The New York IrishNow in paperback the sweeping story of Irish immigrants and their descendants in New York a story almost as old as the city itself. When Ellis Island opened in 1892, nearly four million Irish men and women had already made the journey to America. By the 1990s, Ireland had sent another million or more. New York has been both port of entry and home to the Irish for three centuries. During that time, America's premier city has undergone massive changes,