Galegos e irlandeses na diáspora (1830-1950): elementos para unha comparanza

On the basis of the shared ground of Irish and Galician emigration overseas since the nineteenth century, this article offers a comparative analysis of both historical processes and goes beyond the mythical discourse created by galeguismo (and Galician culture in general), which attempted to draw a parallel between both migratory processes, based on a supposed common ethnic origin. The realities of Irish and Galician transatlantic migration were similar to an extent. Yet three main factors determine their radical differences: the chronological periods involved (the second half of the nineteenth century in the case of Ireland, and 1880-1930 in the case of Galicia), the destinations (North America and Australia in the Irish case, and South America in that of Galician), and the work-related and social integration programmes with which the Irish and Galician populations engaged in their respective host countries. The levels of organisation and socio-political protest differed between each migrant community, although both experienced the nationalist and land reform movements within their elites. By analysing how these variables evolved in both cases, important conclusions can be reached which can be useful for the transnational study of migration movements.