Every year, in the middle of March, people begin to wear green, shuck potatoes, fill plastic pots with fake golden coins, and talk about four leaf clovers and the wishes they bring. At the root of this holiday, beyond the leprechauns and corned beef, is a holiday meant to celebrate Irish culture and heritage. But, long ago, St. Patrick’s day was mostly only celebrated by Irish communities and neighborhoods. One of those neighborhoods is close to us and still thriving, Dogtown, while the other notable one, Kerry Patch, has been lost to the decades. 

 originated in 1942 when a large number of Irish immigrants immigrated from County Kerry, Ireland,  to St. Louis. In 1947, however, even larger populations of Irish immigrants immigrated into the city because of the Great Hunger, also known as the Potato Famine. By 1951, 14 percent of the 700,000 residents in St. Louis were Irish. 

The Kerry Patch’s residents were lively, and made the most of what they had. Outsiders reporting on the patch described accounts detailing the lives of the residents . The residents would fight for fun, and engaged in dogfights and cockfighting. Kerry Patch was also home to many breweries and pubs, most famously the Lafayette Brewery. The Kerry Patch also elected kings, who were crowned at large parties and kept the patch in order. 

Life wasn’t always breweries, bar fights and kings, however. The Kerry Patch was notoriously poor, and the residents inside were ostracized by the rest of the city. Being rejected by their own country because of immigration and social ideals, they clung to each other for safety within the Patch. 

Only one of the greatest landmarks of Kerry Patch remains, the church St. Bridget of Erin. Its sister churches, St. Patrick’s Church and St. Lawrence O’Toole were destroyed recently in order to make space for more development. Many of the Irish residents of the Kerry Patch dispersed into the rest of the city, leaving behind only a handful of descendants. However, the history of Kerry Patch, Dogtown, and other Irish neighborhoods are remembered by the St. Louis St. Patrick’s day parade. 

Like St. Louis, we in St. Charles also have our own Irish parade, which travels the length of Main Street. Here’s some photos!