In March, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with two Irish-centered presentations. Chris Naffziger started us off with a talk about Irish parishes, followed by Jackie Dana (that’s me!) telling stories about the life of Bryan Mullanphy.
The talks
Chris focused on a number of Irish parish churches in St. Louis, including several in the former Kerry Patch neighborhood of Old North, as well as St. James the Greater in Dogtown and a few others. The history he shared helped to shape an understanding of the significant Irish contributions to the growth of St. Louis.
You can view his slides below:
Meanwhile, I gave a brief outline of the life of Bryan Mullanphy, the 10th mayor of St. Louis. His eccentric life and kindness towards the poor and immigrant population make him a man worth further study. I shared a couple of stories from his life, including a dispute with one of the attorneys involved in freedom suits that almost ended up as a duel right outside the Old Courthouse.
You can view my slides below:
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