Coronavirus: Why Irish fundraisers are helping the Native American Choctaw nation

In 1847, the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma made a donation of $170 to help people suffering thousands of kilometres away in the Irish famine. At the time, the Native Americans were themselves being forced from their native lands - known as the 'Trail of Tears'.

It was an act of generosity and solidarity the Irish have never forgotten, and now many are donating to crowdfunding sites set up to help Native Americans facing hardship because of the coronaviras.

The Irish language rights campaigner, Gráinne Ní Ghilín, told us more about the two peoples' shared history.

(Photo: The sculpture 'Kindred Spirits' by artist Alex Pentek in Midleton, County Cork. It was commissioned to commemorate the 1847 donation. Credit: Brian Martin)