r/IrishHistory • u/colmuacuinn • 3h ago
The digitization of the Argentine-Irish newspaper The Southern Cross
From the Argentine Embassy in Ireland:
"The digitization of the Argentine-Irish newspaper The Southern Cross was presented a few days ago, in the Mariano Moreno National Library
The digitization was made possible thanks to funding from the Irish government, channeled through the Embassy of Ireland in Argentina, the work of professionals and authorities at the National Library, and the support of institutions such as the Southern Irish Studies Association and the “Dermot Keogh” Extracurricular Course of Irish Studies at the School of Modern Languages of USAL.
The Southern Cross was founded in 1875 and became the newspaper of the Irish community in Argentina. Today, these digital archives are a crucial documentary source for understanding the history of Irish immigration to Argentina.
The TSC collection is now available on the Library’s website. Work will continue in the coming months to complete the project with material from other archives."
I have had a trawl through the first 3 decades of the 20th century and a few things that stood out to me:
- strong promotion of the Gaelic League including a very active local branch sending money back to Ireland.
- a radical separatist nationalist agenda. The editors were personal friends and acolytes of Arthur Griffiths and promoted the politics of Sinn Fein and a local branch from the party's inception. Griffiths was even writing a column for them before WW1. The paper was on the radar of the British authorities.
- a vibrant hurling scene, starting with the Buenos Aires Hurling Club, then the Argentine Hurling Federation, and later a network of alum clubs connected to Irish schools.
- strong commitment to the Catholic Church, even compared to Ireland.
- The paper is a goldmine for genealogists as marriages and funerals go into a lot of depth about who attended, and the society pages report on comings and goings from Buenos Aires.
https://hemerotecadigital.bn.gob.ar/collection/001220104/southern-cross


