Girls from Murphy Irish Dance School watch the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in San Francisco. This year’s parade is at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
There is an old Irish saying, “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireannn na Daoine,” which translates as “people live in each other’s shadows.” It speaks to the interdependence of our world — it means we rely on each other for shelter, for support, for love.
There are not many places in the world where we see this in its full multicultural color. This iconic city — San Francisco — is one such place. An imperfect home — nowhere is perfect — to a wonderfully rich mix of peoples. There is unity in variety, comfort in diverse cultures and a shared heritage of pioneering, innovation, openness, success, failure and resilience.
The Irish have been part of this city’s story from its beginning to today, in its building, shaping and personality. Starting with the city’s first chief of police, Malachi Fallon from Cork, to the first foreign-born mayor of San Francisco, Frank McCoppin, and on to Kate Kennedy, a distinguished educator, suffragist and labor activist. There are many, many others.
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The Irish helped form the United States, and the U.S. has helped to build and shape the modern Ireland: a country of peace and prosperity, confident about the future and its place in the world.
The relationship between Ireland and the United States remains special and mutually beneficial. Economically, for example, Irish companies across many sectors employ over 100,000 Americans in the U.S. Ireland is the seventh largest investor in California through foreign-owned enterprises. Today, young Irish and Irish Americans work in many industries, from construction to artificial intelligence to biotech to entertainment. We have a generation continuing to contribute and enrich San Francisco through projects like the new United Irish Cultural Center in the Sunset.
We are fortunate to have a national day that almost everyone knows. St. Patrick’s Day — or perhaps it can now be described as a season — is an opportunity to celebrate with the more than 70 million people globally who have Irish ancestry — including 37 million in the U.S., 2.3 million in California, 700,000 in the Bay Area — and the many more of our friends who show their fondness for Ireland in any number of ways. The planned St. Patrick’s Day events in San Francisco are tremendous with the centerpiece being the expanded and diversified parade at 11 a.m. on Saturday under the theme UniteSF.
The notion of “celebrating” in today’s world can provoke doubt and hesitation for many, and with good reason, given the tragedies, hardships and conflicts globally. But St Patrick’s Day — like Lunar New Year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride, Italian Heritage and others — allows us to gather and enjoy the distinct tapestry of this city as a collective San Francisco community.
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I am delighted that we are also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the San Francisco-Cork sister cities relationship, which is even more meaningful following the passing last year of its architect, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
So the St. Patrick’s season is a special time for the Irish and our friends. It offers a unique opportunity to promote our connections around the globe. We in Ireland have just concluded the Decade of Centenaries, which marked key milestones — some dark — in the island of Ireland’s political development over the past 100 years. This year we now redirect our focus to Ireland’s future in the world, viewed especially through the eyes of our younger people.
Living in each other’s shadow will remain true for those young people throughout their lives. Protecting and supporting each other, and building enduring partnerships, has never been more vital.
Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh — Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all the people of this beautiful city.
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Micheál Smith is consul general of Ireland to the western United States, based in San Francisco.
What the long history of the Irish in San Francisco and the U.S. portends for the future
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15.03.2024
Girls from Murphy Irish Dance School watch the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in San Francisco. This year’s parade is at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
There is an old Irish saying, “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireannn na Daoine,” which translates as “people live in each other’s shadows.” It speaks to the interdependence of our world — it means we rely on each other for shelter, for support, for love.
There are not many places in the world where we see this in its full multicultural color. This iconic city — San Francisco — is one such place. An imperfect home — nowhere is perfect — to a wonderfully rich mix of peoples. There is unity in variety, comfort in diverse cultures and a shared heritage of pioneering, innovation, openness, success, failure and resilience.
The Irish have been part of this city’s story from its beginning to today, in its building, shaping and personality. Starting with the city’s first chief of police, Malachi Fallon from Cork, to the first foreign-born mayor of San Francisco, Frank........
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