The potato famine of 1845-48, plagued the country of Ireland and pushed many Irishmen to flee to the land of promise, the USA. Patrick Kennedy was among those to leave his home in Wexford County, Ireland, in 1848, in hopes of finding a better life in the US. Once he arrived in the US, he settled in East Boston, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Upon Patrick's arrival in Boston, he immediately became involved in politics. He was known as a Ward Boss in Boston, looking out for the other Irish immigrants and trying to improve the conditions in the community.123