Most of the Irish, who settled in Pennsylvania coal regions, prior to the great Irish famine (1845-1849), came from the counties of Kilkenny and Laois, in south-central Ireland. These Irish immigrants usually had experience working in coal mines and quickly assimilated into that working environment, progressing up the ladder of promotions at a steady pace. The coal regions of Pennsylvania consisted of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Carbon, Schuylkill and Northumberland counties. This commingling produced strong working and political bonds between the Welsh, English and the Kilkenny and Laois Irish.
Because of the great potato famine in Ireland in 1845-1849, a large number of Irish immigrants reluctantly descended on Pennsylvania coal regions for employment. Needless to say, the north-west Irish, in the coal regions, did not get along with the south-central Irish of Kilkenny and Laois, who had already bonded with the Welsh and English years before.
In Pennsylvania, attempts were made in the 1860's to organize coal mine labor into unions. As well, the Molly McGuire Irish were Catholics, whereas many of the earlier Irish immigrants were Protestant.
Sago Mine Disaster
On January 2, 2006 Sago Mine in Upshur County, West Virginia, exploded, killing 12 good men and critically injuring Randal McCloy. During the Sago Mine Disaster the entire nation became obsessed with West Virginia coal miners and their families. It appeared miners in the West Virginia coalfields were discovered for the first time. People here have deep roots. Workers do not want to leave the West Virginia coalfields, uprooting families to live in unfamiliar surroundings. Mining is often a family tradition, grandfather, father and son.
Steel Industry, Coal Industry, and the Cold Hard Reality
At a time when our US Steel industry just got a big break as China raised the price of steel. We need steel for infrastructure projects, let's make it here, let's use our own iron ore and coking coal.
If we lose all the steel plants, we also lose the WV, PA, coal mines (JOBS) and we will hurt our auto, heavy equipment, truck making, bridge building, construction, ship building sectors too.