Faith and begorrah! And would ya be lookin’ at the calendar already? Sure, an’ tis neigh on ta St. Patrick’s Day and a great time to be for lookin’ into Bismarck’s Irish past.
What, there were Irish in Bismarck? When and where and who were they? What was Kerry’s Patch and where was it and where did it go?
The Bismarck Historical Society will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 12, 7:00 P.M., at the Bismarck Veterans’ Memorial Public Library, Meeting Room A, 515 5th Street, Bismarck, North Dakota.
Two of the Bismarck Historical Society’s most clearly and proudly Irish board members will shine up their Irishness and present an illustrated talk about the role of the Irish community in Bismarck’s early settlement period. Retired Bismarck Public Schools teacher, local folklorist and historian, Ann Vadnie, and Bismarck State College history professor, J. Michael McCormack, will answer these questions and many more about the Irish community that brought, “a wee bit of the auld sod” to early Bismarck.
They will tell you about who these people were, why they left Ireland, how and why they came to Bismarck, where they lived and what they did, all illustrated through the marvel of “power point” and the magic of the Irish’s well known gift of storytelling.
The public is invited. Refreshments will be served. Reservations are not required.