title: History of Irish Americans in Boston
context: The Irish have been in Boston since colonial times, when they arrived as indentured servants, merchants, sailors, or tradesmen. According to historian James Cullen, a large number of Irish immigrants arrived as early as 1654, on the ship Goodfellow, and were "sold" into indentured servitude "to such of the inhabitants as needed them."[1]
question: When did the first Irish immigrants arrive in the U.S.?
answers: as early as 1654