What it means to be Irish in Iowa on St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is a great day to be Irish in Iowa. From Davenport to Sioux City, from Dubuque to Des Moines and Council Bluffs, thousands of Iowans will be celebrating their Irish heritage. They’ll be marching, orating and, of course, hoisting a few in the commemoration of their ancestry. “Slainte,” as the Irish would say. “Good health to you.”

But being Irish is more than the percentage on your DNA test. Being Irish in general, and being Irish in Iowa in particular, means that you have a knowledge of the sacrifice made by the tens of thousands of immigrants who took a chance on a future in the Hawkeye State. Unfortunately, most Irish Iowans know almost nothing about the pioneers and progressives who helped make our state what it is today.

That’s what I learned when I set out to write a book on the Irish of Iowa. If you ask the typical Iowan about the Sullivan Brothers, many will tell you about the sacrifice made by five sailors who gave their lives for their country. Ask those same Iowans about Kate Shelley, and a few will recall a brave young girl who saved hundreds of people from being injured or killed in a horrible train wreck.

Beyond those well-known figures, however, most Iowans know precious little about the Irish heritage of our state. So on this special day, let’s salute some of the lesser-known members of this special clan known as the Iowa Irish. Here are a selection of special people who continue to touch our lives to the present day.

Consider the Irish women who established many of the schools, hospitals and asylums in our state. Tens of thousands of Iowa children were educated by Irish-born women such as Mary Frances Clarke and the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the religious order she established in Dubuque in 1843. And many others were nursed back to health by Irish-born nuns at one of the many Mercy Hospitals across the state. The quality of that service is evident in their religious vows.

How about the thousands of Irishmen who cut timbers and laid the tracks for the many miles of railroads that crisscrossed the state in the 19th century. The task was so daunting that working on the rails was referred to as “hell on wheels.”

Another group of forgotten Irishmen are the journalists who championed free speech.  At some risk to his own life, Dennis Mahony of Dubuque was a vocal critic of the prosecution of the Civil War. Another journalist of note was Fred Sharon of Davenport who exposed the British indifference to poverty and injustice in Ireland. Both men used their newspapers to advocate social change.

Independence for Ireland was a passion and a preoccupation for the Irish in Iowa. Led by John Brennan of Sioux City, Monsignor Michael Flavin of Des Moines and Michael V. Gannon of Davenport, Iowans gave tens of thousands of dollars in aid for their native land. Their commitment to the cause was rewarded by visits from Irish patriots such as Michael Davitt and Charles Stewart Parnell, for whom the town of Parnell is named.

And let’s not forget the good people of communities such as Garryowen, Melrose and Emmetsburg who have remained faithful to their ancestors' commitment to faith and fatherland. For these communities, being Irish is a lot more than quaffing a pint or two on a cold day in March.

Finally, I want to salute the Iowans who sustain two wonderful cultural events each August. Take a moment and check out what is being offered at the annual Irish Hooley in Dubuque (www.irishhooley.org) and the Iowa Irish Fest in Waterloo (www.iowairishfest.com) if you are interested in the best of Irish cultural education and entertainment. 

Researching and writing Irish Iowa was a moment of personal pride and satisfaction. To be sure, I was born Irish in Michigan, received an education at Notre Dame, and spent parts of my career in Illinois and Virginia, but it was my move to Iowa that gave this “Irish immigrant” a sense of home.

Timothy Walch is the director emeritus of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch and the author of "Irish Iowa, now available in book stores and online.