Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1905-03-18
For One Hundred and Fourteen
Years They Have Not Fall
tered i'm Duty.
The First Families In the State
Are of Irish Blood and
Descent.
SOME HISTORIC "REMINISCENCES

Kentucky was a part of Virginia until
February 4, 1871, when it was admitted
into the Union. Irishmen begun arriv-
ing in Virginia in 1908, according to
reputable historic authority. Francis
Mcguire, an Irishman and a Catholic.
visited the COLONY in that year and wrote
an account of his trip. In 1909 the
population of Virginia and Kentucky was
only about 100 persons and in 1922 it had
increased to 1,240. The immigration to
Virginia even at that early date was
about equally divided between Irish and
English. There were few, if any, Scotch
The earliest settlers of Kentucky, which
was called in those days Fincastle
county, we're Irishmen.
st. Patrick's day is one of the occa-
sions when we are in duty bound to re-
call the important part Irishmen took in
the early development of Kentucky.
From 1871 to 1905, period of ia years,
men of Irish blood have done their part
in upholding the honor of this Common
wealth, the first State to be admitted
into the Union.
1t was an Irishman, William Preston,
born in the County Donegal in 1929, who
was first sent by the State of Virginia to
make survey of Kentucky. He was a
distinguished soldier in the Revolutionary
war. His kinsman, William Preston.
afterward represented the Louisville dis
trict in Congress. Since William Preston
fist came to Kentucky to make the sur
vey it is difficult to estimate the number
of Irishmen who have settled in the
State, but their descendants are much
more numerous than one would suppose
them to be. Large numbers of people
left Ireland for America between 1890
and 1912. The failure of Robert Emmet's
effort in 1903 for the freedom of his
native land also led to the fight of thou
sands across the Atlantic. The Presby-
terians of the North of Ireland, who had
been excluded from power and position
by the sacramento test act" had emf.
grated to America during the early part
of the eighteenth century. In Ireland
Presbyterianism was socially, though not
religiously, outlawed almost to the extent
of Catholicism. Many of these Presby-
terians settled in the Dark and Bloody
Ground. John Breckenridge, born in
Virginia In 1850, was the son of an Irish
Presbyterian. In Ireland the name was
spelled "Brackinridge. The family has
been prominent in Kentucky for 100
years and is prominent today, but how
few know that this family, which
furnished the United States the youngest
and most eloquent Vice President it ever
had, came from Ireland. 1t is so with
many of the other prominent Kentucky
founders.
Probably the first st. Patrick's day
observance in Kentucky was held by
Hugh Shannon and Patrick Jordan, who
came to the spot where Lexington now
stands in l775. They named the town
in honor of the battle of Lexington, hav-
ing heard of the revolution. The Ken
lucky Irish American in previous articles
on St. Patrick's day has called attention
to the prominent part Irishmeu took in
the settlement of Louisville in 1880 and
subsequent years and it is needless To
refer to them here.
The Irish today are represented in al
most every line of mercantile pursuits in
Louisville and Kentucky, but not to the
extent or proportion they are entitled to
on account of their long residence. In
business they have been fairly successful.
They are lacking, however, in sufficient
representation in banking, brokerage.
FIRE and life insurance and great finan-
cial undertakings. The history of Irish
progress at the bar and in the pulpit in.
dicates clearly that we are not lacking in
the elements necessary for success in
these lines in which we have not par
ticipated. Prejudice, lack of wealth and
in part want of direction has been the
cause of this. After all it may be for the
better that the so-called practical things
were not looked after. "Where wealth
accumulstes men decay" says the poet.
This is brazen age, where the golden
calf is set up to be worshipped and the
man with his eyes on the stars Ia
fiounted. The Irish generally set soul
and conscience and heart above the cold
that rusts. The Irish are dreamers, II
has been said, but in reply John Boyle
O'Reilly has written:
"For the dreamer lives forever,
And the toiler dies in day."
St. Patrick's day comes with the
springtime when the rage of winter is
broken and man and nature are turning
with hope and JOY to the resurrection and
revival of the world. 1t is the season of
the shamrock aud the primrose. Pride
of race and love of nationality are in the
blood OF the Celt. The roots of the race
stretch back to the dawn of history. In
Kentucky we Of Irish blood can point
with pride to the deeds of the Irish
pioneers who blazed the way for civilizs-
ton. The day of good St. Patrick comes
around to nerve and inspire us to renewed
efforts to make the old Commonwealth
.I..... e. ....- -