It is the gold and green time of year again. St. Patrick’s day items
can be found in most stores and Colorado is known for throwing one of the
largest parades this side of the Mississippi. Things are different though this
year. Our parade this year was canceled due to fears around the coronavirus. As
everyone is questioning what the future will hold, let’s take a look at the
Irish in Colorado’s past.
The potato famine of 1845-1849 in Ireland had people fleeing the
country in mass. Even though the potato was a new world food, people like the
Irish had become dependent on it. With this mass exodus, many of these Irish
made their way to Colorado. They found work as “miners, railroad workers,
soldiers, and domestic servants” (Flewelling, 6). The Irish were also
supportative of the labor movement and unionization. They also helped to lead
strikes in Leadville (Flewelling, 9). In April 1882 Oscar Wilde, Irish author,
gave a speech at the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, to his fellow countrymen (Trembath,
2015). Also during the 1920s the KKK
targeted the Irish, mostly for their Catholic beliefs (Martinelli, 21).
Even back in 1867 Denver was celebrating St. Patricks day with a ball
hosted by the Fenians (Martinelli, 17). The first acknowledged parade was in
1889 (“History”). The St. Patrick’s day parade in Denver was stopped in 1902
due to the KKK’s political influence in the state and it did not start again
until 1966 (Martinelli, 23). I found it interesting with the different date
that the parade was supposed to start back up. The parade’s website said that
the first unofficial/official parade happened in 1962/63 (“History”). There
seems to be some confusion as to when the parade started again. Either way it
was a long break that was influenced by the political climate in Colorado.
Famous Irish Coloradoans:
J.K. Mullen: Flour mill millionaire who first arrived in Denver in 1871
(Flewelling, 7). He was an Irish man that supported the temperance movement (Flewelling,
7). Mullen also helped create several social groups to support his fellow Irishmen
and helped build several churches including the Cathedral Basilica of the
Immaculate Conception which is still open today (Trembath, 2015).
Joseph Murry: Labor leader and one of the founding members of the
Greeley agricultural colony (Flewelling, 9).
Events:
March 14th, 2020
Dry Dock Brewing,
12pm-?
I have been to
this event going on 2 years now. The food is amazing.
Works Cited:
“History.” Denver St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2020
Flewelling, Lindsey. The Orange
and the Green: The Irish in Colorado’s Mining Towns. Colorado Heritage: The
Magazine of History Colorado, Summer 2017.
Martinelli, Phylis. Denver’s
Irish Resist Nativism 1890-1920. Colorado Heritage: The Magazine of History
Colorado, Summer 2017.
Trembath, Brian K. The Irish in
Colorado Part One – A St. Patrick’s Day Primer. Denver Public Library:
Genealogy, African American & Western History Resources. March 12, 2015.
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