The South Side Irish is the large

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

community on the South Side of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois. After 1945, a large-scale movement to the suburbs occurred because of

white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...

and the steady upward social mobility of the Irish. Although their population has spread out, Irish Americans continue to make up the majority of the ethnic white American population on the south side of

, especially in Beverly, Canaryville,

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

, Scottsdale, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park, Garfield Ridge, Clearing, Evergreen Park, and Oak Lawn.

History

Irish-Americans have had a presence on the South Side since the 19th century. Since the 19th century, the ethnic Irish population in Chicago had been largely Catholic, and largely concentrated on the city's south side. Irish Catholics were often economically disenfranchised compared to other European ethnic groups, and often faced

anti-irish sentiment Anti-Irish sentiment, also Hibernophobia, is bigotry against the Irish people or individuals. It can include hatred, oppression, persecution, as well as simple discrimination. Generally, it could be bigotry against people from the island of Ire ...

or ethnic bias, especially by non-Catholic European groups. The Irish Catholic community was largely tight-knit with census records from the early 20th century suggesting areas like Canaryville, sometimes referred to as “Irish ghettos” being almost exclusively Irish. By the 20th century, the Irish community began advancing both socially and economically. By the mid-20th century, the Irish had largely assimilated into American society, with many abandoning their Catholic faith, though many also maintaining it. Movement of the South Side Irish to the suburbs became pronounced in the 1940s and 50s due to

, highway construction, and governmental policies that encouraged

suburbanization Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...

South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade

The South Side Irish Parade is one of three annual St. Patrick's Day parades in Chicago. The South Side Irish Parade originally started in 1979. There was another South Side parade called the Southtown Parade started in the early 1950s. The original Southtown Parade route was on 79th Street from Ashland Avenue to Halsted Avenue in the St. Sabina Parish in

Auburn Gresham Auburn Gresham is a community area in Chicago, Illinois, on the far south side of the city. It was the original location of the South Side Irish Parade before it relocated to the adjoining Beverly neighborhood to the southwest. Its residents a ...

neighborhood, which had a large Irish population until

rapidly occurred in the late 1960s. Some years after

Richard J. Daley Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Chicago from 1955, and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party from 1953, until his death. He has been called "the last of ...

was elected mayor in 1955, he moved the Southtown Parade downtown and changed the name to the St. Patrick's Day Parade, though it continued on its old route until at least 1958. WCKG Rock n Roller

On Saturday, March 17, 1979, best friends and original creators George Hendry and Pat Coakley, along with their wives, assembled 17 children (known in parade lore as the "Wee Folks of Washtenaw and Talman") from the West Morgan Park area. The parade route began from the 109th block of S. Washtenaw and Talman streets. Marching to the parade theme of “Bring Back St. Pat”, and an original parade float of a baby buggy covered with shamrocks and the 26 county flags of Ireland, the South Side Irish Parade was born. The theme created by Hendry and Coakley was their way of wanting to bring back the South Side parade that they had enjoyed as children. They had delivered notices along the original parade route to encourage people to participate in the parade by standing and waving from their porches. Popularity continued to grow, and in 1980 it was moved to Kennedy Park with an increased 300 participants, including children, dogs, and a bag piper. It has grown since then and was moved to its current route, down Western Avenue from 103rd Street to 115th Street through the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods, in 1981. The parade, led by the Chicago Stockyard Kilty Band and held on either the Sunday before or the Sunday of

St. Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...

every year, it was considered to be one of the largest St. Patrick's Day community celebrations outside of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. The 2008 parade was the 30th annual parade, which was held on Sunday, March 9, 2008. Of the two Chicago parades, the other being in downtown, the South Side Irish Parade was the more raucous occasion. The 2009 parade was presumably the last parade. On March 25, 2009, the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee announced that they were not planning to stage a parade in its present form in March 2010. They noted that the event had become too large for the community to accommodate and the difficulty in policing such a large crowd while maintaining the dignity of the event. However the South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee outlined a security plan, saying they "feel will bring this great neighborhood tradition back as the family friendly event it was meant to be". The parade returned on Sunday, March 11, 2012.

South Side Irish song

Written by Tom Black, Tom Walsh, and Terry McEldowney A.K.A. The Irish Choir We're the Windy City Irish-where the craic is always best Where every day is Paddy's Day and everyone's a guest If you're Irish on the North Side or Irish on the West Welcome to the South Side come join our Irish Fest! (Chorus) We're the South Side Irish as our fathers were before We come from the Windy City and we're Irish to the core From Bridgeport to Beverly from Midway to South Shore We're the South Side Irish-Let's sing it out once more! Our parents came from Mayo, from

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

and Donegal. We come from Sabina's, St. Kilian and St. Gall Leo, Visitation, Little Flower and the rest. The South Side parishes are mighty-they're the best! Chorus We live on the South Side-Mayor

Daley Daley, originally an Irish family name derived from the Gaelic Ó Dálaigh, as a surname, may refer to: People Given name * Daley Blind (born 1990), Dutch footballer * Daley Mena (born 1985), Colombian footballer * Daley Ojuederie (born 1985), p ...

lived here too The Greatest Irish Leader that Chicago ever knew he was always proud of his South Side Irish roots! So here's to his honor to his memory we'll be true. Chorus We sing the songs our fathers sang when they were growing up Rebel songs of Erin's Isle in South Side Irish Pubs and when it comes to baseball-we have two favorite clubs The Go-Go

White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The club plays its home games at Rate Fie ...

... and whoever plays the Cubs!

Notable South Side Irish people

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...

Edward M. Burke Edward Michael Burke (born December 29, 1943) is an American politician found guilty of racketeering, bribery, and extortion who served as the alderman of Chicago's 14th ward from 1969 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first ele ...

, Chicago alderman * Emmet F. Byrne *

Marty Casey Martin Xavier "Marty" Casey (born September 26, 1973)"New sensation: Marty Casey is a hit!" (news report/bio), Karen Budell, ''Metromix Chicago'', October 17, 2005, webpage: Metromix-New-Sensation: states, "Oct 3, 2005-- Marty arrived in his ...

* George Connor *

Frank J. Corr Frank J. Corr (January 12, 1877 – June 3, 1934) was an American politician. Corr served as the 45th mayor of Chicago, Illinois. Corr's term was as acting mayor from March 15, 1933, following the assassination of Anton Cermak until April 8, ...

* John Coughlin *

Kevin Cronin Kevin Patrick Cronin Jr. (born October 6, 1951) is an American musician who was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band REO Speedwagon. The band had several hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in ...

John P. Daley John P. Daley (born December 5, 1946) is an American politician and insurance broker. He is the 11th Ward Democratic Committeeman in Chicago, Illinois, a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners ( 11th district), and the Chair of the Coo ...

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh ter ...

William M. Daley William Michael Daley (born August 9, 1948) is an American politician and former banker who served as the 24th White House Chief of Staff from January 2011 to January 2012 under President Barack Obama. Before this, he served as the 32nd U.S. ...

Tom Dart Thomas J. Dart (born May 22, 1962) is an American attorney, politician, and law enforcement officer serving as the Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois. He previously served as a member of both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. Education D ...

* Thomas A. Doyle *

Finley Peter Dunne Finley Peter Dunne (born Peter Dunne; July 10, 1867 – April 24, 1936) was an American humorist, journalist and writer from Chicago. In 1898 Dunne published ''Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War'', his first collection of the nationally syndicated M ...

Martin Patrick Durkin Martin Patrick Durkin (March 18, 1894 – November 13, 1955) was a U.S. administrator. He served as Secretary of Labor from January 21, 1953, to September 10, 1953, where he was the "plumber" of President Dwight Eisenhower's "Nine Millionai ...

Bil Dwyer William Michael "Bil" Dwyer (born March 30, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian, game-show host, actor, and writer. He is perhaps most well known as the host or play-by-play announcer on series such as ''BattleBots,'' '' I've Got a Secret'', a ...

* Jim Dwyer *

Nancy Faust Nancy Faust (born March 11, 1947) is an Americans, American former stadium organ (music), organist for Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox. Biography Early life Faust grew up in the Chicago, Illinois, Chicago area, and began playing the or ...

* James T. Farrell *

Edward Rowan Finnegan Edward Rowan Finnegan (June 5, 1905 – February 2, 1971) was an attorney and politician from Illinois. He served as a member of the U.S. representative from Illinois from 1961 to 1964 and a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County from 19 ...

Michael Flatley Michael Ryan Flatley (born July 16, 1958) is an American former professional performer and choreographer of Irish dance. Flatley is credited with reinventing traditional Irish dance by incorporating new rhythms, syncopation, and upper body movem ...

Terrance W. Gainer Terrance William Gainer (born August 1, 1947) is a former law enforcement officer and was the 38th Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and served in that position from January 4, 2007, to May 2, 2014. Before Gainer continued his law enf ...

* James Hickey * Brian K. Hopkins, Chicago Alderman * Michael J. Howlett * Dan Hynes * Edward A. Kelly *

Edward Joseph Kelly Edward Joseph Kelly (May 1, 1876October 20, 1950) was an American politician who served as the 46th Mayor of Chicago from April 17, 1933, until April 15, 1947. Prior to being mayor of Chicago, Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago Sani ...

* Michael Kenna *

Martin H. Kennelly Martin Henry Kennelly (August 11, 1887 – November 29, 1961) was an American politician and businessman. He served as the 47th Mayor of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois from April 15, 1947 until April 20, 1955. Kennelly was a member of the United ...

Lisa Madigan Lisa Murray Madigan (born July 30, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she served as Illinois Attorney General, Attorney General of the U.S. state of Illinois from 2003 t ...

Michael Madigan Michael Joseph Madigan (born April 19, 1942) is an American politician and convicted felon who is the former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the longes ...

Jenny McCarthy Jennifer Ann McCarthy-Wahlberg (' McCarthy; born November 1, 1972) is an American actress, model, television personality, and anti-vaccine activist. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for ''Playboy'' magazine and was later named thei ...

* Amy McCarthy *

Tim McCarthy Timothy J. McCarthy (born June 20, 1949) is an American retired police officer and special agent of the U.S. Secret Service. He is best known for defending then-president Ronald Reagan during the assassination attempt on Reagan's life on Marc ...

Frank McErlane Frank McErlane (1894–1932) was a Prohibition-era Irish-American organized crime figure. He led the Saltis-McErlane Gang, allied with Rusyn American gangster Joseph Saltis and the Johnny Torrio-Al Capone led Chicago Outfit, against rival I ...

* Lawrence E. McGann * P.H. Moynihan *

Morgan F. Murphy Morgan Francis Murphy (April 16, 1932 – March 4, 2016) was an American attorney and United States Representative from Illinois. Murphy attended Chicago parochial schools. He received a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University in 1955 a ...

William T. Murphy William Thomas Murphy (August 7, 1899 – January 29, 1978) of Chicago was a U.S. Representative from the 3rd congressional district of Illinois During his time in office, from 1959 to 1971, Murphy's district saw cultural and economic shifts wi ...

James C. Murray James Cunningham Murray (May 16, 1917 – October 19, 1999) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois from 1955 to 1957. He graduated from De Paul University Law School in 1940 and subsequently worked as a lawyer. He served in the United States A ...

* Kevin J. O'Connor *

Catherine O'Leary Catherine O'Leary (née Donegan; March 1827 – July 3, 1895) was an Irish immigrant living in Chicago, Illinois, who became famous when it was alleged that an accident involving her cow had started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Born Catherine ...

* Jim O'Leary * Patrick O'Malley * John R. Powers *

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an Irish-American actor. He made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984), and has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), '' Stakeout'' (1987) ...

* James M. Ragen *

John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor. He is known as a character actor taking leading and supporting roles in independent drama films and studio comedies. He gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of ...

Robin Tunney Robin Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress who made her film debut in '' Encino Man'' (1992), and later rose to prominence with headline parts in the cult films ''Empire Records'' (1995) and '' The Craft'' (1996). Her performance in ...

* Thomas M. Tunney *

Ed Walsh Edward Augustine Walsh (May 14, 1881 – May 26, 1959) was an American pitcher and manager (baseball), manager in Major League Baseball, nicknamed "Big Ed". From 1906 to 1912, he had several seasons where he was one of the best pitchers in baseb ...

George Wendt George Robert Wendt Jr. (October 17, 1948 – May 20, 2025) was an American actor. Wendt was best known for playing Norm Peterson on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' from 1982 to 1993, which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Em ...

Fictional

The Gallaghers of

Shameless (American TV series) Shameless means lacking in shame. It may also refer to: Television and cinema * Shameless (British TV series), ''Shameless'' (British TV series), a UK television series that ran from 2004 to 2013 * ''Shameless'', a 2007 HBO special by Louis C.K. ...

are from the South Side.

References

External links

South Side Irish Parade
{{Ethnicity in Chicago, Illinois Beverly, Chicago Ethnic groups in Chicago