March is Irish American History Month, and of course tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day. What better time to explore the rich Irish history of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo?

The neighborhood South of Union Square for which Village Preservation is seeking landmark designation is particularly rich in Irish History, from the home of the first Irish Catholic major party candidate for President of the United States, to the homes and businesses of many of the 19th century’s most successful Irish American entrepreneurs and philanthropists (including the founder of the Emigrant Savings Bank), the headquarters of a group that conducted raids upon British Canada to promote Irish independence, and in the 20th century the homes and businesses of some of the most prominent Irish American voices for free speech and against literary censorship. You can find them all on our South of Union Square Map+Tours’ Irish History Tour — access it HERE. 

Of course that’s just the tip of the iceberg of Irish and Irish American history of Greenwich Village and the East Village. We’ve chronicled everything from how the original New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade began and ended in our neighborhoods, to the incredibly rich legacy of churches, politicians, writers, literary watering holes, artists, and so many others connected to our neighborhoods with roots in the Emerald Isle. Dive into a guide to them all HERE.  

Still want more? Explore our archives to dig even deeper into the stories of the Irish and Irish Americans in our neighborhoods, from merchants, domestics, and dockworkers, to some of the most successful and impactful business, philanthropic, political, social, and artistic figures of 19th- and 20th-century New York — CLICK HERE.