Irish Americans of Cleveland
History of the Cleveland Irish
Excerpts from Irish Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland*
- Mass Migration
- The Cleveland Irish and Their Place of Origin
- Arriving in Cleveland
- Early Irish Settlements in Cleveland
- Moving West: The Erie Canal
- Conditions for Canal Workers
- The Ohio Canal
- Settling in Cleveland
- The First Irish in Cleveland
- Whiskey Island
- Life on Whiskey Island
- New Work on the Canal Boats
- Moving Out from Whiskey Island: the 1830's
- Expansion Continued: Irishtown
- Working on the Docks: The Iron Ore Terriers
- Upward Mobility: The 1850's
- Shantytown Life in the The Late 1800's
- Service Occupations and Some Community Problems
- Continued Expansion: Lace Curtain and Shanty Irish
- Cleveland Irish During The Civil War
- Irishtown: 1870's and 1880's
- Cleveland Irish in Baseball
- Other Advances
Life, Death and a Murder in the Angle
Take a step back in time to 1859 and read about the sensational murder of Rosa O'Malia in Irishtown Bend from the first issue of Crooked River, a publication of Cleveland State University's History Department. Immerse yourself in the daily life (and crime) in the Irishtown Bend neighborhood as viewed through the eyes of the witnesses, jury, and court.
Early Irish Neighborhoods in Cleveland
- Ohio City, now part of Cleveland's near west side, was the home of a number of ethnic groups during the late 19th century, including the Irish. Read about "The History of Ohio City" from issue 2 of Crooked River.
- "Early Irish Neighborhoods" - Excerpt from Irish Americans and Their Communities in Cleveland*
- See what Irishtown Bend looks like today.
Other Irish Historical Sources
- Irish American Archives at the Western Reserve Historical Society
- Parish by James Heaphey
- Volunteers: The first 75 years of the West Side Irish American Club explores the evolution of the Club through meeting minutes, bulletins and oral histories.
*Callihan, Nelson J., Hickey, William F. The Irish American and Their Communities in Cleveland. Cleveland: Cleveland State University, 1978.
