Irish in Omaha, Nebraska

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The Irish in Omaha, Nebraska have constituted a major

ethnic group throughout the history of the city, and continue to serve as important religious and political
leaders. They compose a large percentage of the local population.

In 2000 62,349 of the city's 390,112 residents claimed Irish roots on the

South Omaha in 1900, with 1,073 out of 26,001 residents claiming Irish ancestry.[2] By 1909 that area of the city claimed 2,250 out of their 30,000 residents were of Irish descent.[3]

19th century

"The first church of any

North Omaha.[5]

The Irish have comprised a major component of Omaha's immigrant community since the 1860s.

St. Philomena.[9] O'Gorman, also Irish, died and was buried in Omaha at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in 1874.[10]

In the 1870s and 1880s a major neighborhood for the local Irish community was the

Little Italy.[12]

South Omaha.[13] That year at the Nebraska Republican Party's annual convention in Lincoln, the delegates created a statement showing "the usual approval of the struggle for Irish home rule". The Nebraska Democratic Party
presented a similar statement in its platform, too. [14] Emmet Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood was probably named for Robert Emmet during this period.[15]

In the 1890s the

Roman Catholic Church greatly.[17]

20th century

Starting in the late 19th century, Omaha's Irish

mayor twelve times.[citation needed
]

In 1906

Gaelic League.[18] While there he found the Rev. Dr. Richard Scannell, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha was a native of County Cork and spoke perfect Irish, as did many more residents of the city. After learning that more than one-sixth of the city's residents claimed Irish heritage, Hyde urged them to take steps to preserve their language and history.[19]

In 1909 an Irish policeman named Edward Lowery was murdered trying to arrest a Greek immigrant in South Omaha who was accused of having sex with a young "white" woman. A mob was gathered by Joseph Murphy, an Irish leader in the community, and the ensuing

Greek Town Riot destroyed South Omaha's Greek community, and the neighborhood was never rebuilt.[20] In 1913 Harry Haywood's father was beaten by a gang of Irish youth in South Omaha, leading the family to move to Minneapolis where Haywood later rose to leadership in the Communist Party USA.[21]

En route to an assignment in rural Nebraska in 1912, Irish-born Father

Boys Town. He has since become a symbol of great pride for the Irish community in Omaha.[22]

In the 1920s the Irish Self-Determination Club of Omaha supported Ireland during the Irish War of Independence. The Club made a loan to the Elected Government of the Republic of Ireland in 1919, and made requests to the United States federal government to provide financial support to Ireland.[23]

Tom Dennison's reign as Omaha's political boss ended in the early 1930s when he was brought to trial for

conspiracy. In 1932 he suffered several debilitating strokes. He died in 1934.[citation needed
]

Present

Today there is a strong ethnic Irish presence in Omaha. Several social organizations, including the

Irish culture, including as Brighid St. Brighid Theatre, and the fabulous Craoi na Tire Studio of Irish Dance. The Irish culture also includes the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.[24]

See also

  • History of Omaha

References

  1. ^ "Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights: Selected Population Group: Irish (050, 081)"[permanent dead link], United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 5/7/08.
  2. Dillingham Commission of the 61st United States Congress
    . p 343.
  3. ^ Dillingham, W.P. (1911) p 344.
  4. ^ Hickey, D.R., Wunder, S.A. and Wunder, J.R. (2007) Nebraska Moments. University of Nebraska Press. p 117.
  5. ^ Bristow, D. (2002) A Dirty, Wicked Town: Tales of 19th Century Omaha. Caxton Press. p 44.
  6. ^ Larsen and Cotrell. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 160.
  7. ^ Lamb, B. (2001) Booknotes: Stories from American History. PublicAffairs. p 142.
  8. Morton, J.S., Watkins, A., Miller, G.L.
    (1918) History of Nebraska. Western Publishing and Engraving Company. p 374.
  9. ^ Shea, J.G. (1892) History of the Catholic Church in the United States. p 655.
  10. ^ "Calvary Catholic Cemetery Omaha", Retrieved 5/11/08.
  11. ^ Larsen, Cotrell, Dalstrom and Dalstrom. (2007) The Upstream Metropolis: ". University of Nebraska Press. p. 163.
  12. ^ Larsen, Cotrell, Dalstrom and Dalstrom. (2007) p. 206.
  13. ^ Dillingham, W.P. (1911) p 341.
  14. ^ Morton, J.S., Watkins, A., Thomas, A.O. (1918) History of Nebraska. p 611.
  15. ^ "Omaha street names" Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine, Douglas County Historical Society. Retrieved 5/11/08.
  16. ^ Larsen, Cotrell, Dalstrom and Dalstrom. (2007) p 209.
  17. ^ Larsen and Cotrell. (1997) The Gate City: A history of Omaha. University of Nebraska Press. p 161.
  18. ^ Dunleavy, G.W. (1974) Douglas Hyde. Bucknell University Press. p 50.
  19. ^ Dunleavy, J.E. and Dunleavy, G.W. (1991) Douglas Hyde: A Maker of Modern Ireland. University of California Press. p 275.
  20. ^ Larsen, Cotrell, Dalstrom and Dalstrom. (2007) p. 213.
  21. ^ Larsen, Cotrell, Dalstrom and Dalstrom. (2007) p. 216.
  22. ^ Larsen, Cotrell, Dalstrom and Dalstrom. (2007) p. 374.
  23. ^ "Irish Self-Determination Club of Omaha"[usurped], Nebraska State Historical Society. Retrieved 5/11/08.
  24. ^ IrishOmaha.com. Retrieved 5/11/08.

External links

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