LAST UPDATE | 30 Aug 2024

A NEW SCULPTURE honouring Irish-Choctaw links has been unveiled in Oklahoma today by Minister of State Thomas Byrne and members of the Choctaw nation.

The eight-foot tall Eternal Heart sculpture was created by Choctaw nation tribal member Samuel Stitt. It was unveiled at the Choctaw Capitol Grounds. 

The sculpture, which combines a Celtic trinity shape intertwined with a heart that is placed facing Ireland, was a joint commission that was funded by the government of Ireland and the Chahta Foundation. 

Speaking on the launch, Byrne said that the memorial will be “a permanent symbol of the enduring and meaningful friendship between our two nations, a relationship which began with an act of solidarity and extraordinary generosity during the darkest years of the Great Irish Famine”.

In 1847, the Choctaw Nation, having recently endured the journey known as “the trail of tears”, came together to raise over $170 – now equivalent to $5000 – to send to Ireland during the Great Famine to offer support. The donation was sent to Midleton in Cork, where it provided relief to locals in what is now regarded as the worst year of the Irish Famine: Black ’47. 

In 1995, then President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, visited the Choctaw Nation to express gratitude and rekindle the friendship between the two nations. While there, she was appointed ‘Honorary Chief of the Choctaw Nation’. 

In 2017, a sculpture named the ‘Kindred Spirits’ was erected in Midleton to honour the connection. 

“This unveiling is an important opportunity to reflect on the tragic events of our past and to remember the remarkable humanitarian efforts that forged the bonds of friendship between our nations,” Byrne said today. 

Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton echoed Byrne’s sentiments, and said that the nation is “grateful for the giving hearts of our Choctaw ancestors that brought us here today”.