History of the Irish in Saint Paul

Irish in Saint Paul, Minnesota have played an integral part in the founding and the growth of the city. The first Irish to settle in Saint Paul were three demobilised soldiers from Fort Snelling who were natives of Ireland. They became the first settlers in the area of downtown Saint Paul. Helped by Archbishop John Ireland, thousands of Irish emigrated from Ireland and Eastern cities in the United States to Minnesota; and especially large number settled in Saint Paul.

Despite being outnumbered by the German American community, the Irish, like in other American big cities, led the Democratic Party political machine that ran St. Paul.^[1] Many mayors of Saint Paul have been Irish, including a stretch of nine out of ten from 1932 to 1972. The last two mayors of Saint Paul, Randy Kelly and Chris Coleman, have been Irish. The dominance has been attributed to the control of the business, labor unions, and politics of the city.^[2]