Our Rich History: Celebrating St. Patrick’s day — the Irish in our region; parade one of nation’s largest

By Paul A. Tenkotte
Special to NKyTribune

The following has been adapted from the entry, “Irish Americans,” by Paul A. Tenkotte, which appeared in The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky (2009). The encyclopedia, in its entirety, is now available for free in downloadable PDFs from the nationally-based Project Muse.

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) is one of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region’s favorite celebrations. Since the 19th century, Cincinnati has been hosting one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parades in the nation.

Over the years, the parade route has changed. For instance, in March 1877, there were two metropolitan-based processions, one on Saturday and a second on Sunday. The Saturday procession wound its way through Cincinnati and then across the L&N Bridge to Newport and its streets, before returning to Cincinnati. The Sunday procession also began in Cincinnati, but traveled over the John Roebling Bridge to Covington and traversed its streets, and then wound its way back to Cincinnati.

6-year-old Anthony J. Geisen displaying his patriotism, 1913, St. Patrick Church, Covington.

The festivities continued throughout the week in Cincinnati, with a musical program at Hibernia Hall featuring Northern Kentucky violinist Joseph Tosso, of Mexican heritage, playing a medley of Irish tunes entitled “Souvenirs of Erin.”

The Irish came to our region in two distinct waves, first that of Scots-Irish, who were principally Protestant, and second, a wave of Irish Catholics.

The Scots-Irish originally hailed from the lowlands of Scotland, and following Queen Elizabeth I (ruled 1558-1603) of England’s systematic conquest of Ireland, they settled in Ulster, the northern province of Ireland. Rising rents, drought, and English prejudice against their Presbyterian roots were an impetus for hundreds of thousands of Scots-Irish to immigrate to the Colonies in North America before the Revolutionary War and to the US after Independence. Settling in Pennsylvania and the southern mountains, many eventually made their way to Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The second and largest wave of Irish immigration, principally Catholic, was propelled by a number of causes. The Penal Laws against Catholics in Ireland, the failure of revolts against the British, enclosure of farmland for herding, the displacement of cottage industries by cheaper British manufacturing, the Great Famine (1845-1850), and subsequent potato failures in the 1870s and 1880s all contributed to the “push factors” motivating millions to leave. “Pull factors” in the U.S. included economic opportunity, democracy, and religious freedom. In fact, Irish immigration to the U.S. and other places worldwide, as well as other political and economic conditions in Ireland, so impacted the population of Ireland that it literally was halved, from 8.5 million in 1841 to 4.25 million in 1926.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, Philadelphia St., Covington; Photo by Ray Hadorn Sr.

The Great Famine attracted attention throughout the world. According to the Licking Valley Register, the citizens of Covington collected $161 in August 1847 for the “destitute of Ireland.” Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky provided many employment opportunities for Irish immigrants. As early as 1839, the Western Globe (Covington) reported that Irish workers, whom they called the “ ‘salt of the earth’ for public works” were employed among the construction crews of the Covington and Lexington Turnpike, and later on the Covington and Lexington Railroad.

Jobs for men in construction were not the only employment opportunities. Sometimes this Irish immigration assumed a form unlike that of other earlier and later immigrant groups, in that a mother or eldest daughter often was sent to the US first. She would obtain employment, usually as a domestic servant, would save money, and then would send for the next oldest daughter, etc., until the husband and sons joined the family in America. This was the case with an Irish mother of seven children who, the Covington Journal reported in 1851, initially immigrated to Covington, became a washer woman, saved money, sent for her eldest and second daughters, and finally, her husband, three sons, and two youngest daughters.

The Irish of the Great Famine and afterwards were as a rule devoutly religious. St. Mary Catholic Church in Covington (founded 1833; renamed the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption) served their needs, as did the English-speaking congregations of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Newport (established 1855), St. Patrick Catholic Church in Covington (organized 1872). St. Anthony Catholic Church in Bellevue (founded 1889), and St. James Catholic Church in Ludlow (founded 1886).

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Ky., an English-speaking sisterhood, taught many of the Irish children in Northern Kentucky and also established two schools of their own, LaSalette Academy in Covington and Immaculata Academy in Newport. Irish-American priests, like Rev. Patrick Guilfoyle (1817-1892) of Immaculate Conception Church and Rev. Thomas McGrady of St. Anthony were well-beloved by their congregations. Guilfoyle believed that every family should be able to own a home, so he invested church funds in building about 500 affordably-priced houses in Newport. Unfortunately, economic conditions experienced a downturn in the 1870s, and his dream came to a crashing halt.

Fr. Theobald Mathew (1790-1856), the “Irish Apostle of Temperance.”

In addition to their religious institutions, the Irish established a number of fraternal and political organizations. These included the Ancient Order of Hibernians, which had chapters in Covington and Newport in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the National Land League (Parnell Branch, No. 1, Newport), and the Fenians (The Irish Republican Brotherhood) of the second half of the nineteenth century. An estimated 150 Fenians from Covington and Newport joined the 1866 failed invasion of British Canada. The Friends of Irish Freedom, whose members purchased Republic of Ireland Bonds, founded Covington, Newport, and Ludlow branches in 1920.

Irish culture gained American admirers throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century. One of the most famous Irish visitors to the area was Rev. Theobald Mathew (1790-1856), the “Irish Apostle of Temperance.” Mathew toured the U.S. from 1849 to 1851 and administered a “total abstinence pledge” to 600,000 American Catholics and Protestants. He spoke in Covington on June 29, 1851.

There is an old saying that “There are two types of people—those who are Irish and those who wish that they were Irish.” No matter who you are, remember to wear some green on St. Patrick’s Day and celebrate!

We want to learn more about the history of your business, church, school, or organization in our region (Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky). If you would like to share your rich history with others, please contact the editor of “Our Rich History,” Paul A. Tenkotte, at tenkottep@nku.edu. Paul A. Tenkotte is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Public History at NKU.