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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Did Trump just endorse a United Ireland?
Did Trump just endorse a United Ireland?

Celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day 2026 from Portland to San Francisco to the White House to Heppner to Montserrat, really. PDX Hibernian Independent has coverage.

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Old Portland/New Portland St. Patrick’s Day Trail
Old Portland/New Portland St. Patrick’s Day Trail

There is so much more to Saint Patrick’s Day in Portland than drinking, dancing and music. But they’re a big part of the day. Old Portland and New Portland meet on March 17 and here’s a guide to where and when. And a look at what’s happening in Heppner, OR.

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Farewell to a fine Portland Hibernian
Farewell to a fine Portland Hibernian

The weekly PDX Hibernian Independent notes the passing of our friend Peter Cullen and looks at St. Patrick’s Day events in Portland OR including the one that’s been around since World War Two.

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100 years ago: Irish Portland’s proudest day
100 years ago: Irish Portland’s proudest day

In this week’s edition of the PDX Hibernian Independent you can read about the landmark milestone celebrated this month at Portland’s Catholic cathedral.

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From the Portland Hibernian Society Blog:

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Why so many Irish aren’t fans of Churchill
Why so many Irish aren’t fans of Churchill

When Ireland’s leader politely pushed back on the Churchill-As-Hero narrative at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day he was tapping into Irish history. Micheal Matin acknowledged Churchill’s leadership in World War Two but differed with Trump when it comes to his legacy in Ireland.

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When Irish America woke up
When Irish America woke up

Fifty years ago in late March a 900-page novel about Ireland from the Penal Laws through the Famine to the Rising, started its climb up the U.S. best seller lists. Trinity by Leon Uris would become the best-selling novel in America through that Bicentennial Summer. There’s no question whose side it took in the centuries-old conflict between Ireland and England, Catholic and Protestant.

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A positive Saint Patrick’s Day message re: We immigrants
A positive Saint Patrick’s Day message re: We immigrants

The Congressman who made life in America possible for 45,000 citizens of Ireland and Northern Ireland 30 years ago shared the benefits of immigration with 55 American citizens who have become Irish citizens too.

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Portland’s Irish Potato Famine Memorial

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The brilliant career of Mary McAleese
The brilliant career of Mary McAleese

Mary McAleese (L), the eighth President of Ireland (1997 - 2011) came to Portland seventeen years ago to dedicate the Celtic Cross at the Oregon Potato Famine Memorial. Find out more about who she is and what she’s doing today.

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.