Irish immigrants have a long history with Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. Throughout the nineteenth century, Indianapolis provided an urban environment for Irish Americans seeking opportunity in the Midwest. Many working-class Irish immigrants who came to Indianapolis found homes just southeast of the city center. So many Irish people lived in the neighborhood that it became known as Irish Hill. Researchers in the 1930s found that around 90% of Irish people living in Marion County at the time had once lived in Irish Hill. There was also a large Irish population in Fountain Square to the south.
Most of the Irish living in these neighborhoods came to the United States to escape famine and poverty. They did not have very much money and needed to work hard to support themselves. Some men found work building canals, roads, and railways in and around the city. Others worked in factories like the nearby Kingan and Company meat-packing plant. Unmarried workers often stayed at boarding houses operated by other Irish immigrants in the community. Hannah O’Connor, an Irish woman living on Georgia Avenue, had twelve railroad workers staying in her boarding house in 1880, most of them Irish. Like many women in the neighborhood, Hannah made a living doing domestic work. There were plenty of jobs for women around immigrant labor hubs. However, they had very few choices for what type of work they could do.
In addition to having jobs, the Irish neighborhoods in Indianapolis had a strong sense of community. This was largely built around religion. Most Irish immigrants were devout Catholics, and the church was central to their social and spiritual life. In the 1830s, there were very few Catholics and no Catholic churches in the city. Early Irish immigrants had to celebrate Mass in bars and rented rooms. The Irish community helped establish Indianapolis’s first Catholic parish, Holy Cross, in 1837. St. John the Evangelist Church was built in Irish Hill in 1850, and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church opened in Fountain Square in 1865. These churches started schools, hosted social events, and supported the needs of the Irish community.
In Irish Hill and Fountain Square, Irish immigrants worked hard to support themselves and each other. They created strong community bonds in their places of work, worship, and rest. Over time, Indianapolis’s Irish population spread throughout the city, and Irish Hill and Fountain Square welcomed diverse new residents. The neighborhoods still hold the memory of the Irish immigrants who built them.
]]>Beginning in the mid-1800s, Irish Hoosiers around the state gathered each March 17th to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. This holiday celebrates St. Patrick, a saint who served as a missionary in Ireland in the fifth century. The Catholic Church credits Patrick with bringing Christianity to Ireland. The Catholic faith became an important part of Irish identity over the years. As the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick came to symbolize both Catholicism and Irish patriotism.
Indiana’s largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration took place in Indianapolis. The Ancient Order of the Hibernians (AOH) and an independent Irish military group called the Emmett Guards organized the day’s activities. After celebrating mass, Irish societies gathered at the Masonic Hall on the corner of Washington Street and Capitol Avenue. Social, political, and charitable groups like St. Patrick’s Temperance Society and the United Irish Benevolent Association joined the AOH and Emmett Guards in procession. Bands played Irish tunes and Irish and non-Irish spectators cheered as the parade made its way around the city center.
After the parade, guests attended a banquet at the Masonic Hall. People ate and drank while politicians, military leaders, and Catholic clergymen delivered speeches. The hall was decorated with Irish and American flags. Likewise, the speeches celebrated the Irish and American identities of the majority immigrant audience. Speakers remembered Ireland with pride and called for the country to be free of English rule. The speakers also blessed America as their new home and encouraged the audience to embrace their opportunities and responsibilities as American citizens. The evening ended with music and dancing. The holiday activities allowed the Irish community in Indianapolis to honor the life of a beloved saint and celebrate their identity as Irish Americans.
Indianapolis continues to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the present. Today, the popular holiday holds more cultural than religious significance and is celebrated by Irish and non-Irish people alike.
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