Butte, Montana is the most Irish American city according to 2010 US census

Actually, Mrs O'Shea, BIG, BIG mistake. Huge!!! For the MOST Irish American city in the entire United States is Quincy, Massachusetts ((90,000)), with at least 34% of its citizens claiming to be of Irish extraction/descent. YES, Quincy is NUMBER ONE, and it has been for like 30 years ((it was 42% back in 1995!))! YES, Quincy it is, at 34%!!! That is beyond dispute, repudiation and any such meaningful debate. Butte has nothing on us in that department ((also, roughly 1500 of Quincy's 90,000 citizens come straight from Ireland, this number that was much higher 10 years ago!)). More-over, most of Quincy's Irish Americans either come from or can trace their immediate family history back to either South Boston or Dorchester, with either them or their family coming over back during the so-called ""white flight"" that erupted all throughout Boston back during the 60's, 70's and 80's, with both those famous Irish American strongholds ((Southie, Dohchesta!)) being emptied of much of their Irish American population all throughout the 70's and 80's. I'm very, very disappointed that you guys over-looked that fact. For if you look at either wiki, OR several other websites where ""Quincy"" and most ""Irish cities/neighborhoods"" are linked, OR today's Globe edition ((March 17th, 2013)), in the Globe South section for this weekend, as such A FACT IS MADE QUITE CLEAR, UNEQUIVOCAL, AND IRREFUTABLE. FACT!!! Quincy wins, at 34% ((though some could make the case for its southern neighbor, Weymouth, whose Irish American population still holds very strong at 39-40%, YET Weymouth has only been a city for like 8 years, and most STILL REGARD that jurisdiction AS A TOWN, as it was a town for at least 300 years!))! Quincy!!!

In the early 1900s Aeneas Lane, an immigrant from Knocknagoshel, north Kerry, was elected Coroner of Butte 2 or 3 times. I am a grandnephew of Coroner Lane.

How cool I would have thught Bostono

Much of my Dad's family were from Butte, Milligans, Sullivans, Walsh, O'Hearn and O'Dells and many worked in the mines. Those that know about St Patrick's day celebrations in the U.S. would know Butte's consistently is mentioned as one of the best in the country. I don't find the info from the census surprising.

I lived in Brooklyn (New York City, that is) during the Census, and I'm Irish-Amer. I received the "short form" and that did not give U the option to identify your ethnicity, only your "race" (i.e. black, white, hispanic, Asian...). This was the 1st Census that did not have a box where one could check-off your ancestry/ethnicity (e.g. German, Irish, Italian...)...so, a lot of Irish were simply documented as "white" in 2010. So, this data is flawed, but hooray for Butte, and Boston, keep it green baby!

Personally I'd say Boston is the most Irish ,Chicago and New York a close second,I've never been to Montana but I've also never heard of anyone coming back home from Montana.Boston New York,Chicago yes ,a few from San Fransisco,I'm talking the real Irish.

I had two great uncles that went to Butte after the civil war. One and a lot of the family worked in the coppermines in Ireland.

Montana is the only state of the Union I've never been in, but I sure hope to get there soon, before all the immigrating Californians ruin it. The article ought to have given a bit of information on the origins of the Butte Irish. Most of them came from quite a small region in Ireland, just like happened in other migrations, such as the Irish emigration to Argentina. The Irish who went to Argentina came in large numbers from a small area where Westmeath and Longford touch, while the Butte Irish came predominantly from a small area of West Cork. In my experience the Irish in Ireland know nothing of either link, but maybe in the Beara region of Cork there is some surviving folk memory of their distant cousins in Montana.

I've been there. I have never seen a place or people less like Ireland. Just because some people self-identify as "Irish" when they are not even close to the genuine article doesn't mean the place is "Irish".

In response to racallahan's question, "Isn't Thomas Francis Meagher's statue in front of the state house?", I know that that statue is in Helena, the capitol. And too, there is another equestrian statue of Meagher in Waterford, Ireland; I saw it there last year. Finally, there was a segment of a Disney program some years back which prominently featured Butte.

Corinth Miss. I guess thats where Obamas "Irish" family went.

Been there visited the Knights of Columbus Hall and Tried to have breakfast one sunday at M&M Cafe the special was scrambled eggs and brains however the place was packed and it was going to be over an hour to get served.

I wonder if Butte Montana's patron is St. Buite -- the founder of the Abbey at Monstraboice (Mainistir Bhuithe)near Drogheda in Co. Louth.

Isn't Thomas Francis Meagher's statue in front of the state house?

Fitzboy, I like your comment. I have many cousins in Butte. Would love to visit.