated relationship with the individual responsible… More
	Not a tribute show. Not a cover band. The Hit Men are original musicians from The Four Seasons, Tommy James and the Shondells, Carly Simon, Jim Croce, and many others… More
March 29
	Join The Rainbow Chorale of Delaware for an anniversary celebration of its first 15 years, “Fabulous First Fifteen,” with show tunes, standards from the American songbook and more… More
	Nothing says classic like Cole Porter’s musical set on the high seas, “Anything Goes.” The Tony winner includes hits like “I Get a Kick Out of You.” See it at the New Candlelight Theatre… More
	If you’re going to a gala at the Queen Theater, you would do well to gussy up–you and your pup. Join the Delaware Humane Association for a fancy, dog friendly cocktail party and fundraising event, the annual Muttini Mixer… More
	Celebrate the science of small at the annual Nanoday. Explore family friendly activities that illustrate the world at the nanoscale, making this new field of science accessible and fun, at the Delaware Museum of Natural History… More
March 29-30
	The Delaware Home Show is in the house at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington. Get great ideas and meet the people who can make them happen… More
March 31
	[IN Wilmington Promotional Pick of the Week] Re-live beloved romances, hilarious comedies and epic adventures of the past with Monday Night Movies at Penn Cinema Riverfront. This week: “A League of Their Own.” Baseball season has begun… More
April 2
	The 1978 Tony Award Winner for Best Musical, “Ain’t Misbehavin’” follows Thomas “Fats” Waller’s journey in this musical tribute to the popular musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. It starts at Delaware Theatre Company tonight… More