In the nearly 150-year-old photo, Col. Patrick Kelly’s Irish Brigade looks grim. These men were survivors of what one called “a whirlpool of death” on the Gettysburg’s Wheatfield on July 2, 1863. At the end of that day, only a little over 300 of Kelly’s 530 men were still alive. And the numbers were even more agonizing. When the Civil War started, 2,500 men enlisted in the Irish Brigade.
Today, the statue of a lone Celtic Cross, with the image of a wolfhound lying loyally at its feet, marks the spot where Irishmen, many of whom fled the famine, died for their new country.
Learn more about the role the Irish played in the American War Between the States on September 6 on a special tour of the battlefield featuring tour guide and expert on the Irish and Gettysburg, Richard Bellamy. You’ll travel by air-conditioned coach from the Irish Center, 6815 Emlen Street, Philadelphia, and start with a visit to the Visitor Center, Museum and Cyclorama and view “A New Birth of Freedom,” a short film narrated by actor Morgan Freeman.
After a picnic lunch, Bellamy will conduct a tour of the battlefield with an emphasis on the role of the Irish. Afterwards, the tour will go to Ott House in Emmitsburg, MD, for dinner featuring live musical entertainment. Expected return is 10 PM.
The tour costs $95, which includes transportation, all admissions, the tour, a bag lunch, bus refreshments, sit-down dinner with a choice of four entrees, and entertainment.
A few seats are still available. For more information, contact Marianne MacDonald at rinceseit@msn.com or (856)236-2717.
