Get Your Irish Up

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, and people are gearing up to celebrate the holiday, which commemorates the man responsible for the diplomatic diffusion of Christianity to Ireland. The tendency on March 17^th might be to head across the lake to the Windy City, where they’ll dye the river green. But no travel is required, thanks to the collective efforts of organizations devoted to fostering Irish heritage in West Michigan year-round.

Oft recognized as a Dutch enclave, this area has no shortage of Irish – born, descended, and at heart. Sean O'Donnell, a 33-year-old who came to the States from Co. Donegal, Ireland, in 1992 on an agricultural exchange program, has found comfort in this.

“It's definitely nice to have other people to connect with,” said O'Donnell, who lives on Grand Rapids’ West Side. “It kind of makes you feel at home.”

In the summer, the Muskegon Irish Festival entertains O’Donnell, who gets back to Ireland about every three years. In the fall and winter, it is Irish acts at Quinn & Tuite’s Irish Pub on Plainfield Avenue.

Putting Down Roots
Transplants like O’Donnell are an exception these days. But nearly 2,100 of the 73,253 residents living in Kent County in 1880 were Irish-born. They came in waves in the earlier part of the 19th century – many to dig the canals.

“They came here for jobs and affordability,” said Bill Quinn, co-owner of Quinn & Tuite’s and president of the Kent County chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. “They worked on the canals and the river. A lot of people assume this area is 100 percent Dutch. But the Irish, and others, had a big hand in making it what it is.”

Famine and political troubles brought about by enduring British oppression contributed greatly to the steady stream of immigrants. In his 1891 publication A History of the City of Grand Rapids, Albert Baxter wrote, “they form a not inconsiderable factor of the population, assimilate under our customs and institutions, and in the main become a patriotic and energetic class of citizens.”

The Irish settled mainly in the city’s north end (the area recognized today as the Creston Neighborhood) and on the West Side, around Bridge Street. They also clustered in rural communities like Parnell, north of Ada.

The local Hibernian chapter, formed in 1883, was the second of its kind in the state. Originally created to aid new immigrants, its focus has shifted toward other kinds of charitable giving and the dissemination of Irish culture. The Kent County group has about 100 members.

“You have a large Irish population here,” said Kathleen Gunning, president of the Gaelic League of Western Michigan. Gunning is a first-generation American, originally from Connecticut. Having spent the past 30 years in the state she, like Quinn, is devoted to spreading the culture – she even gives Gaelic lessons to students at St. Paul the Apostle School in Grand Rapids, where she is a teacher.

Beyond Danny Boy
Because this year's holiday falls on a Saturday, O’Donnell plans to hit two prolific venues for Irish happenings: Fenian’s Irish Pub in Conklin and Quinn & Tuite’s. He also will attend Mass.

“St. Paddy's back at home is more of a religious holiday,” said O'Donnell. “You go to church, the parade, and then maybe hit the bars.”

The religious aspect is an important one for the holiday, which falls during Lent. In fact, Catholic churches typically issue a dispensation for eating meat when St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday.

No offense to some conceptions of the holiday, but those seeking a bit more than green beer and revelers decked out in plastic green hats might find relief at places like Quinn & Tuite’s and Fenian’s, where patrons enjoy black, creamy-headed pints, while tapping to the sounds of fiddle, pipes, and bodhran, the drum known as the heartbeat of Irish music.

Of course, you’ll find prototypical carousers, too, adding to the fun. However you celebrate, it’s hard to refute that St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal for a lot of Americans. So what is it that we find so endearing about this island nation, measuring half the size of Michigan?

O'Donnell chalks it up to many things: the vast number of people who have, “or at least claim to have,” he joked, Irish heritage, and maybe the brogue.

“The Irish people are so friendly,” Gunning said. “They have such a rich culture with their history, language, and music. People are just drawn to it.”

Quinn said there’s a certain pride associated with the Irish, unparalleled by many immigrant groups. The drunken stereotype, he said, is the biggest misconception.

“We like to have fun,” he said, “but it’s really about family.”

The 'Craic'
The Irish have a word for fun – ‘craic’ (pronounced “crack”) – and it will be in ample supply in the coming weeks.

This Saturday, March 10^th, Quinn & Tuite’s hosts a family day with local musicians.

Any way you slice it, pubs will be packed on St. Patrick’s Day. McFadden’s, located in downtown GR on Ionia Street, will open at 7 a.m. with a “Kegs and Eggs” breakfast. Down the street, the Black Rose will have bagpipes, as well as bands Oxter Mahone and Black Kettles.

One of Fenian’s Irish Pub’s claims to fame is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. People line up at the north side of Main Street in Conklin at 10:45 a.m. The parade is supposed to end at the south end of the street. However, with the pub in the middle, the route hasn’t been completed in its 20 years. The festivities carry on with music and food.

The annual St. Patrick's Day parade organized by The Ancient Order of Hibernians returns to downtown Grand Rapids, beginning at noon on the 17^th, at the intersection of Lyon and Monroe, heading south on Monroe to Monroe Center, proceeding down Monroe Center to Division, turning right on Division and left on Fulton before ending at Park and Ransom.

After the parade, many organizers, participants, and onlookers head to Quinn & Tuite’s for Guinness stew, corned beef and cabbage, garlic mash, and of course, music. This year’s lineup includes the local Irish band Craic Wisely, Lee Mulder, the Conklin Ceili Band, and Aidan Ward, a musician from Co. Galway, Ireland.