The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-04-03
WHAT THE IRISH DID
The Assistance Given Us by
Sons of Ireland in Our
Early Days.
Erin's immigration Is Recorded
IN Old Annals Of New
England.
Gallant Boys From the Old
Dart Were Always to the
Fore When Wanted.

Fore When Wanted.
Following is the text of the address
delivered by John B. Howe, editor of the
Rochester, (N. W Herald, at the enter
tainment given In Fitzhugh Hall,
Wednesday evening, March IL, for the
benefit of the Catholic orphans of Ro--
chester. Mr.. Howe's subject was Ire
land in the American Revolution"
Ladies and Gentlemen: 1t is natural
that the feast of St. Patrick should stir
many mournful memories in the breasts
of the exiled sons and daughters of Ire.
land; but we may use the occasion to
awaken many happy and inspiring rec
elections as we'll. In the wisdom of
Providence it was ordained that Eng
lish persecution should depopulate, by
successive emigrations, the beautiful
and fertile little island Of the West,
and send it's children to seek new homes
in every nook and corner of the globe.
In almost every civilized country these
banished Irishmen have figured con-
in many instances, they have risen to
distinction far from the land that gave
them birth. But to follow this enor-
nous and continued exodus, and to
study it's influence upon history and the
evolutions of society, would be too great
task. It is my purpose tonight briefly
to review the part played in the Ameri-
can Revolution by men of Irish birth or
Irish parentage.
It is an erroneous impression that the
volume of our immigration did not
reach significant proportions until the
famine of 1917. The immigration Of
Irishmen is recorded in the annals of
New England as early as 1884, when the
General Court OF Massachusetts granted
land on the Merrimac river to certain
Scotch and Irish settlers. After the in
vasion of Ireland by Cromwell, there
were thousands of Irish arrivals in New
England. In 1875 the war of King Phil
ip against the New, England colonists
broke out. In recent magazine article
Thomas Hamilton Murray gives the
names of ia Irishmen who fought with
the .colonists against the Indians led by
Philip. Irish immigration to America
became noticeably large In the early
years of the eighteenth century, and it
included not a few arrivals who were
of 1icfir ;c1, in ;o1 +;
tory. 1t had been quickened after the
accession of William and Mary, when
harsh retalfatory measures against Irish
trade were enacted by the British par
Lament. One Of these Irish pioneers in
America was James Logan of Lurgan,
who came over in 1899 and settled in
Pennsylvania. Several Irish colonies
soon after sprang into existence in
Pennsylvania, and as early as 1880 we
find some Of it's towns christened Derry,
Donegal, Tyronne and Coleraine. In
the year 1929, according to Holmes An
nails of America 5,655 Irishmen arrived
at the port of Philadelphia, as against
only 80 from England, Scotland and
Wales. Froude, the historian, tells us
Of one year in the eighteenth century
when 10000 Irish emigrants settled in
the. New England colonies. In New
York in 1920 Charles Clinton, county
Longford man. founded a home. He
was the father of Gen. Clinton, and the
grandfather Of Dewitt Clinton, the pro-
.jector of the Erie canal Among the
Irish settlers in South Carolina were
Rutledges, Jacksons and Calhouns--
names familiar to the students Of Amer
ican history. The CAROLS of Maryland
had arrived before the close of the sew
enteenth century. In the settlement of
Kentucky we find an lrishman, Major
t Hugh O'Grady, treading the wilderness
side by side with Daniel Boone, ,McLel-
Ian, Hogan, Butler, all Irishmen, and
Kentucky pioneers, were among the first
to explore the country beyond the Ohio
In North Carolina, one of the colonial
governors was James Moore, who head
4 ed the revolution that converted the
provinces from a proprietary to popu-
u lar government. Among the settlers in
Maine was Limerick schoolmaster
!. named al Sullivan, the father of one of the
great heroes Of our revolution.
The brief time at my command does
not permit me to trace the experience
and adventures Of these early Irish set
Il, tiers, though in some instances they
border on the romantic. Nor can stop
Il to examine the record of Irish soldiers
! IN the periodic warfare with the In
Is 53 dams or In that greater conflict between
III the English and French for the posses
6sa sion OF Canada. We must hasten on to
tine time l when the muttertngs of the
81 o9g1rTtaxed and outraged ooloniats were
ling into the roar Of revolution, tt
Ss ts a NJ historic fact that during the eleven
sSyears 81 the agitation between the rBa,. pas-
Isas the Stamp Act and the battle off5
|sS fuence of 5the Irlsl Ssaf.
e, ans NJ Il, Is Z.