This is a 3-stage cache. Stage 1 is located at the Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial. Information gathered there will provide coordinates to Stage 2, a historic cemetery that is the final resting place of a prominent Irish immigrant. The monument to this man will provide a projection to the location of the cache.
Part 1: Plight
Like many Irish Americans, the roots of my Irish ancestry here in the United States can be traced back to the mid 1800s. During this time, Ireland was in the midst of the Great Irish Famine. The famine was caused by the potato blight, a fungus that destroyed crops throughout Ireland’s farmlands. Minimal assistance from England caused many Irish to starve, forcing families to leave their homeland and seek a better life in the United States.
The listed coordinates will bring you to the center of the Rhode Island Irish Famine Memorial. If you haven’t done so, be sure to find Rhode Island Famine Memorial, the traditional cache that is located nearby. Vandals stole one of the bronze plaques for the memorial in September of 2018. The memorial was repaired and rededicated on September 14th, 2019. Make your way through the memorial and read the historical narrative. The information here will yield the coordinates to Stage 2.
Stage 2 is located at
41 52.ABC
-71 24.DEF
A) The number of years that the Great Irish Famine lasted, minus 7.
B) The first digit of Ireland’s population after the famine, minus 6.
C) The first digit of the number of families that were evicted from their homes as a result of being too sick to work and pay rent.
D) An Irish poet referred to the Atlantic Ocean as the “_____ of Tears.” The number of letters to the missing word will provide the “D” digit.
E) The number of people in the center of the memorial wall (look carefully).
F) The first digit in “Black _ _” regarded as the worst year of the Great Irish Famine.
As you have read, the famine took a great toll on the Irish. Many left Ireland for the United States, seeking food, shelter, and work. Assimilation was not easy, and “Irish Need Not Apply” signs were common in many cities. However, prosperity did come for many. One such immigrant, mentioned in the historical narrative, was Patrick J. McCarthy. Stage 2 will bring you to McCarthy’s ornate gravestone.
Part 2: Success and Inspiration
Despite hunger, a long sea voyage on a “coffin ship”, the death of his parents, and the hostile attitudes towards Irish immigrants, Patrick J. McCarthy became a well-educated, prominent figure in Rhode Island history. After being quarantined in Boston, McCarthy was separated from his brothers and spent years being shuffled between various relatives and orphanages.
Through luck and grit, McCarthy earned a law degree from Harvard in 1876. McCarthy became a respected lawyer and served on the Providence City Council and Rhode Island House of Representatives. In 1906, McCarthy was elected mayor of Providence, the first and thus far only immigrant to be elected to that office in Providence. McCarthy supported the suffrage movement, attacked monopolies, and favored benefits for city workers such as set work days and pension programs. He became an important symbol of the success Irish immigrants could have if they worked hard.
McCarthy's portrait that hangs in Providence City Hall
Even in death, McCarthy remains an important symbol, calling out to his homeland, adopted country, and future generations to not forget the sacrifices made by those first Irish immigrants. McCarthy had the following words inscribed on his monument:
“May their history be written that future generations may learn of the heroic efforts and suffering of Irish Catholics at home and abroad for faith and fatherland.”
The cache container will require you to project a waypoint from Patrick J. McCarthy’s grave. Please read the bronze tablet carefully and note that Patrick J. McCarthy is listed towards the bottom of the tablet and on the granite below the tablet. McCarthy’s father was also named Patrick, and his name is listed at the top.
The projection to the final is
NOP feet at a bearing of XYZ degrees
N) The number of “minor sons” that traveled with the elder McCarthys from Ireland.
O) The number of sons that died in 1848, the year the family fled Ireland.
P) Digit for the month of death, plus 4 of John A. McCarthy.
X) The second digit of the day of Patrick J. McCarthy’s birth.
Y) The number of words in the Latin requiem at the bottom of the monument, minus 2.
Z) The number of Patrick J. McCarthy’s children that died in their first year of life plus 6
Certitude is provided to check the final coordinates and to give some additional helpful info in order to find the cc. Don't forget to specify N and W! Please be respectful in the cemetery and adhere to the posted hours. Dogs are not allowed.
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.