Irish Chilean
Encyclopedia
Irish Chileans are the inhabitants of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 who either came from some part of the island of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 or are descendants of immigrants from there. Generally coming in the 18th century and early 19th century, the generally Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 Irish were seeking refuge from the oppression of the Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

-run government of the Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

. Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, being a Catholic power, enticed many Irish to move to Latin America. Immigration reduced later in the 19th century as Catholic Emancipation
Catholic Emancipation
Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...

 made emigration to a Catholic nation less of a vital consideration and as the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 established themselves as more viable lands for settlement.

A large proportion of Irish Chileans are sheep farmers in the Magallanes
Magallanes
-Chile:* Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region** Magallanes Province, within this region** Punta Arenas or Magallanes, the main city in the region and province-Philippines:* Magallanes, Agusan del Norte* Magallanes, Cavite* Magallanes, Sorsogon...

 region of the far south of the country, and the city of Punta Arenas has a large Irish foundation dating back to the 18th century.

The most notable Irish Chilean, Bernardo O'Higgins
Bernardo O'Higgins
Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder...

 is often referred to as the "Father of Chile", and is commemorated in many places in Chile.

Notable Irish Chileans

  • Patricio Aylwin
    Patricio Aylwin
    Patricio Aylwin Azócar was the first president of Chile after its return to democratic rule in 1990, following the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.- Early life :...

     Christian Democrat politician, senator, first President of Chile
    President of Chile
    The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...

     after the end of Augusto Pinochet
    Augusto Pinochet
    Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...

    's regime
  • Paz Bascuñán Aylwin
    Paz Bascuñán
    María Paz Bascuñán Aylwin , best known by her stage name of Paz Bascuñán, is a Chilean theatre, film and television actress. She is the grand-daughter of former Chilean president Patricio Aylwin Azócar and Leonor Oyarzún Ivanovic...

     actress
  • Alberto Blest Gana
    Alberto Blest Gana
    Alberto Blest Gana was a Chilean novelist and diplomat, considered the father of Chilean novel. Blest Gana was of Irish and Basque descent....

     writer
  • Pedro Dartnell
    Pedro Dartnell
    Division General Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina was a Chilean military officer and member of the Government Junta of Chile in 1925.-Early life:...

     Chilean Army Inspector General
  • Patricio Lynch
    Patricio Lynch
    Patricio Javier de los Dolores Lynch y Solo de Zaldívar was a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and a Rear Admiral in the Chilean navy, and one of the principal figures of the later stages of the War of the Pacific...

     Admiral of the Chilean Navy
  • Juan Mackenna
    Juan Mackenna
    Brigadier Juan Mackenna was an Irish-born, Chilean military officer and hero of the Chilean War of Independence. He is considered to have been the creator of the Corps of Military Engineers of the Chilean Army....

     General, Chilean patriot
  • Pablo Mackenna
    Pablo Mackenna
    Pablo Mackenna Dörr , is a Chilean television presenter, writer and poet. He was a host of the Chilean version of television show CQC.-Biography:...

    , writer, TV host, poet
  • Bernardo O'Higgins
    Bernardo O'Higgins
    Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme was a Chilean independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. Although he was the second Supreme Director of Chile , he is considered one of Chile's founding fathers, as he was the first holder...

     Supreme Director of Chile
  • Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
    Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
    General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...

    , Chilean general and twice president of the republic
  • Sandra O'Ryan
    Sandra O'Ryan
    Sandra O'Ryan is a Chilean television, theatre and film actress. She was born in Santiago, Chile. She is the mother of the actress María José Urzúa. Her first television appearance was in 1988 in Vivir Así, but she got fame working in the telenovela Amor a Domicilio and in the film La Rubia de...

     actress
  • María José Urzúa O'Ryan
    María José Urzúa
    María José Urzúa O'Ryan is a Chilean actress. She is the only daughter of the actress Sandra O'Ryan. She studied Theatre at Universidad del Desarrollo following her mother's steps. In 2005 joined TVN making a role in the telenovela Versus with Francisco Melo and Cristián Arriagada. María José was...

     actress
  • Camila Vallejo Dowling
    Camila Vallejo
    Camila Antonia Amaranta Vallejo Dowling is a graduate student of geography from the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of Chile, and was elected president of the University of Chile Student Federation in November 2010 - she is the second woman to hold this post after Marisol...

     student and activist
  • Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
    Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna
    Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna was a Chilean writer, journalist, historian and politician. Vicuña Mackenna was of Irish and Basque descent.-Biography:...

     politician, writer (Irish grandmother)

See also

  • Chile-Ireland relations
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