{"id":358579,"date":"2026-03-22T00:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T00:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/358579\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T00:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T00:36:12","slug":"how-an-1847-choctaw-donation-to-ireland-now-funds-students-through-ucc-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/358579\/","title":{"rendered":"How an 1847 Choctaw donation to Ireland now funds students through UCC scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"

It might have formed the basis of one of history\u2019s most unlikely friendships, beginning with a Native American tribe\u2019s selfless act to help Irish famine victims.<\/p>\n

More than a century later, Cordell Palmer, a member of the Choctaw Nation, is among those benefitting from his community\u2019s extraordinary legacy.<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old is studying for a master\u2019s degree in international public policy and diplomacy at University College Cork (UCC) thanks to the Choctaw-Ireland scholarship.<\/a>\n <\/p>\n

The initiative was introduced to acknowledge the generosity and humanitarianism displayed by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, who gifted funds to the Irish during the Famine.<\/p>\n

A monument in Bailick Park, Midleton, known as the Kindred Spirits sculpture,<\/a> serves as a reminder to this day of an unforgettable gesture.<\/p>\n

\n HISTORY HUB\n <\/p>\n

If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE<\/a> and happy reading <\/p>\n

The stainless steel feathers honour an extraordinary act of solidarity in March 1847, when the Choctaw Nation gathered roughly $170 to help feed Ireland\u2019s starving poor.<\/p>\n

Trail of Tears<\/p>\n

Their donation was later distributed by the Quakers to purchase food and essential supplies for the Midleton area. It came despite the trauma of the Trail of Tears, when the tribe was forced to relocate.<\/p>\n

The brutal displacement uprooted more than 60,000 Native Americans, including the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole peoples.<\/p>\n

Thousands died from starvation and harsh weather conditions amid the mass upheaval between 1830 and 1850.<\/p>\n

Cordell says he is grateful for the sacrifices made by his ancestors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Choctaw-Ireland scholarship has given me the opportunity to study in Ireland, which I\u2019m really grateful to have,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Cordell developed an interest in the Choctaw tribe\u2019s history during his teenage years.<\/p>\n

\" Cordell Palmer: ‘The summer before I began high school, I actually moved to Durant, Oklahoma, where the Choctaw Nation\u2019s tribal headquarters are located.’<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born in Oklahoma City, but I spent most of my childhood in central Arkansas. We had moved there because of my father\u2019s job, and I lived there until my eighth grade year.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight before high school, my dad got a job with the Choctaw Foundation involving data science and numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe summer before I began high school, I actually moved to Durant, Oklahoma, where the Choctaw Nation\u2019s tribal headquarters are located.\u201d<\/p>\n

The relocation came as an awakening for Cordell.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though I am Choctaw, I didn\u2019t have the greatest sense of what that meant. I had been experiencing something different, but that all changed when I moved to tribal land,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did four years of high school there, and I also attended university. Moving to Durant was monumental for me because it\u2019s where I discovered what it means to be Choctaw. Once you\u2019re actually living on tribal land, you start to understand what it means to be Choctaw.<\/p>\n

\n Moving back at 14 to where my parents were originally from and where they grew up on tribal land was one of the biggest game-changers for me\n <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we live, the land is split up. The treaties that were signed back in the 1800s still stand.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you get on to the reservation land, you realise what can be achieved within this boundary. There are things that are done in these communities that would never be seen anywhere outside of this location. They have so many social welfare programmes. There are social welfare programmes and food distribution programmes. There are leases to own programmes and even help for people to plant gardens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss it because you don\u2019t have that community aspect that makes you realise what it is to be a native. You just don\u2019t experience that in other places.\u201d<\/p>\n

‘My own heritage’<\/p>\n

Cordell recalls how his grandfather inspired him to learn more about the Choctaw culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my mum\u2019s dad who first made me aware of my own heritage. He had lived and worked for the Choctaw Nation pretty much his whole life. He had been one of the first people to begin the process back when the tribe regained sovereignty in the \u201870s,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring that time, he worked hand in hand with the guy who is chief now. It was through this side of the family that I learned more about my culture and heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe died a few years ago, but it was him who passed on that love for my culture and my people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Kindred Spirits sculpture commemorates the 1847 donation by the Native American Choctaw Nation to Irish famine relief during the Great Hunger. It is inBailick Park, Midleton, Cork. File Picture David Creedon \/ Anzenberger<\/p>\n

Cordell praises the attitudes of Irish people towards his tribe.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople here are very open and understanding about what it means to be native. They learn in public school about the potato famine and the money set over by the Choctaw people. They have an awareness about the relationship that was built,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m lucky in that I haven\u2019t really experienced any lack of understanding or ignorance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey know about the monument in Midleton.\u201d<\/p>\n

The connection between Ireland and the Choctaw Nation never ceases to fascinate Cordell.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just incredible to think that this relationship began almost 200 years ago. Now, all these years later, we get to carry it on. This was a relationship born out of kindness and generosity that, all this time later, we still get to celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It might have formed the basis of one of history\u2019s most unlikely friendships, beginning with a Native American…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358580,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5658,79,2284,61,60,43],"class_list":["post-358579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-irish-examiner-instagram","tag-cork-news","tag-history","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}