March 12, 2024: The Irish in Savannah

"The refugees seeking haven in America were poor and disease-ridden.  They threatened to take jobs away from Americans and strain welfare budgets.  They practiced an alien religion and pledge allegiance to a foreign leader.  They were bringing with them crime.  They were accused of being rapists."  It was the mid-I800s, and these were the Irish.  

Irish have been coming to Savannah since the colony was founded.  They came in large numbers in the mid I800s due to the Great Potato Famine and provided cheap labor to build the railroads and canals, drain the swamps, and unload cargo from the ships.  They brought their values:  separatism, independence, and egalitarianism as they settled into neighborhoods such as Frogtown, Yamacraw, and Old Fort.   They joined for police and fire forces and became active in the political life of the city.  

In I824, the newly created Hibernian Society invited all of Savannah to join its Irish for a discourse on the Feast of St Patrick, a greening of the fountains, and an honoring of the dead at Johnson Suare.  Saturday will mark the 200th anniversary of the celebration's parade on Saturday, March I6, the third largest in the world, and other festivities.  And as in I824, all of Savannah is invited to wear your green and join the celebration, which marks St. Patrick's feast day of March I7.