Irish American Immigrant Tales Submission Form

Would you like to record your family's story of coming to America? Here's a submission form for Irish American Immigrant Tales.

I believe that together we can help share the social history and the stories of what the Irish have achieved in America.

Immigrants leaving a ship with text overlay — Irish American Immigrant Tales

Here you'll find a simple form, which you can fill out to record your family story. You'll receive your story in PDF format at the end.

Submit Your Ancestor's Immigrant Tale

I love to publish these immigrant tales on my blog. If chosen, your family story will be shared in this little Irish American corner of the internet.

Simply answer any or all of the questions below to get your wrting juices flowing.

Let's commit our family stories to words - this form should guide you along the way. Plus if you do not have time to finish in one sitting - simply scroll to the bottom and save your work for later.

Happy writing from Irish American Mom.

Share Your Family's Immigrant Tale

This form consists of a series of questions to help you record your family story or an ancestor's immigrant tale. It will help you explore the challenges your family faced, and celebrate their achievements and successes in America.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Name:

Add your name or pen name as the author of this immigrant tale. This form poses questions about your ancestors' journey to the United States and their transition into American life . Your story will be part of our social history project, where we record and share our Irish American stories before they're forgotten forever.

Email (will not be published)*

Please add your email so that you can be contacted when your story is ready for publication. Your email will be kept securely and will not be shared with others. No spam, I promise.

Story Title

Choose a title for your story. Leave blank if you would like Irish American Mom to create a headline for your tale.

What was your ancestor's name?

If you wish to use an alias, that's fine. Simply check one of the boxes below to clarify.

Is this a real name or an alias?*

I chose my ancestor's real name

I changed names to shield my ancestor's true identity.

I do not know my ancestor's real name so I chose an alias.

I will write my story without using a name

Pick one option above.

When did your ancestor leave Ireland for America?

Pick any question you wish to answer. Then another and another. There's no need to answer every question, but by the time you run out, you’ll either have writing momentum or a complete life story.

Why did your ancestor leave Ireland?

What were the motivating factors for your ancestor to leave Ireland? Were their driving forces that prompted their journey such as poverty, hardship, oppression, a pioneering spirit, the lure of opportunity, an inquisitive nature, the need for a change, or an escape from the past?

Where in America did your ancestor settle?

Which state did your Irish ancestor choose as their American home? Did they live in any other states or take a long journey to reach this place? Do you know of any obstacles they had to overcome to reach their destination.

Did you ever meet your ancestor, or are they part of your family lore and legend?

Let us know if you ever met this family member and have warm memories of your time together. Or perhaps their story has been shared through the generations of your Irish American family. Has this family member's legacy been passed down through the generations of your family?

How would you describe this family member?

Imagine you have to describe your family member to someone who’s never met them before. What descriptive words and traits come to mind. Feel free to share any positive or negative traits - anything you might consider to be part of their Irish psyche.

What makes your family or ancestor unique and different from others?

Here you can explore your family member's most important traits, traditions and values. Perhaps you have a noteworthy or remarkable story to illustrate what makes them unique. Did they play an important part in any historical event? What is your ancestor's legacy?

Are you proud of this ancestor?

What do you most love about this Irish ancestor, and what frustrates you the most about them?

What is your most treasured memory of this relative?

Imagine you can only retain one memory about this family member. Which one would you keep and why?

Did this ancestor have the gift of the gab or an Irish sense of humor?

Did your ancestor love to talk and tell stories? What pranks, jokes, or tricks were perpetrated by your ancestor?

What did your ancestor do for a living?

What challenges did they overcome? What happened when they encountered obstacles to success in America? Did they have any secret survival strategies? What traits, gifts or friends along the way, helped them succeed in America? Or did tragedy or bad luck prevent them from achieving their American dream?

Do you have any of your ancestor's writings?

Did your ancestor keep a diary or a journal? Did your ancestor write any letters that are worth sharing? Did they feature in a newspaper article? Did they have a favorite book, or poem, or prayer?

Upload a copy of a diary entry or a letter?

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, png, pdf, Max. file size: 800 MB.

If you have a copy of a letter or diary entry you think readers would find interesting, please upload the file here.

Did your ancestor speak Irish? Or did they have a uniquely Irish turn of phrase?

Can you think of any unique phrases or words you associate with your ancestor? Did they use any slang? What were their favorite (shareable) words? Did they curse much? Did you ever have a memorable conversation with your ancestor? Did they have any favorite Irish sayings?

Do you have a family heirloom associated with this person and why is it meaningful to you?

What objects tell the story of this person's life? What keepsakes or possessions does your family treasure from the past? How do you pay tribute to your loved one's legacy? If your home was in danger, what family heirloom would you try to save?

What legacy have you inherited from this ancestor?

Did this family member's experience help you form your personal credo? Does their story motivate you? Does their memory make you happy? Did you inherit any personal superstitions from your family? What are you good at and did you inherit this talent from your ancestor?

Did your family member find love in America?

Was your ancestor married? Did they find love in America, or leave a loved one behind in Ireland? Did they have a secret love, or a tale of unrequited love? Feel free to share the romantic side of your Irish relative in America.

What would happen if you could meet your relative one more time?

Imagine your ancestor could join your family to celebrate a special dinner. What impact would your ancestor have on the meal and the experience? What foods would they most enjoy? Do you have family memories wrapped up in meals or special dishes? What questions would you love to ask? Describe the sounds, smells, environment, and overall feeling at the celebration.

Did you or your family member ever give or receive a special gift?

Did you ever receive a special gift from this family member? What made it the best? What was your reaction? How did the gift make you feel? Did this family member ever receive or give a gift that holds family significance?

Did your ancestor share a love of Ireland with you?

Let us know if your ancestor remembered Ireland fondly? Was their Irish heritage important to them? Did they ever speak of Ireland? Did your ancestor ever have the opportunity to return to Ireland? Do you know where in Ireland they were born? Does your family have any known relatives in Ireland? Have you ever visited Ireland and retraced your ancestor's footsteps?

Do you have any photographs of your ancestors that you would like to share?

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 800 MB.

By uploading photographs, you are giving Irish American Mom permission to share these images online, and guarantee that you are the owner of these electronic image files. If you do not have images to illustrate your story, Irish American Mom will create copyright compliant graphics to accompany your text. Some may be quotations from your story, and others may be images of the places associated with your ancestor.

Do you have any closing thoughts or advice to wrap up your story?

What lesson or advice do you wish to share that you learned from your ancestor's experience? If you were to write a thank-you note to your ancestor, what would you say?

Do you have a website or blog you would like to share with readers?

Enter your website url here.

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