Matthew Jude Barker is a lifelong resident of Greater Portland. He has been a
genealogical and historical researcher since 1981, from the age of eight. Since 1996, he has
written Maine history article for multiple publications. Matt was a contributor to, They Change
Their Sky, The Irish In Maine (2004) and John Ford In Focus (2008), as well as two other history
books. He is the author of The Irish of Portland, Maine, A History of Forest City Hibernians
(2014), Becoming American (2025), and The Blue and The Green (2025). He researched and
compiled the Maine Irish Heritage Trail for Acroglobal.
Matt is a genealogist and the resident historian at the Maine Irish Heritage Center, where has been involved since the late 1990s, when he was a member of the Friends of St. Dominic’s, working to save the historic Irish church which became the MIHC.
Matt is lately speaking about his new publications, Becoming American, Portland, Maine’s Irish and The Making of Immigrant America,1840-1861, and The Blue and The Green, The Irish of Portland, Maine During The Civil War Era,1861-1870. This era was tumultuous and altered the Irish community of Portland forever. The Great Hunger, the Great Irish Potato Famine (1845-51); the coming of the railroad and steamships; the Maine Law and Neal Dow’s fanatical battle against alcohol; the rise of the Know-Nothings, a not so secret nativist group who attacked Irish communities everywhere; the
“Rum Riot” of 1855; the Panic of 1857; the creation of the Republican party and their battles
with the Democrats; the coming of the Civil War; the countless Portland Irishmen who fought in
the war; the Fenians; the Great Fire of July 4, 1866; and the completion and dedication of the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (1869) are among the myriad events and issues that
appear in these books. Matt will also talk about the social history of the Portland Irish in this
era, including domestic maids, family life, the workers of the Portland Company and the Sugar
House, longshoremen, and social organizations. This era truly was the genesis of the Irish
Catholic community of Portland.
For speaking engagements or other inquiries: mjudebark@gmail.com.
Matthew Jude Barker 