In 1847, a people who had only just arrived in what is now Oklahoma, after the “trail of tears and death”, collected money for strangers starving in Ireland. They sent it to Midleton, County Cork. Here is the story, the sculpture in Midleton that remembers it, and a plain bowl of oatmeal stirabout to make as you read.
23 March 1847: a collection for Ireland
The Irish Post records that on 23 March 1847 the Choctaw Nation took up a donation of about $170 (roughly $5,000 in today’s money) and sent it to the town of Midleton, County Cork. Ireland was in the worst year of the Great Hunger, still known as “Black ’47”. The Choctaw had themselves only recently settled in what is now Oklahoma after walking the “trail of tears and death”.
The Choctaw Nation’s own page on the Choctaw and Irish connection says the gift was sent to Midleton, and that a report on American aid to Ireland in 1848 noted: “The largest part was contributed by the children of the forest, our red brethren of the Choctaw nation.”
Kindred Spirits, Midleton
Many decades later, the Choctaw Nation says, the people of Midleton realised the aid had come from a people rebuilding their own society after a long and painful journey. In 1995 the Irish President, Mary Robinson, visited the Choctaw Nation to thank them. In 2017 a sculpture called “Kindred Spirits”, by Alex Pentek, was dedicated in Bailick Park in Midleton.
The Irish Post describes it as nine stainless steel eagle feathers, each 20 feet tall, arranged in a circle so that together they look like a bowl of food. If you are in East Cork, it is in Bailick Park in Midleton. Our top 10 things to do in Cork will help you plan the rest of the day.
A thank-you that came back around
In 2018 the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, visited Choctaw Nation headquarters, and the first Choctaw Ireland scholarship student began her studies in Ireland in 2019. In 2020, during the pandemic, people in Ireland donated to a fundraiser for the Navajo and Hopi nations. The Irish Post reports that it raised nearly $6 million, with close to 27,000 Irish people giving. The Choctaw Nation’s Chief Gary Batton called it “iyyikowa”, their word for serving those in need.
A bowl of food is a fitting shape for the story, so we are ending it with the plainest bowl in the Irish kitchen. We have more on porridge in our traditional Irish porridge recipe and in the Irish breakfast every family ate for a thousand years.
Cook the real Irish classics at home ☘️
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How to make oatmeal stirabout (serves 2)
Stirabout is oatmeal stirred into boiling water or milk until thick. It takes about 10 minutes and nothing but a pot and a spoon.
Ingredients
- 100 g pinhead or rolled oatmeal
- 600 ml water, or half water and half milk
- A good pinch of salt
- To serve: milk or cream, and a spoonful of honey or brown sugar, plus a few walnuts if you like
Method
- Bring the water (or water and milk) and salt to the boil in a medium saucepan.
- Sprinkle in the oatmeal with one hand while stirring with the other, so it does not lump.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes for rolled oats (about 20 minutes for pinhead), stirring often, until thick and creamy. Add a splash of water if it gets too stiff.
- Spoon into warm bowls and top with cold milk or cream, and honey or sugar.
Have you stood at Kindred Spirits in Midleton, or is it on your list?
Sources
- Choctaw and Irish History, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
- On this day in 1847, the Choctaw nation collected money to help famine-stricken Ireland, The Irish Post
Checked November 2026.
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