Portland, Oregon’s connection to Ireland and Irish America

The Portland Hibernian Society exists for anyone who wants to get together with like-minded people to learn more about Ireland - its history, its culture, its people, its politics. We gather on the Third Thursday of the month (Sept. through July) at Kells Restaurant (112 SW Second Ave Portland). You never know what we’ll be getting up to. The PHS also publishes a newsletter The PDX Hibernian Independent.

From The Hibernian Independent:

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Share some tips for tourists to Ireland on 16 Oct.
Share some tips for tourists to Ireland on 16 Oct.

At the monthly session of the Portland Hibernian Society on 16 Oct. 2025 one of the topics for robust discussion will be traveling in Ireland. Been there? Done that?

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House of Guinness is Open. Presidential election is set.
House of Guinness is Open. Presidential election is set.

Kate O’Connor’s silver medal performance in the World Championships made history. Next PHS meeting Oct. 16. House of Guinness - early signs are promising. Presidential race trio.

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Irish stew. Event tonite. What’s new.
Irish stew. Event tonite. What’s new.

Why we’re celebrating Lucille McAleese. What we’re doing for the sculptor of The Cross at Mt. Calvary. 1916’s Rebel Doctor deserves better. Katie, Conor and Rory updates. Quotes from Brendan Behan. (Above with Jackie Gleason)

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How TVF&R Pipes and Drums endures
How TVF&R Pipes and Drums endures

Topping the news in this week’s PDX Hibernian Independent is the milestone for the TVF&R Pipes and Drums. Also - Rory, Mary Lou, Dev, Conor and Andy Irvine.

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From the Portland Hibernian Society Blog:

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Next stop: SNN
Next stop: SNN

The epicenter of Trump Ireland is Doonbeg, Co. Clare, the town nearest the Trump golf course and hotel along the Atlantic Ocean.

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Movements need martyrs and monuments
Movements need martyrs and monuments

How did Robert Emmett, leader of a failed rebellion in 1803, become such an icon of Irishness? His name. image, likeness and last words were ubiquitous in Irish America.

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How could Ireland not name the new National Hospital after this woman?
How could Ireland not name the new National Hospital after this woman?

Ireland’s decision NOT to name its new national hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn is controversial. She had a remarkable career as pediatrician, freedom fighter, politician and children’s hospital founder.

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Portland’s Irish Potato Famine Memorial

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Build the Nation: A Blessing
Build the Nation: A Blessing

by Father Jim Galluzzo. Delivered at the fifteenth anniversary of the dedication of the Oregon Potato Famine Memorial - 13 December 2023 - Mount Calvary Cemetery Portland Oregon.

Oregon Potato Famine Memorial 15th Anniversary
Oregon Potato Famine Memorial 15th Anniversary

In the summer of 2023, the newly appointed Consul General of Ireland on the West Coast, Micheal Smith, came to Portland to visit the Oregon Potato Famine Memorial. Here’s the presentation given to familiarize Smith with its back story and the accomplishment this Memorial represents for local members of the Irish Diaspora.