Irish Connections

Philadelphia has strong ties to Ireland that continue to this day, including the second oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country, dating back to 1771. Most of the early Irish immigrants came to America through Philadelphia, with many settling in the region – they were the largest foreign-born group in the city until 1910, and even made up a large part of the “Pennsylvania Line,” a unit under George Washington in the Revolutionary War.

Half-Day Itinerary:

•    Celebrate James Joyce, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century at The Rosenbach Museum and Library, where visitors can see selections from the author’s original “Ulysses” manuscript.

•    Visit The Irish Memorial, located at Front and Chestnut streets, dedicated to the memory of more than one million innocent men, women and children who perished during the years 1845 to 1850 and to the millions of Irish immigrants who found here the freedom, liberty and prosperity denied to their ancestors in Ireland.  Designed by artist Glenna Goodacre, the memorial opened to the public on October 25, 2003.

•    See the Common Ground: Global Heritage mural at Olney High School West in Philadelphia, a collaborative effort between artist James Burns, more than 100 students from the City of Philadelphia, eight students from Dublin, Ireland and their instructor Irene O’Donohugh, and resident artist Fiona Whelan. This mural is one of more than 3000 in Philadelphia, and part of the city’s Mural Arts Program.

Make It a Full Day:

•    Visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see Irish painter George Barrett’s picturesque landscapes, and be sure to stop in the European Decorative Arts and Sculpture gallery, featuring Irish furniture, silver and stemware.

•    Tour the Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia’s famous prison-turned-museum that once held notorious bank robber “Slick” Willie Sutton, the son of Irish immigrants. In 1885, the foreign-born Irish alone accounted for 35 percent of the arrests in the city, while representing only a tenth of the population.

•    Irishmen formed one-fourth to one-third of the Continental unit called the “Pennsylvania Line,” which served as one of the most reliable that Washington had – visit Valley Forge to see where they fought, and stop by the King of Prussia mall for some tax-free shopping on your way back to the city.

•    Dine at McGillin’s Olde Ale House, the oldest continuously operating tavern in Philadelphia, opened by Irish immigrant William McGillin in 1860.

Make It a Weekend:
Day 2

•    Start the day off with a visit to Old St. Mary’s Church and Cemetery, Philadelphia’s second oldest Roman Catholic Church, built in 1763. Old St. Mary’s Cemetery is the final resting place of Commodore John Barry, the Irish father of the American Navy who was the first to capture a British ship during the Revolutionary War, and Thomas Fitzsimons, one of the signers of the Constitution and member of the Continental Congress.
 
•    Sign up for a traditional Irish dance lesson or see an Irish music concert presented by The Philadelphia Ceili Group at The Irish Center, located in Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy neighborhood.

•    Check Irish Philadelphia’s online calendar for information on where to see local Irish bands, parades, currach races, rugby matches, a reenactment by The 69th Pa Irish Volunteers and more.

•    Toast, taste, and never miss your team’s football or rugby match by visiting one of Philadelphia’s many Irish pubs: Black Sheep Pub and Restaurant, Fadó Irish Pub, Irish Pub, The Irish Times, The Plough & the Stars, or Tir Na Nog Bar & Grill.