3 Places to Honor Irish History in NYC
March is NYC is practically synonymous with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade! New York City is rich with Irish history, as hundreds of thousand of Irish immigrants fled their homeland for NYC in the mid to late 1800s. Where can you experience Irish history in NYC? Everywhere! Here are some of our favorite locations to pay tribute to NYC’s Irish heritage.
Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC was built between 1809 and 1815. When it was completed, it was the largest church in the city. This becomes even more remarkable when you remember this was a time of extreme prejudice against the Irish-Catholics in the United States. Many Americans feared Catholics would prioitize their allegiance to the church over their allegiance to the country, and saw them as an extreme threat to society. Under the leadership of John Connolly, the city’s first resident bishop, Old St. Patrick’s thrived. It was also the ending place of the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade until 1830.
In 1879, Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral became a parish church, and the congregation moved uptown to what many know today at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Old St. Patrick’s is still open and available for visits. Tours are offered that will even take you underground into the crypts of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral!
Of course, after visiting Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral, you should pay a visit to the St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. To this day, it is still the largest neo-gothic Cathedral in North America, and a monumental source of Irish Catholic pride.
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McSorley’s Old Ale House
McSorley’s Ale House is arguably the oldest continually-operating bar in Manhattan. It opened on East 7th Street in 1854, making it over 170 years old, this year!
McSorley’s was founded by John McSorely, and Irish immigration who left due to crop failure in Ireland. The Ale House famously serves just two drinks, light ale and dark ale. Both are served in half pints. They also served food, including delicious Feltman hot dogs.
Many famous people have passed through the doors of McSorely’s, including Harry Houdini and e. e. cummings. The walls are covered with relics of McSorley’s colorful past. Ask the bartenders to share some of their favorite artifacts, and have them help you find handcuffs that reputedly once belonged to Harry Houdini! McSorley’s is truly a favorite NYC local secret.
Irish Hunger Memorial
Nearly 1 million Irish immigrants came to the United States between 1845-1855. Enough came to make up one third of New York City’s population at the time. They were of course, fleeing what was known as “The Great Hunger.”
To raise awareness about the horrors of The Great Hunger, a memorial was completed in 2002. The memorial is located at the corner of Vesey Street and North End Avenue. The neighborhood is known as Battery Park City, and it’s very close to the World Trade Center Site. The memorial features stones from every county in Ireland, soil from Ireland, and even a 19th century Irish cottage.
This is a local secret that many native New Yorkers have yet to discover. Pay your respects and then visit the nearby NYPD memorial on Liberty Street. This memorial commemorates those from the NYPD who have fallen in the line of duty. Traditionally, a large percentage of the NYPD in NYC have Irish. This is because in the 19th century, police work was not considered a desirable occupation. The barrier to entry was low, so Irish immigrants, despite discrimination in other occupations, could make a decent living in law enforcement. They took great pride in their work, and their descents followed in their footsteps. It seems appropriate that these two memorials should be so near one another.
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