South Carolina Irish Memorial

 After years of planning and countless months of hard labor the Charlotte Street Park Irish Memorial was dedicated.  The ceremony brought the Irish Ambassador and other Irish dignitaries to Charleston.  Located at the end of Charlotte Street, the $2.4 million “South Carolina Irish Memorial” features a concrete pier extending over the water, and a raised 30-by-24-foot carved granite map of Ireland.

 

Constructed y AOS Specialty Contractors this park is worth a visit.  At the street entrance, three flag poles displaying the city of Charleston, U.S. and Irish flags greet visitors, while plaques containing period and historical quotes on Irish immigration face the water.The design, by landscape architect Sheila Wertimer, includes a cul-de-sac leading into five grassy panels and brick walkways heading toward the pier. Oak trees that one day will grow into a shady canopy cover the side spaces.

 

The monument idea dates back nearly 20 years. Advocates wanted to memorialize some of the city’s earliest residents and some of the families which contributed to the local tapestry.

Irish roots in Charleston and the state run deep. South Carolina Irishmen gained fame for fighting in the Civil War and worked on bridging the harbor. They signed the Declaration of Independence and ran the city as powerful mayors. Others played more unsung roles from the bottom of the social ladder.

 

Quoted in the Post and Courier, US District Judge Patrick Michael Duffy joked about how the ground was broken for the park dozen of years ago.  "Make no mistake about it, this park was built on an Irish schedule." 

 

 

 Charleston’s modern-day Irish community raised about $400,000 for the memorial, with another $50,000 dedicated to maintaining it.

 

 

 

The park, officially dubbed Charlotte Street Park, provides the endpoint to the city’s harborwalk, a path that ultimately will wrap all the way around the peninsula’s southern edge, from Brittlebank Park to Charlotte Street.