Today marks the Feast of Saint Patrick — Ireland’s biggest annual festival. In some cities there are five days of parades, pubs and people pouring into the streets for their patron saint. Why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the United States, though, and why is it so prominent?
Between 1820 and 1930, around 4.5 million Irish people immigrated to the United States — at least 32 million Americans today have Irish ancestry. And like all other ethnic groups that coexist in America, their contributions have had a substantive impact on our society.
If you’ve ever felt speechless staring at a Georgia O’Keeffe, haunted hearing Billie Eilish, awestruck watching Muhammad Ali move, or like your inner child could leap out of you during a Disney movie, you have Irish immigrants and their descendants to thank.
Fort Wayne itself is a city storied with Irish-American mothers, fathers, entrepreneurs, arts and artisans, and civil & labor rights leaders. The Wabash and Erie canal that once ran through Downtown was dug by Irish laborers.
In short, we have a lot to celebrate. So, whether you identify as Irish, have a soft spot for Guinness, or simply love a good, hearty meal, come out to eat, drink, and be merry in honor of our friends and family from the Emerald Isle.