Kansas City's deep Irish roots
Why St. Patrick's Day is such a big deal in Kansas City
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
On Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of people — most dressed in green — will line a 10-block stretch of Broadway to cheer on one of the largest St. Patrick's Day parades in the country. Following the two-hour procession, many of the revelers will pack the city's Irish bars, drink green beer (however illegally) in the street or participate in more family-friendly activities. For Kansas Citians, St. Patrick's Day doesn't come and go quietly.
But why?
Appreciating and recognizing Kansas City's rich Irish heritage demands a look back at the city's early history in the late 1800s, as Irish immigrants began to flock to the area for jobs — namely railroad construction, the reason Union Station remains an enduring architectural symbol of this immigrant population.
Mike Sager, a former state representative, is president of Harp & Shamrock: The Bob Reeder Fan Club and a member of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee. He attributes Kansas City's strong sense of Irish pride to a number of factors, namely the population's size.
“Forty percent of Missouri can claim Irish heritage,” he says, and estimates that the same can be said in Kansas City. Throughout Missouri, the Irish are only outnumbered by Germans.
As they moved into Kansas City, the Irish settled in an area formerly known as Dogtown, originally known as the River Quay and now as the River Market. From there, they spread throughout the city, leaving their mark not only on local industries, but on the city itself.
“Drive down any street in Kansas City and when you see old stonework, a lot of that was done by Irish craftsmen,” Sager said.
St. Patrick's Day Parade
Wednesday, March 17
11:00am–approx. 1:00pm
Route: Broadway from 33rd Street (Linwood) to 43rd Street
Google Map | Twitter
With a growing Irish population, the number of cultural celebrations increased, including a St. Patrick's Day Parade that became so big, “the 1875 Kansas City Times declared the Parade to be 'the noblest Pageant of the Year,'” according to the parade committee.
In later years, the parade fizzled out, only to be revived in 1973.
"It's been growing ever since,” said Jay Burrus, senior co-chair of the parade committee. The St. Patrick's Day Parade became so popular in the mid-90s that organizers had to work to scale back the nearly two-mile long gathering.
“Previous parades had more of a civic focus,” said Kevin Bundy, parade committee junior co-chair. “Now they're more Irish focused and we got back to the neighborhoods, especially when we changed the parade's route so that it runs through Hyde Park and Westport.”
There's no denying that Kansas City's St. Patrick's Day Parade is one of the most anticipated local events of the year. But those of Irish heritage agree that what strengthens Kansas City's Irish population is a commitment to civic pride and an active schedule that gives interested parties a year-round chance to get involved.
“I have Irish in me, but marrying into an Irish family really showed me the amount of pride the Kansas City Irish take in their heritage and culture,” Burrus said. “It wasn't only surprising, but inspiring to be a part of it.”
Even though the Irish faced harsh treatment when they first arrived on American soil, often being shunned from jobs and subject to other forms of exclusion, the population has endured as a warm, welcoming group.
“We've never forgotten what it means to be excluded,” Sager said. “Irish is something found in your heart, not in your blood.”
And as celebrants wind through the streets of Kansas City shouting Irish toasts or lifting foamy glasses of green Guinness, they'll be walking on history.
“When I'm going down Broadway or walking through Browne's, I know I'm walking where my ancestors walked,” Bundy said. “And the Irish community brought so much to Kansas City that pride in Irish heritage has become intertwined with pride in Kansas City.”
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