Coronavirus: Irish appeal for Native American after famine kindness gives back $1m

The Choctaw community sent $170 to Ireland during a famine in the 18th century and now generation COVID has paid it back in an appeal that has raised $1m.
Nearly 27,000 Irish people have donated online and dozens more by post.
With limited healthcare, food supplies and clean water, the Navaho and Hopi communities had been facing a humanitarian crisis.
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[@CVLFMG]

It wasn't a "debt" it's called friendship

[@lorcanmurray6017]

Aye and as a friendship we should have a massive party once the pandemic is over

[@antonralph6947]

@Fandango no we won't. We English can't wait to give back stolen property. After all its the right thing to do.

[@guinevereobroin5712]

@@antonralph6947 Not from northern or republic of Ireland so shut your hole. Votes all came back with wanted to stay with the UK. An we Irish don't want the poxy place back it has no economic value to us and just adds to our debts. We could not support it ffs

[@maei9656]

@@lorcanmurray6017 I'd be so down to learn about irish culture as a native American. Much respect and love to the Irish

[@hughneek12]

I caught on to that too. No debt involved in kindness charity or caregiving, let's call it love, based on respect for our common humanity.

[@jimmyjohnny3779]

It was not a famine but a GENOCIDE!!! Lots of love to our Native American friends from the native Irish ♥️☘️

[@ritamcintyre8203]

Explain please?

[@user-zp4de5lq9i]

@@ritamcintyre8203 an gorta mor

[@user-ze8yy8jg1f]

@@ritamcintyre8203 British were over food distribution in Ireland and instead of feeding us they built labour camps so we could work for bread. 9 times out of 10 it was work for free and doing stuff like rock breaking.(which is pretty much a torture method). And we will never forget the words of the people who were over our food "the famine is a gift from god to punish the irish for being less human"

[@blackcitroenlove]

Sgi (thanks in NC Cherokee)

[@confirmedcatholicism22]

The brits will do anything to say other wise

[@pawanrakesh180]

It’s not correct to call it as “ repaying their debt”. a friend in need is a friend indeed.

[@markmcallan973]

Love of the Irish 🤟🤟🤟

[@irishguy200007]

I think he meant a debt of gratitude.

[@gracietarabochia3404]

Agreed that this wasn't "a debit being paid back", rather than two communities helping one another out. Hearing this story still brought tears to my eyes all the same. A thanks to the Irish people from a member of the Chinook Nations tribe. Your kindness will not be forgotten

[@wonjubhoy]

Your people deserved that more than anyone else., The kindness of your people to the Irish will not be forgotten either.

[@PissBreakSupervisorOleHopkins]

I'm cree and different mixes of European but this made me tear up also and I only wish I knew sooner and makes me more proud to have both native and Irish ancestors

[@joemacdonnagh6750]

In the 1840's , 1850's ,1860's Ireland was a net Exporter of food. Not a famine , genocide.

[@Scoob505]

It wasn't technically a genocide. The British administrations' intention was not genocide. It was just pure negligence and their ideological belief in their laissez faire economic system.

[@barryryan14]

@@Scoob505 it was a genocide. Don't down play it. Even one little bit!

[@jamaicanbrotha814]

I meant to include that church of Ireland is in the Protestant church family.. (Irish)

[@Scoob505]

@@barryryan14 I am Irish, I have no reason to downplay anything, but to call it a genocide is simply not true compared to an actual genocide. It was an economic policy and pure negligence.

[@Terminalss]

@@Scoob505 That's a long way of saying genocide

[@grose2272]

Its what the Irish and native Americans have in common that bonds us.

[@bigbro6446]

@john hansberry I assume they mean treated poorly by foreign people who didn’t respect us and tried to wipe out chunks of us

[@Maidaseu]

@john hansberry Oppression, Tragedy, Colonialism. Both had their home invaded and had almost been wiped out.

[@donalbreathnach244]

@john hansberry It may be, but that doesn’t make it acceptable.

[@grose2272]

@@Maidaseu exactly Martin. X

[@grose2272]

@The Changer The famine wasn't our fault just like the culling of the native Americans wasn't theirs! On the positive it's are deep love and spiritual connection to the land and country ,deep roots and long branches..

[@danielderenda9569]

Sky News UK reporting on the Irish famine as if the Brits had nothing to do with it 😂😂

[@antonralph6947]

Reporter is Irish.

[@cigh7445]

@@antonralph6947 Hard to tell difference a lot. It all sound English to me... But then again I even thought Irish peoples telling me that they were speaking Irish sounded like English. Maybe Irish language is closely related to English one *sorry just to correct, I mean 'influenced by', not closely related like language family. I mistranslated

[@taylormcgrath]

@@cigh7445 He’s speaking English😅 but he has an Irish accent

[@veronicadredd22]

@@cigh7445 Irish language pre dates English and is not even in the same language family they are in no way related, the Irish language Gaeilge is the oldest Vernacular language in Europe, Irish sounds nothing like English, its thousands of years older than English,

[@jaymurray6734]

@@cigh7445 The Irish language pre dates the English language by a thousand years and has zero similarities to it.

[@wiccanmoon0001]

The people of Ireland will never forget your kindness. ❤

[@adambrown1654]

The Irish and native Americans have a bond true solidarity , lots of love to my Native American brothers across the pond ❤️❤️

[@Stop_Elitists_Wars]

Check this guy.. 🤪

[@maei9656]

Much respect to the irish from this native.

[@jayjazzed]

Much love right back to our Irish brothers and sisters across the pond 💚 🇮🇪

[@John-ps6ce]

This is a wonderful story and I'm not surprised knowing the Irish people the way I do.

[@gurudeclan]

Yeah we love to virtue signal

[@mysticdawn7569]

@tony ryan at least it's going to a good cause

[@B8kedBean]

@tony ryan stop tony just see the good in this

[@nejuw]

@tony ryan It's personal donations Tony not from the government.

[@22046792]

@tony ryan I just hope people from outside Ireland don't think your moronic comments are representative of the Irish people.

[@timlinator]

I donated. My family was in Ireland during the famine. Good bless the Choctaw.

[@antob2986]

God bless the native Americans love from co Louth Ireland

[@garyhutton2654]

Have a friend in Dundalk up the wee county regards dhoire Derry

[@Castlecoke]

As a Mexican of Native heritage. Thank u. U Irish have always had or back u stood with Mexico when the U.S. was trying to massacre us. U told ur army to protect us Mexicans/Natives. Erin Go Bragh! San Patricio Battalion.

[@user-ze8yy8jg1f]

@@Castlecoke funny thing is we were only going to invade Mexico to get a green card into the US then when we landed in Mexico we got on pretty good with ye and helped defend

[@darryl23kelly]

Ireland did not have a famine, Ireland had a genocide at the hands of the empire. God bless Ireland and the Native Americans ❤️🇮🇪

[@darryl23kelly]

@MsMissy I beg to differ

[@darryl23kelly]

@MsMissy sources?

[@dumbmusorowan]

colonised nations need to look out for each other and that's what we're doing. no debt. just a common struggle.

[@flake452]

@john hansberry The Romans are the ones who brought the Angles over. Anglo Saxon is a cultural term most English DNA is Pre Roman colonisation. We are still suffering because of the Norman Conquest though.

[@flake452]

@john hansberry Yes Celt is also a cultural term. The people of Northern Europe are all basically the same.

[@adhamhmacconchobhair2237]

@john hansberry No they weren't.. They were invaded and that was thousands of years ago..

[@flake452]

@@laoch5658 I didn't claim the Romans went to Ireland. I am clearly responding to someone who's comment is missing. I was likely talking about the colonisation of England.

[@brushe8025]

Aussie of Irish decent. My forebears left because of the famine. Huge respect to both people's.

[@derekdunne563]

It was genocide not a famine

[@pw1874]

"Repaying their debt" its called helping people out.. 🍀

[@draiocht0180]

Trust the Brit’s to not know what that is

[@indiantinamorals5791]

Love from Ireland to "all " Native American people, including the Choctaw xx

[@markmacgowan5857]

The Choctaw call for aid!! And Ireland will answer!

[@Podgeabrillion]

A somewhat related story - the Irish lacrosse team gave up their place in a competition to showcase potential Olympic sports so that the Iroquois could compete instead. Incredibly, they were going to hold the event with no native American team present. It would be like trying out hurling for the Olympics without a single Irish team. There is no debt between the Irish and any group of native Americans. It's just that the boot put to their necks is a familiar one to us. There will come a time when we no longer have the cultural memory of what it was like, but not yet.

[@commentainment6811]

Damn, I love being Irish.

[@kobyrne6634]

Here here!

[@louisehoran5328]

www.rte.ie/sport/other-sport/2020/0905/1163463-iroquois-nationals-lacrosse-ireland-world-games/

[@amandadublin3129]

I think the context for people that don't know the history of Lacrosse 😂 It is the oldest ball game in America, developed by first nation tribes... Who then didn't get invited to partake in the 2022 International games because they weren't a sovereign nation. When the governing body reviewed the decision they said they could play, but there were no spots as the qualifying 8 countries had already been decided... So Ireland stepped down. Like giving money to people in need, it was just the right thing to do.

[@kobyrne6634]

Thanks for the context😄

[@awolawakened8807]

I am PROUD to be Irish & Cheyenne Arapaho💙❤💙❤

[@ciaranwalsh2131]

the Irish are the most generous giving people in the world. there was no famine though it was genocide,the English shipped out tons of food to England every day by the military

[@killiancarroll4241]

The Native Americans are some of the most coolest people in the world

[@finolaomurchu8217]

The Choctaw nation is great. I remember reading about this about 30 years ago🇮🇪🧚‍♂️☘Long live Ireland. Genocide of indigenous peoples, we understand that.

[@necropants9971]

@tony ryan we can do both

[@R8V10]

During the Great Famine in Ireland of the 1840s, Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid donated £10,000 to famine relief. ... The British administration attempted to block the ships, but by local tradition the food arrived secretly at Drogheda harbour and was left there by Ottoman sailors.

[@LeMerch]

I don't think this was done in solidarity, it was done to undermine the British empire.

[@AfroGaz71]

@@LeMerch It also partly showed that it wasn't just the famine causing food shortage.

[@kowalski4130]

@Ode to a Dying people Not like that old hag of a queen would ever admit it and apologise though

[@genghisthegreat2034]

Queen Victoria was embarrassed to find the Sultan gave more than she did. He was asked to reduce his donation.

[@archdukehamburgervononionr1948]

Don't forget, Vic gave us a fiver, bless her little heart

[@genelarkin5622]

The Irish never forget

[@liammalone7729]

Brothers and Sisters taking care of each other 🙏🏻💗

[@waller2476]

this is great :) but lets not forget it wasnt a famine it was genocide

[@cigh7445]

@Andy Ná fuil sí tagtha cheana féin? Nó cén sórt lá athá i gceist agat?

[@snowyy1919]

bíodh an fhírinne ar eolas

[@dreamer2260]

It was criminal negligence, and a result of evil colonial policies and profiteering of the English colonial class and their brutal evictions that led to the conditions that exacerbated the famine. But it wasn't a genocide as there wasn't a deliberate intent to destroy. There was just little care about the suffering. The difference is important, to honour the horror of true genocides like the Holocaust. There was what could be termed a cultural genocide which had occurred in previous centuries.

[@Akindal89]

That monument is beautiful

[@fredaflood5996]

Ps and love and honour given to the Choctaw people who gave us all they they could after their Trail of Tears...xoxoxo

[@Maidaseu]

"The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight, but the English created the Famine" John Mitchell 1861 When the British heard this they send him to Bermuda for 14 years.

[@fairysrreal180]

Truth and Kindness will always conquer in history.

[@maei9656]

@Quebec your hatred will be remembered and your ignorance will be remembered but only for a small amount of time. Real Angel's are humans who help each other in time of need. The real demons are the ones who choose negativity and hate anything they dont understand and refuse to learn.

[@christopherbyrne609]

This is beautiful stuff🇮🇪🍀✌️

[@feargalmacd22]

No problem with a modern Brit but let’s be Frank. There was never a famine in Ireland. What we did have was about a decade of ethnic cleansing.

[@junky5422]

Stop calling it a famine, there was plenty of food, it was a genocide.

[@michellegunn4115]

Love healing and light to our Navaho family

[@yes-rq4dg]

A good story to see on Sky news, but dont forget the famine was a genocide.

[@jasonmcgough1218]

@john hansberry so is the Armenian genocide not a “genocide” because they still exist? The Great Irish Famine was a genocide because, while blight affected many places at the time, it was the anti-Irish sentiment forced by the British hierarchy that made the Irish rely on the potato crop. The British continually exported Irish food out of the country while Ireland was starving. As a result, Ireland still hasn’t recovered in its population and the Irish language was almost eradicated. Genocide.

[@gavinlaird85]

@john hansberry By your logic, the Armenian genocide, the Cambodian genocide, the Kazakh genocide, the Indonesian genocide, the Rwandan genocide, and pretty much every genocide in history was never really a genocide because all those people still exist? Idiot.

[@gavinlaird85]

@john hansberry I just gave many examples of Genocides of peoples that still exist. Genocide is an attempt to irradicate.

[@gavinlaird85]

@john hansberry "genocide...the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group." All the examples I listed including Ireland meet that criteria. It says clearly "with the aim of destroying" The people do not need to be completely eliminated for the attempt to be considered genocide. It's as the definition states.. the killing of a large group of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying them. That's exactly what happened in Ireland and all the other examples I listed.

[@gavinlaird85]

@Quebec these people didn’t have shoes half the time I doubt they had a fishing boat.

[@Shane-jx6dk]

Great to hear this, especially now. Proud to be Irish

[@Trund27]

Love across the ocean. This is so beautiful. People can do such beautiful things for each other.

[@robertchase6387]

It's been said that the English never remember and the Irish never forget. Nice to see that the latter certainly holds true.

[@jamesfletcher7952]

It’s called a friendship

[@philiplevins6702]

brothers and sisters...it's called Humanity...peace and respect from Ireland

[@martinfarrelly5196]

Total respect for the native Americans. Irish people never forget goodness .Thankyou.And we never forget badness. We all know who caused the genocide.

[@patman142]

time to move on, the average English person had nothing to do with this. 2 world wars have been fought since and European countries have buried the hatchet a long time ago

[@wildatlanticman128]

What a great story - I only found out native Americans sent money to Ireland during the 'Great Hunger'. I am delighted this is still remembered - kindred spirits.

[@gucktv2610]

Irish and natives are one nation of humanity

[@margaretnicol3423]

Friends helping each other. That's what friends do. Let's hope neither peoples have to do this again in the future.

[@gkelly34]

Lovely uplifting story. Thanks sky 👍

[@paddymurphy7209]

Funny how the brits stopped that money from ever reaching Ireland

[@johnroddy8756]

Potato famine indeed.riots at the ports indeed deaths as live stock and grain was exported to the UK.1847 a bumper year for wheat .

[@josysteinbach4097]

12 thumbs down 🤔😤why ?? That’s the kindness we all need from one another 🥰🥰 .

[@maggielarkin8143]

Why thumbs down?....Cos they're British....why else?

[@genghisthegreat2034]

Because crop failure is natural, but famine is political. The British like to spin this as a terrible natural calamity. It was political devastation.

[@MrVillamike]

A thumbs up from this Englishman

[@kierancasey5814]

British

[@markmurphy3462]

Less we forget it wasn't a potato famine....

[@snowyy1919]

bíodh an fhírinne ar eolas Let the truth be known

[@marco6131]

Genocide

[@laramatthews2082]

This is exactly the kind of history that should be preserved for a long view and effect on humanity itself! Faith, hope, and love from an Irish/Cherokee/Seminole AMERICAN.

[@88888888888888888443]

Now I'm crying

[@colinjames7569]

We never forget our family

[@davelydon1982]

God bless Rep Ireland 🇮🇪

[@cathalodiubhain5739]

Not a famine it was genocide

[@daithimcnally8212]

The Chocktaw A grand bunch of lads

[@jayjazzed]

God bless the Irish ☘️💚🇮🇪

[@ssfc117]

Solidarity forever between colonized peoples everywhere

[@rabbithattheatre]

Not a debt. A repayment of kindness.

[@Tacoman1967]

If it's one thing about us Irish we never forget. The good and the bad.

[@user-ds7jq2cq1g]

That's so beautiful to hear !!!

[@amandadublin3129]

I'd done famine memorial walks where members of their nation joined in so I'd known about their kindness but when I donated money I didn't consider it a debt being replayed though... Because they gave that money way back in 1847 without condition, it wasn't a loan.

[@astra0329]

Lot of hate on the brits and its understandably justified but let's just stop and think about this for a minute, this is an amazing kindness between both of our people , with all the madness in the world a friendship grew and that's incredible.

[@lyndameg134]

Proud to be an Irish muslima😍

[@jingoist-sj8gj]

No such thing

[@BondJFK]

@@jingoist-sj8gj He is British spy

[@tzmvillage1370]

we never forget

[@tommartin7333]

A beautiful story and the way it should be. Looking at the way Ireland was treated by Britain is so dispicable. Looking at how America still treats its indigenous people after seizing its land through starvation and broken promises also dispicable. The current American government now trying to control the world in the same fashion unacceptable, outdatedand dispicable.

[@johnmccraith4720]

Makes me so proud..

[@robertbrennan4957]

God bless the Irish!

[@Seactor]

Being human is not a debt to be repaid either. Sky news and the colonial attitudes they represent cannot fathom this

[@sammacdaibheid]

The Irish. A great bunch of lads.

[@classicmedia8521]

Genocide not a famine

[@Masha-nk1xf]

That’s so great!!!! So kind

[@finnmcdonogh9153]

Yup the native Americans ❤️💯💯

[@MistyLoneman-pl5mw]

I am Choctaw and Irish descent.

[@alan2mcgee441]

WAS A GENOCIDE

[@G02372]

Hopefully we won’t need each other again but generations to come will still remember.

[@ritaharris2372]

This should be told on national news.

[@aesonswampmonster2958]

It is...

[@ianosborne188]

There Is Hope

[@christopheuhlin7309]

There was plenty to feed the Irish but the English shipped the food somewhere else. So it was not a famine but rather a deliberate starvation. This is true history. This is a lovely story about 2 people helping each other in need from far away and across time ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@brianmullins6064]

Shareing is the door to the Kingdom 🍀

[@b7846]

Irish Don't forget 😉

[@bridbyrne4187]

We still had to export the same quantity of potatoes to Britain during the famine as what we were exporting before the famine..it was a genocide..British government saw it as ‘gods will’.it was a bad potato blight but the actions of British government made it a hundred times worse with all the evictions and everything else.

[@lydiaflaherty137]

ONE LOVE 🇮🇪💚💚💚

[@MrVortexRider]

This is something that we were never taught about in History class.

[@jarvishamill7717]

I think the "debt" was the wrong word to use because it was not a debt. I see many others who caught that.

[@james.h.hannigan]

lets all help each other when we can

[@laoch5658]

it wasnt a debt its called kindness

[@seanmcnamara1267]

The Irish have a long memory!

[@lfcforever2329]

If anyone owes a debt it's the fuckin English on both sides of the pond....

[@bjaysus33]

I'm confused... didn't this happened 5 months ago? was there a new appeal or is sky out of news?

[@hungeyborder]

i saw this on RTE1 around 5 months ago

[@ninjalinda1288]

Mandela effect, haha.

[@cancerousattitude]

They are sound

[@wavetranquility4243]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@Vintagegamer542]

A Friend in need is a friend in deed. I'm our time off most need they help us out. Now it was our time for us help. Not debt but friendship.

[@Colin_Power]

This lady only learned about the Choctaw recently it seemed. There's been a link for a long time now

[@jayjazzed]

I only learned of it recently myself and now understand the reason, among many others, why the Irish have hard feelings towards the British crown as much as the Native American...I sincerely hope that the bond between the two remains strong for many generations of both peoples for many generations to come

[@taintabird23]

It only became common knowledge in Ireland since 1995, following research by historians marking the 150 anniversary of the start of the Great Famine.

[@Colin_Power]

@@taintabird23 that's nearly 30 years ago. The link between republicans and native Americans has been well known for a lot longer than that though

[@jakegarvin7634]

I hope the Choctaw got some too, seeing as they were the people who actually did the nice thing

[@snapchat8161]

Beautiful

[@robertdalton526]

It is said that empathy is one of the traits that makes us human. How can one word encumber, the gift of food & warm clothing & life; from a people driven to death by our other brothers & sisters, starved & down trodden as my ancestors were. I can only for a nano second imagine what cruelty & hardships & constant hunger, whilst been marched on what the choctaw call the trail of tears. Whilst on there own private walk through the labyrinths of hell, they took the food from there merger plates & broke bread with a nation of people far from there shores & sight. Now" in this tragedy theirs something more than empathy something deeper than being human, its not something tangible to be lashed around like empty words. This action by our choctaw brothers and sisters belittles all prose & poetry, & settles in a place untouched by words.I would like to think it settles in the wind' a place that cannot be touched only felt & still felt today. Timeless... Chunks & Chunks of love, Robert D....

[@lilfridge5652]

Lol i was legit just watching a video of native Americans helping dutchs gang in red dead redemption 2 and remembered of how the irish did this during the height of covid 19

[@archdukehamburgervononionr1948]

15,000 people a day at its height and queen Vic gave us a fiver. If hell exists, she has a VIP suite

[@magazine1719]

Yes, Very Intense Pain.

[@Masha-nk1xf]

Great!!!!!!