History of the Irish in Saint Paul

Irish in Saint Paul, Minnesota have played an integral part in the founding and the growth of the city.

The first Irish to settle in Saint Paul were three demobilised soldiers from Fort Snelling who were natives of Ireland.

Edward Phelan, John Hays and William Evans were all natives of Ireland and had been discharged from Fort Snelling.

Evans settled on Dayton's Bluff, with Phelan and Hays becoming the first people to live on what is now Downtown Saint Paul.

The creek runs from Lake Phalen through Swede Hollow to the Mississippi River and was later used by Hamm's Brewery.

In 1880, Archbishop Ireland attempted to settle the area around Graceville, Minnesota with Irish emigrants from Connemara, County Galway.

The immigrants spoke only the Irish language and established Connemara Patch, a community just downstream from Swede Hollow.

As a result, the Irish's particularly visible role prompted complaints and allegations from other ethnic groups such as the Germans who wanted more representation.

The system allowed known criminals to live in the city as long as they obeyed the law in Saint Paul.

As a result, criminals such as Machine Gun Kelly, John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson lived in Saint Paul.

After the O'Connor brothers retired from politics and a series of high-profile kidnappings occurred, the system fell apart.

[23] The celebration reached a zenith in 1901, when the city's chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians arranged special railroad rates in conjunction with James J. Hill, and as a result 4,000 people took part in the parade.

Note the relatively large density of Irish around Saint Paul.
The Seventh Street Improvement Arches separated Swede Hollow from Connemara Patch. The north side (foreground) of the photograph is Swede Hollow; the area partially visible beyond the arches is the former site of Connemara Patch.