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Home Page > News > Is Butte the most Irish town in the United States? – SEE VIDEO

Is Butte the most Irish town in the United States? – SEE VIDEO

Former Montana mining town with strong Irish ties

By
MOLLY MULDOON,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Thursday, March 17, 2011, 8:07 AM
Updated Thursday, March 17, 2011, 8:07 AM

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Trinity Dancers at the Butte Irish Music Festival
Trinity Dancers at the Butte Irish Music Festival


The town of Butte credits itself with holding the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the Rockies. The mining town located in Montana, also the hometown to the late daredevil Evel Knievel, is nestled high in the Rocky Mountains.

In the 19th century the town initially was a gold and silver mining town before the advent of electricity transformed it into the world’s largest copper mining town by the early 20th century.

As a result of the ample mines emigrants flocked from around the world, from areas such as Ireland, Wales, Lebanon and even China to name a few.

Irish emigration to Butte can first be traced back as far as 1882. Less than two decades later, a quarter of the town’s residents were Irish. A Cavan man by the name of Marcus Daly was one of three men named as the copper kings who made fortunes.

Daly had left Cavan for New York at the age of 15 and made his fortune at the Anaconda mine close to Butte, which he purchased in 1880. He announced that any Irishman could have job in his mine which resulted in a huge wave of immigration, primarily from the Beara Peninsula in Co. Cork.

Butte’s present day population is made up of mainly descendants of people from counties Cork, Kerry, Donegal, Mayo, Cavan and Wexford.

The Irish community set among the 40,000 or so residents are proud of their heritage. Many Irish dignitaries have visited the town including Eamon de Valera on his tours of the U.S., as did Douglas Hyde.  President Mary McAleese took in the sights in 2006.

For those who want to learn about Ireland there are Irish-language classes, and Irish-studies programs at the nearby University of Montana.

Butte also hosts several Irish festivals throughout the year, from the coming St. Patrick’s day parade to An Rí Rá, which is a summer music celebration that attracts a host of traditional Irish musicians each year.

 

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5 Comments

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Larrcm2 | Mar 17, 2011, 09:10 PM EDT
I visited Ireland last April and being raised in Butte closed my eyes as I entered a Dublin Pub and reopened them only to think that I was back in Ireland. The same faces the same happy smiles and the same beautiful people. Butte was and is a melting pot of many nationalities and people who have strong family values, work ethics and a love for God. They enjoy the outdoors and having a good time. Happy St. Patricks Day! Many of the Irish emigrants lived and worked in Butte some moving on to raise their families, others staying to raise their families and face the uncertainty of Copper prices. They are a strong and loyal people.

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cillowen | Mar 17, 2011, 04:02 PM EDT
Irish contributions are nigh everywhere - the English can claim they were doing g-d's work. Many programmed Irish souls are so beholden to the occupier whom they turn a blind eye on their dastardly deeds. Cutters of Ireland forests for use in ship, fancy masions, churches, cathedrals ... takers of the most mythological provice from ol erin. St. Patricks burial site and his church of 332 lies within the still occupied Ireland - all will be well with the queen's arrival in Eire in May 2011.

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RedBranch | Mar 17, 2011, 02:47 PM EDT
West is Best!

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FastEddy | Mar 17, 2011, 01:52 PM EDT
Google Earth before you go there = very scenic, "big sky country" ... Mining town with unemployment is way less than 5% (just down the freeway a few hundred miles = the new "silicon valley" = where all California high tech industry has gone to avoid California taxes, just east a few hundred miles are the booming oil and gas fields). ... But you should leave your socialist attitudes behind, this is not union country.

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kkkkT3973 | Mar 17, 2011, 12:18 PM EDT
I was surprised several years ago looking into my ancestry that three of my great-uncles had settled into Butte, each from a different branch. I have have never been there, but it is worth exploringnow that I am retired. How would I track down relatives?

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