Irish Mexicans (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

: ''Irlandés-mexicano'' or ''Hibernomexicano''; Irish: ''Gael-Meicsiceach'') are inhabitants of

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

that are immigrants from or descendants of immigrants from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The majority of Irish immigrants to Mexico were

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

History

During the colonial era, a few ethnic Irish entered Mexico. Notable among them were Governor of Yucatán and Texas

Hugo Oconór Hugh O'Conor by birth or Hugo Oconór in Spanish, was a military governor of northern Mexico. He was appointed governor of Texas by the Spanish viceroy of New Spain in 1767. It is recorded that O'Conor rode well over on horseback in the course o ...

and the last Viceroy of New Spain, Juan O'Donojú. A few Mexican Irish communities existed in

Mexican Texas Mexican Texas is the historiographical name used to refer to the era of Texan history between 1821 and 1836, when it was part of Mexico. Mexico gained independence in 1821 after winning its war against Spain, which began in 1810. Initially, ...

prior to the Texas Revolution. They were fully integrated into Mexican society at the time and were linked to their host society through inter-marriage, a shared language, and business ties. When revolution broke out, many Irish sided with Catholic Mexico against Protestant pro-U.S. elements. The '' Batallón de San Patricio'' was a largely (ethnically) Irish battalion of U.S. troops who deserted and fought alongside the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army ( es, Ejército Mexicano) is the combined land and air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National ...

against the United States in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

of 1846 to 1848. Veterans of the battalion were awarded with the Cross of Honor for their service to the Mexican government. In some cases, Irish immigrants or Americans left from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

(the Irish Confederate army of

Fort Yuma Fort Yuma was a fort in California located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861 and was abandoned May 16, 1883, and transferred to the Department of ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

in 1861) and blended into Mexican society instead.

Álvaro Obregón Álvaro Obregón Salido (; 17 February 1880 – 17 July 1928) better known as Álvaro Obregón was a Sonoran-born general in the Mexican Revolution. A pragmatic centrist, natural soldier, and able politician, he became the 46th President of Me ...

(O'Brien) was

president of Mexico The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the C ...

during 1920–1924 and

Ciudad Obregón Ciudad Obregón is a city in southern Sonora. It is the state's second largest city after Hermosillo and serves as the municipal seat of Cajeme, as of 2020, the city has a population of 436,484. Ciudad Obregón is south of the state's norther ...

and its

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

are named in his honor. Actor

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental ...

is another famous Mexican of Irish descent. There are also monuments in Mexico City paying tribute to those Irish who fought for Mexico in the 1800s.

Notable Irish Mexicans

, actor * Saul Alvarez, Mexican boxer who is a four-division world champion * William Lamport, the real-life

Zorro Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilant ...

during 1920–1924 *

Ignacio Comonfort Ignacio Gregorio Comonfort de los Ríos (; 12 March 1812 – 13 November 1863), known as Ignacio Comonfort, was a Mexican politician and soldier who was also president during one of the most eventful periods in 19th century Mexican history: La R ...

, President of Mexico in 1855. * Juan O'Donojú, viceroy of New Spain * Rómulo O'Farril, founder of newspaper '' Novedades'' *

Juan O'Gorman Juan O'Gorman (July 6, 1905 – January 17, 1982) was a Mexican painter and architect. Early life and family Juan O'Gorman was born on 6 July 1905 in Coyoacán, then a village to the south of Mexico City and now a borough of the Federal Distr ...

, architect *

Edmundo O'Gorman Edmundo O'Gorman (24 November 1906 in Mexico City – 28 September 1995 in Mexico City) was a Mexican writer, historian and philosopher. He is considered as being among the earlier and most influential applicants of historical revisionism to ...

, writer *

, Spanish governor of Texas from 1767 to 1770 *

Alejo Bay Alejo Bay (1891 – January 30, 1952) was a Mexican - American political leader. Early life Bay was born in Álamos, Sonora. His father was Thomas Bay, an Irish-American and Confederate soldier from St. Louis, Missouri, that went to live i ...

, governor of Sonora from 1923 to 1927 * Michael Wadding, Jesuit priest and missionary * Judith Grace, television hostess *

Cristina Fink Cristina Fink (born Cristina Fink Smith; December 12, 1964) is a psychologist and retired high jumper from Mexico, who set her personal best on May 17, 1992, jumping 1.94 meters at a meet in Mexico City. She competed for her country at the 1988 S ...

, retired high jumper of Spanish, Dutch, Irish, and German descent *

Margo *** People * Margo (actress) (1917–1985), Mexican-American actress and dancer * Margo (magician), American magic performer and actress * Margo (singer), Irish singer * Margo (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name P ...

, Mexican actress and dancer of Irish descent * Pablo O'Higgins, American-Mexican artist, muralist and illustrator of Irish descent * Carlos Gallardo, Mexican actor, producer and occasional screenwriter and director to a Mexican father and an Irish mother * Tomas O'Horan, Mexican lawyer, magistrate and senator of Irish descent * Jon Riley, born in Ireland, served in Mexican Army during the Mexican-American War and founded

Saint Patrick's Battalion The Saint Patrick's Battalion ( es, Batallón de San Patricio, later reorganized as the Foreign Legion of Patricios) was a unit of 175 to several hundred (accounts vary) immigrants and expatriates of European descent who fought as part of the Me ...

. * Justo Sierra O'Reilly, Mexican novelist and historian of Irish descent * John Holloway, Irish-born Mexican lawyer, Marxist-oriented sociologist and philosopher currently living in Mexico *

Sara Ramirez Sara Elena Ramírez (; born August 31, 1975) is a Mexican-American actor and singer. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Ramírez moved to the United States at eight years old, eventually graduating with a fine arts degree from the Juilliard School. ...

, Mexican singer and actress (mother of Irish-American descent) * Álvaro Obregón Tapia, Mexican politician of Irish descent * Dolores Creel Miranda, Mexican artist of Irish descent * Daniel Chavez Moran, Mexican businessman of Irish descent * Aarón Díaz Spencer, Mexican actor, singer, and model to Irish-American mother. * Philip Crosthwaite, born in Ireland, was an early settler of San Diego, California and Rosarito, Baja California * Luis Humberto Crosthwaite, Mexican writer of Irish-American descent *

Louis CK Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...

, American-born comedian and actor, mother was

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

, father was Mexican/Hungarian. CK (Szekely) was partially raised in Mexico City. *

Santiago Creel Santiago Creel Miranda (; born on 11 December 1954) is a Mexican lawyer and politician, who's a member of the National Action Party. Since September 1, 2021, he is a federal deputy and the current President of the Congress of the Union and of t ...

, Mexican politician of Irish descent *

Grey Griffin Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...

, American-born actress of mixed Irish-Mexican descent *

Guillermo Sheridan Guillermo Humberto Sheridan Prieto (born 27 August 1950) is a Mexican literary critic, scholar and public commentator. Life and work Sheridan was born in Mexico City. He was a Chevening Scholar at the University of East Anglia in 1986. He was aw ...

, Mexican writer of Irish descent. *

Patricio O'Ward Patricio "Pato" O'Ward Junco (born 6 May 1999) is a Mexican professional auto racing driver who competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. He is the 2018 Indy Lights champion. Early life and car ...

, Mexican Indy Car driver. *

Roberto Ransom Roberto Ransom Carty (born 1960) is a Mexican writer. Regarded as one of Mexico's most original authors, his published work includes novels, collections of short stories, poetry, an essay on Graham Greene and work on Mexico, as well as several ...

, Mexican writer of Irish descent. *

Lynda Carter Lynda Jean Cordova Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World USA 1972 and finished in the top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant. Carter is best known as the star of th ...

, American-born actress of Irish-Mexican descent.

References

External links

The Irish in Mexico: An annotated bibliography
at the

Irish diaspora The Irish diaspora ( ga, Diaspóra na nGael) refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland. The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner and Meeder, The ...

site. * Murray, Edmund

"The Irish in Latin America and Iberia: A Bibliography - Mexico and Hispanic North America" * Murray, Edmund

"The San Patricio Battalion: A Bibliography"
History of Mexico: The Irish Presence
at the Houston Institute for Culture.
The legend
of

was an Irishman ( William Lamport).
The O'Brien clan in Mexico

Primary and secondary sources relating to the Irish in Mexico
(Sources database for Irish research) {{DEFAULTSORT:Irish Immigration To Mexico European Mexican

Immigration to Mexico Ethnic groups in Mexico

History

Notable Irish Mexicans

See also

References

External links