Were the Irish present in America before the 1800's?

Question

I'm a Black Man and I just found out that my mothers maiden name O'Reilly is an Irish surname. According to family stories, my mothers ancestors took the name in the mid 1700's in honour of a White man who helped them escape Slavery. I also realized that many Southern People ( White, Black and Native Americans) have some very typical Irish surnames. I find this strange because the cultures that merged in the South were Scottis-Irish( from Ulster), African( From West and Central Africa) and Native American. Could this mean that the Irish(from Ireland) were present in large numbers before the 1800's?

Answer 1

Yes. There were Irish here before the Revolutionary war. Some were deported criminals, some came as indentured servants, others to work as servants and laborers. Many came, for the reason as all immigrants.

The vast majority did come in the 1800's, as a result of the potato famine in Ireland. As with most immigrants, they were discriminated against. No Irish allowed was common on signs on many businesses.

So yes, very possible your ancestor was Irish.

Answer 2

yes- my family

Answer 3

Some early entries on this. http://rsl.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Answer 4

The beginnings of immigration from Ireland to America in large numbers, dates from the subjugation of Ireland by Oliver Cromwell in 1651.  Thousands of Irish were exiled to America. From 1651 to 1654, 6,400 young men and women were sent  to America.  By 1660, the number had risen to 10,000.

Answer 5

My Irish ancestors born in Armagh, Ulster, Ireland, were here by 1733 and arrived through the port at Phila. and settled in Chester Co., PA. They were Quakers. While most of them moved south and west and over time broke away from the Quaker church at least one branch moved North into Ohio. Although none of those who moved South that I have found records for, owned slaves, the group that moved to Ohio did so because they were Anti-Slavery. There is a good book "Immigration of the Irish Quakers into PA 1682-1750" by Albert Cook Myers that has quite a bit of information on the ones that came into Phila.