St Patrick's Day in Tucson Arizona

February 21, 2009

When thinking about Irish and St. Patrick's Day celebrations Tucson, Arizona in the American southwest is certainly not the first place to come to mind.

After all, Tucson does not have a large Irish community like many eastern cities where the masses of Irish settled and is not located along the route of the original transcontinental railroad where many of the Irish laborers who built that railroad later settled.

However, since everyone is considered Irish on St. Patrick's Day, it is not necessary to have a large population of real Irish in order to join in the festivities. Everyone loves a good time and that alone is reason enough to celebrate a holiday like St. Patrick's Day regardless of one's ethnic heritage.

However, Tucson is somewhat unique among American cities in that the man responsible for founding the city was an Irishman, one Hugo O'Conor. Of course Hugo is a Spanish, not an Irish name, but O'Conor is certainly Irish.

Unlike Eamon de Valera, the early Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) who was responsible for Ireland's final break from British rule, who was born in the United States to an Irish mother and Spanish father, O'Conor was born to Irish parents in Ireland and was given the name Hugh.

However, like many Irish down through the centuries, the young Hugh O'Conor was forced to flee Ireland in order to have the freedom to find success in his life.

Moving to Spain, O'Conor joined the Spanish army and rose quickly in the ranks. His skill and success in the army resulted in his first being appointed acting governor of the, then Spanish, colony of Texas which was soon followed by his appointment by the King of Spain to implement the recommendations made in a report by another Army general to strengthen the northern defenses of Spain's North American territories from Texas to California.

Tucson was one of the sites established by O'Conor to be a key northern defense outpost.

While the Irish portion of the Tucson population is not as large as that of neighboring Phoenix let alone Eastern and Midwestern cities with large Irish enclaves, Tucson was Irish from the start.

Every year, as St. Patrick's Day approaches the large red, white and blue A on Sentinel Peak (which is generally referred to by the locals as A Mountain because of the A) suddenly turns green thanks to the application of a fresh coat of new green paint applied by volunteers. And on Copper St. a large green shamrock is painted on the pavement in front of Salpointe Catholic High School.

Then there is a always an annual St. Patrick's Day parade through the streets of Tucson and, in recent years a large festival in a local park.

Despite the area's historic Hispanic culture, its great climate has served to attract a diverse population representing many cultures. During the winter months this population increases noticeably and it is reasonable to assume that the number of Irish Americans in Tucson also increases.

As a result Tucson has many groups and organizations representing the varied cultures found in the city who, much to the delight of locals and visitors alike, sponsor festivals throughout the winter season celebrating their food and culture.