Okla Hannali and the Irish

I’ve been working on Okla Hannali and thinking about Lafferty's first draft in ‘63. It’s usually said, based on what Lafferty himself disclosed in interviews, that the novel draws heavily from his own experiences and from the stories of Indians he knew personally. That is undoubtedly a major part of it. But I also wonder when he became aware of the connection between the Choctaw and the Irish. Did he know this in his youth?

If you have read Okla Hannali, you probably know that the Choctaw and the Irish people share a bond rooted in a really astonishing act of generosity. In 1847, during the height of the Irish Potato Famine, the Choctaw, reeling from their own suffering after the Trail of Tears, donated $170 to assist Irish famine relief. This compassionate gesture created a lasting connection between the two peoples, one that the Irish have honored and reciprocated in later years.

Given Lafferty’s Irish heritage and his deep interest in Choctaw and Irish history, it seems plausible that this moment informed Okla Hannali in subtle but significant ways. After all, Oklahoma Irish Catholics and the Choctaw were both amid the alien corn. While the novel is largely built from oral histories, important sources such as John Swanson, and personal encounters, the spirit of solidarity between the Choctaw and the Irish probably shaped its emotional and thematic foundation.