Irish immigration to the u. s. began during the early development of the american colonies. it is estimated that 200,000 irish came to the u. s. in the 17th and 18th centuries. the numbers swelled from 1820 to 1850 to almost 2 million irish immigrants. most of these were fleeing the potato famine from 1845 until 1852. steady numbers continued to arrive during the late 19th and 20th centuries. today, over 36 million americans claim some level of irish ancestry. what is the paragraph above mostly about?