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The South Side Irish is the large Irish-American community on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. After 1945, a large-scale movement to the suburbs occurred because of white flight and the steady upward social mobility of the Irish. [1] Although their population has spread out, Irish Americans continue to make up the majority of the ethnic white American population on the south side of Chicago, especially in Beverly, Canaryville, Bridgeport, Scottsdale, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park, Garfield Ridge, Clearing, Evergreen Park, and Oak Lawn.
Irish-Americans have had a presence on the South Side since the 19th century.
Since the 19th century, the ethnic Irish population in Chicago had been largely Catholic, and largely concentrated on the city's south side. Irish Catholics were often economically disenfranchised compared to other European ethnic groups, and often faced anti-irish sentiment or ethnic bias, especially by non-Catholic European groups. The Irish Catholic community was largely tight-knit with census records from the early 20th century suggesting areas like Canaryville, sometimes referred to as “Irish ghettos” being almost exclusively Irish.
By the 20th century, the Irish community began advancing both socially and economically. By the mid-20th century, the Irish had largely assimilated into American society, with many abandoning their Catholic faith, though many also maintaining it. Movement of the South Side Irish to the suburbs became pronounced in the 1940s and 50s due to white flight, highway construction, and governmental policies that encouraged suburbanization.
The South Side Irish Parade is one of three annual St. Patrick's Day parades in Chicago. The South Side Irish Parade originally started in 1979. There was another South Side parade called the Southtown Parade started in the early 1950s. The original Southtown Parade route was on 79th Street from Ashland Avenue to Halsted Avenue in the St. Sabina Parish in Auburn Gresham neighborhood, which had a large Irish population until white flight rapidly occurred in the late 1960s. Some years after Richard J. Daley was elected mayor in 1955, he moved the Southtown Parade downtown and changed the name to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, though it continued on its old route until at least 1958.
On Saturday, March 17, 1979, best friends and original creators George Hendry and Pat Coakley, along with their wives, assembled 17 children (known in parade lore as the "Wee Folks of Washtenaw and Talman") from the West Morgan Park area. The parade route began from the 109th block of S. Washtenaw and Talman streets. Marching to the parade theme of “Bring Back St. Pat”, and an original parade float of a baby buggy covered with shamrocks and the 26 county flags of Ireland, the South Side Irish Parade was born. The theme created by Hendry and Coakley was their way of wanting to bring back the South Side parade that they had enjoyed as children. They had delivered notices along the original parade route to encourage people to participate in the parade by standing and waving from their porches. Popularity continued to grow, and in 1980 it was moved to Kennedy Park with an increased 300 participants, including children, dogs, and a bag piper. [2] It has grown since then and was moved to its current route, down Western Avenue from 103rd Street to 115th Street through the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods, in 1981. The parade, led by the Chicago Stockyard Kilty Band and held on either the Sunday before or the Sunday of St. Patrick's Day every year, it was considered to be one of the largest St. Patrick's Day community celebrations outside of Dublin. The 2008 parade was the 30th annual parade, which was held on Sunday, March 9, 2008. [3] Of the two Chicago parades, the other being in downtown, the South Side Irish Parade was the more raucous occasion. The 2009 parade was presumably the last parade. On March 25, 2009, the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee announced that they were not planning to stage a parade in its present form in March 2010. [2] They noted that the event had become too large for the community to accommodate and the difficulty in policing such a large crowd while maintaining the dignity of the event. However the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee outlined a security plan, saying they "feel will bring this great neighborhood tradition back as the family friendly event it was meant to be". [4] The parade returned on Sunday, March 11, 2012. [5]
Written by Tom Black, Tom Walsh, and Terry McEldowney A.K.A. The Irish Choir
We're the Windy City Irish-where the craic is always best
Where every day is Paddy's Day and everyone's a guest
If you're Irish on the North Side or Irish on the West
Welcome to the South Side come join our Irish Fest!
(Chorus) We're the South Side Irish as our fathers were before
We come from the Windy City and we're Irish to the core
From Bridgeport to Beverly from Midway to South Shore
We're the South Side Irish-Let's sing it out once more!
Our parents came from Mayo, from Cork and Donegal.
We come from Sabina's, St. Kilian and St. Gall
Leo, Visitation, Little Flower and the rest.
The South Side parishes are mighty-they're the best!
Chorus
We live on the South Side-Mayor Daley lived here too
The Greatest Irish Leader that Chicago ever knew
he was always proud of his South Side Irish roots!
So here's to his honor to his memory we'll be true.
Chorus
We sing the songs our fathers sang when they were growing up
Rebel songs of Erin's Isle in South Side Irish Pubs
and when it comes to baseball-we have two favorite clubs
The Go-Go White Sox... and whoever plays the Cubs!
Richard Joseph Daley was an American politician who served as the mayor of Chicago from 1955, and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party from 1953, until his death. He has been called "the last of the big city bosses" who controlled and mobilized American cities. He was the patriarch of a powerful Chicago political family. His son, Richard M. Daley, would also go on to serve as mayor of Chicago and another son, William M. Daley, served as the United States Secretary of Commerce and White House Chief of Staff.
Richard Michael Daley is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term. At 22 years, his was the longest tenure in Chicago mayoral history, surpassing the 21-year mayoralty of his father, Richard J. Daley.
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Bridgeport is one of the 77 community areas in Chicago, on the city's South Side, bounded on the north by the South Branch of the Chicago River, on the west by Bubbly Creek, on the south by Pershing Road, on the east by the Union Pacific railroad tracks, and on the northeast by the Dan Ryan Expressway. Neighboring communities are Pilsen across the river to the north, McKinley Park to the west, Canaryville to the south, and Armour Square to the east. Bridgeport has been the home of five Chicago mayors. Once known for its racial intolerance, Bridgeport today ranks as one of the city's most diverse neighborhoods.
Beverly is the 72nd of Chicago's 77 community areas. Located 12 miles (19 km) from the Loop, it is on the city's far south side. Beverly is considered part of the Blue Island Ridge, along with the nearby community areas of Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood, and Washington Heights, and the City of Blue Island. As of 2020, Beverly had 20,027 inhabitants.
South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. It has undergone several demographic transformations since being annexed to the city of Boston in 1804. The neighborhood, once primarily farmland, is popularly known by its twentieth century identity as a working class Irish Catholic community. Throughout the twenty-first century, the neighborhood has become increasingly popular with millennial professionals.
Ashburn, one of Chicago's 77 community areas, is located on the south side of the city. Greater Ashburn covers nearly five square miles. The approximate boundaries of Ashburn are 72nd Street (north), Western Avenue (east), 87th Street (south) and Cicero Avenue (west).
Morgan Park, located on the far south side of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, is one of the city's 77 official community areas. Morgan Park is located south of the Beverly neighborhood and north of the Chicago city border, and includes Mount Greenwood Cemetery. The community, settled in the mid-19th century, was initially known as North Blue Island, being located close to the existing town of Blue Island to the south. As of 2013, Morgan Park was majority-black, with approximately 22,924 residents in 2015.
New City is one of Chicago's 77 official community areas, located on the southwest side of the city in the South Side district. It contains the neighborhoods of Canaryville and Back of the Yards.
Halsted Street is a major north-south street in the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois.
Eleanor Daley, better known as Sis Daley, was the wife of former Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley and the mother of former mayor Richard M. Daley. Daley served as first lady of the City of Chicago from her husband's appointing in April 1955 until his death in December 1976, and first mother from April 1989 until her death in February 2003.
Western Avenue is a street within the city of Chicago. Western Avenue extends south as a continuous road to the Dixie Highway at Sibley Boulevard in Dixmoor, giving the road a total length of 27.38 miles (44.06 km). Western Avenue, after becoming into Asbury Ave, runs out on the north side at Howard Street Road in Chicago and on the south side at Crete-Monee Road in Crete. However, Western Avenue extends intermittently through the Southland to the Will/Kankakee county border in unincorporated Will Township. Within Chicago's grid street system, Western Avenue is 2400 West, three miles west of State Street. Western Avenue is the longest continuous road in Chicago.
South Buffalo is a neighborhood that makes up the southern third of the City of Buffalo, New York. Traditionally known for its large Irish-American community, this community also has a strong presence of various other nationalities. The once-heavily industrialized district was home to many steel mills, automotive parts manufacturers, petroleum refineries, foundries, and machine shops. However, due to increasing deindustrialization and rising unemployment, the area has experienced growing problems with poverty and population decline.
Illinois's 3rd congressional district includes parts of Cook County and DuPage County, and has been represented by Democrat Delia Ramirez since January 3, 2023. The district was previously represented by Marie Newman from 2021 to 2023, Dan Lipinski from 2005 to 2021, and by Lipinski's father Bill from 1983 to 2005.
Marist High School is a private Catholic preparatory high school located in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, operated by the Marist Brothers on behalf of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Founded in 1963 as an all-male institution, the school became co-ed in 2002 and today educates over 1,700 young students each year.
The South Side is one of the three major sections of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sections of the city, with the other two being the North and West Sides. It radiates and lies south of the city's downtown area, the Chicago Loop.
Both immigrant Poles and Americans of Polish heritage live in Chicago, Illinois. They are a part of worldwide Polonia, the Polish term for the Polish Diaspora outside of Poland. Poles in Chicago have contributed to the economic, social and cultural well-being of Chicago from its very beginning. Poles have been a part of the history of Chicago since 1837, when Captain Joseph Napieralski, along with other veterans of the November Uprising first set foot there. As of the 2000 U.S. census, Poles in Chicago were the largest European American ethnic group in the city, making up 7.3% of the total population. However, according to the 2006–2008 American Community Survey, German Americans and Irish Americans each had slightly surpassed Polish Americans as the largest European American ethnic groups in Chicago. German Americans made up 7.3% of the population, and numbered at 199,789; Irish Americans also made up 7.3% of the population, and numbered at 199,294. Polish Americans now made up 6.7% of Chicago's population, and numbered at 182,064. Polish is the fourth most widely spoken language in Chicago behind English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church is one of the oldest churches in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1868. The church was designed by noted architect Patrick Keely, an architectural designer prominent throughout the 19th century. He also designed Holy Name Cathedral in downtown Chicago.
St. Peter is a Roman Catholic church in Danbury, Connecticut, part of the Diocese of Bridgeport. St. Peter's was the first Catholic church built in northern Fairfield County. It is the third oldest parish, and the fifth oldest Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Bridgeport. St. Peter's was originally a predominantly Irish congregation. Danbury's Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off in front of St. Peter's. In more recent time, the parish has a significant number of parishioners of Latino and Brazilian heritage.
Saint Patrick's Day, although a legal holiday only in Savannah, Georgia, and Suffolk County, Massachusetts, is nonetheless widely recognized and celebrated throughout the United States. It is primarily celebrated as a recognition of Irish and Irish American culture; celebrations include prominent displays of the color green, eating and drinking, religious observances, and numerous parades. The holiday has been celebrated in what is now the U.S. since 1601.