Since the early seventeenth century, March 17 has been celebrated as the feast day of Saint Patrick, the fifth century Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Initially the day focused on Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, but more recently the day has also become a celebration of Irish culture and heritage, especially in the United States. So, this month we remember the strong Irish heritage of our own community of Dubuque.
Irish-born immigrants were one of Dubuque’s largest ethnic groups as early as 1835. They were attracted by the inexpensive farmland, jobs in the mines, as well as freedom from the derision they sometimes experienced in the eastern US. Early Irish settlers then encouraged others to follow them to Iowa. Charles Corkery, one of Dubuque’s first settlers, reported that wheat, oats, and potatoes of Iowa were equivalent to those of Ireland. Bishop Loras also encouraged the Irish to come west to Iowa. And come they did. In 1846, Dubuque's first ward became known as "Little Dublin," and the Irish accounted for approximately one-quarter of the city’s population in the 1850 and 1860 census counts.
Despite his encouragement of Irish settlers, the relationship between Bishop Loras and these new Iowans was sometimes tense. Irish Catholics in Dubuque accused Loras of favoring French Catholics. In 1852 the Irish also were angered when Loras proposed St. Patrick's Church remain a mission congregation rather than an independent parish. Still, it was by personal invitation of Loras that brought the first religious community to Dubuque, the all-Irish Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Irish immigrants were followed by a small group of Germans who over the years grew to become another major ethnic group in the city. Each group while embracing its new land, also had strong ties to their native heritage. The Irish had the Irish-American Club and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a men's fraternal organization that helped members of the community experiencing hard times and also served as a social center. There continues to be a division of this group in Dubuque County today.
Over time, as Iowa grew and evolved so did Dubuque. Little Dublin's homes began to disappear with the construction of the Julien Dubuque Bridge beginning in 1942. New immigrants continued to come to Dubuque looking for a better life, but they were no longer from Ireland or Germany. Instead, they have come from Sudan, Ivory Coast, Somalia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Iraq, Haiti, Cuba, Bosnia, the former Yugoslavia, Mexico, and Central America. Many older Dubuque families though are descendants of German and Irish immigrants. To learn more about Irish American and Irish history, check out our book display on the Library’s third floor.
0 Comments.