We recognize Americans of Irish descent each March on St. Patrick’s Day. In Fairfield, the Irish gather at the Gaelic American Club by the thousands to celebrate. But where did all of these Irish folks come from? Town Historian Marcia Miner answers that question with an interesting history lesson.

irishmen in the colonies
Even before the American Revolution there were Irish in the American colonies, and perhaps some right here in Fairfield.  We often think the Irish only came over after the potato crop failures. Not so. The first arrivals were indentured servants who had been kidnapped from towns in Ireland and Scotland after Cromwell invaded those lands.  They were then shipped off to America. 

Mostly from Ulster, these Scots-Irish, as they are most often described, were mainly Presbyterians. Crammed into the bowels of sailing vessels, the trip to America was unbelievably torturous and could last for as long as 12 weeks depending on winds and weather. Some were allotted a bed measuring two feet wide and six feet long. Such unhealthy conditions meant the passengers had to suffer the stench of vomit, urine and diarrhea.

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Most indentured servants were young unmarried men around 28 years old. Little is known about them because primary source material is scarce to non-existent, as most were uneducated and unable to read and write. What material is available comes mostly from notices in newspapers offering descriptions and rewards for runaways:

Run away on the 28 th past, the two following Servnt Men, viz. From John Fruin, Baker, one named Peter Humphries, about 26 years of age, middle stature, well set, spreading knees, and goes tenderly on his feet, thick lips, and has a tooth out before towards the left side. Had on a castor hat, a lightish natural wig, striped homespun jacket, leather breeches, white frock, black stockins, good shoes, and took with him 2 speckled shirts, 3 white shirts, and 5 pairs of stockins, and was seen with a small bundle at his back.

Fugitives from Europe were hard to find because, unlike runaway slaves, they could blend in with the native population. And blend in they did.

By the late middle of the Eighteenth century when the American Revolution began, there was a sizable group of Irish living in all of the colonies. Some reports estimate that, overall, one third of the Washington’s Continental Army was Irish or of Irish heritage, and more than 1,000 were officers. Andrew Jackson’s parents were from Ulster.

Cead Mile Falite, Wishing you One Hundred Thousand Welcomes: The Irish in Fairfield

the potato famine
The mass emigration with which Americans are most familiar was a result of a fungus that hit the Irish potato crops. Farmers in Ireland tended to live on rented land owned by wealthy Englishmen. The potato crop was their main food supply, and they paid their rent in potatoes. When the fungus hit in 1845, the Irish farmers had no means to survive. Famine followed, and as many as 2.5 million people died of starvation and disease. A second crop failure occurred in 1846, another in 1848 and another in 1851.  They had no choice but to leave. Over one million fled to America, and another half million came between 1860 and 1880. They arrived in America in worse condition than they were when they left Ireland. They were poorer, more undernourished and more desperate. In 1850, Fairfield’s Irish population was seven percent of Fairfield’s total population. Within 10 years it had jumped to 13 percent.



While the very early Irish, who came from the north as indentured servants, were Protestants, these new immigrants were mostly Roman Catholics. Many arrived in Fairfield. They were hired for menial jobs formerly held by African Americans. Discrimination against the Irish was harsh, because they were Roman Catholics. Anti-Catholicism was as old as the founding of the town, and it took a very long time to die out.

But, by the close of the 19th century, prejudice against the Irish, and particularly Catholics, had leveled off. Thomas Farnham, in his book Fairfield, the Biography of a Community, 1639-2000, notes that old-time Fairfielders were taking note of the good work being done by the Irish. As a result, locals were generous with donations to the Irish famine relief. More and more, the Irish were becoming part of the mainstream. It was around this time that the Irish convinced the town of Fairfield to recognize Christmas and Easter as holidays. (Prior to that, Christmas was largely ignored. In fact, on Christmas Day in the 1870s, schools were open and missing work on December 25 was grounds for dismissal.)

fairfield’s irishmen
William J. O’Dwyer, Jr. a former Fairfield resident, now in his eighties and living in Florida, comes from a long line of Irish Fairfielders. He recalled, “My father's parents were both born, raised and married in Tipperary, Ireland. They had nine children. A few were born in Ireland. They arrived at Ellis Island and settled in Norwalk, where they opened a tavern. In the early 1880s, if memory serves me correct, my grandparents moved to Southport into what was known as the Round House. (Actually it was octagon [al] in shape.) It was located at the corner of the Post Road and Center Street. My dad was born in Southport.”

O’Dwyer’s father weeded onions, including the famous Southport Globe Onion, grown in that section of town. He worked for “Chicken” Ben Buckley and many of the other onion farmers in Southport.

“He often noted that he believed he’d weeded every acre of Southport Onions during his youth,” says William Jr.  “He said weeding in the blistering hot sun-soaked fields required the need for drinking water. He said they carried it in buckets. But, first, they tossed in a handful of oat meal before adding the water from the well, in the belief it helped prevent heat stroke.” The senior O’Dwyer was typical of more and more Irish, eventually going into business and taking great interest in the community. William M. O’Dwyer, Sr. became a town official and was appointed Postmaster of Fairfield, a position he held until 1957.

The O’Dwyer family remains in Fairfield today. William Jr.’s two young granddaughters, Jennifer and Caroline, are musicians in town. They are the third generation living in Fairfield.

Cead Mile Falite, Wishing you One Hundred Thousand Welcomes: The Irish in Fairfield

Perhaps the most well-known Fairfield Irishman was the beloved First Selectman John J. Sullivan. He was a newcomer to town in 1936 when he opened Sullivan’s Flower Shop. Farnham relates a story in his book about a woman who saw Sullivan’s sign going up. “She spoke precisely, but her meaning was initially unclear to Sullivan. ‘That is a hard name. A business with that name has little chance of success in Fairfield.’  Sullivan realized that her reference was to his Irish name. ‘Would some other name do better?’ she asked. ‘I have no other name,’ he replied, ‘and that one has served both me and my family well. In fact, ‘ he continued, ‘I would rather boil in oil than change it.’”

Sullivan became the First Selectman in 1958. A few years ago, Independence Hall, which was built during his years running the town, was renamed John J. Sullivan Independence Hall.

the gaelic american club
By the 1940s, the Irish needed a place to get together. Enter Jimmy Corcoran. He arrived in Bridgeport in 1947 and immediately met a number of other Irishmen and women. He decided they needed a place to party and founded the Gaelic American Club. The first meeting was held in a rented room at the American Legion Hall on Golden Hill with 41 members. Corcoran was elected president, Peter Bellew became treasurer and Maureen (“Peggy”) Doonan (who ended up marrying Mr. Corcoran), was elected Secretary. Bellew and Peggy Corcoran are still members.

After 48 years in Bridgeport, in 1993, the Irish moved their club to Fairfield at 74 Beach Road. They designed their first real home to resemble a traditional Irish cottage. There are color plaques showing the coat of arms of each of the four provinces and the 32 counties of Ireland. The stone walls of the walkway to the entrance form a Celtic cross. From those 41 dedicated men and women, today the club’s membership is 5,500, and that is a cap. It can never go any higher. There are several hundred on the waiting list. 

The club offers activities for everyone, every age. There is a glee club, a Pipe and Drum band, Irish Set and Step dancing, an Irish language class, genealogy sessions and an Irish pub.   

Cead Mile Falite, Wishing you One Hundred Thousand Welcomes: The Irish in Fairfield

Today there are more than 34 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry, which is nearly 10 times the current population in Ireland. Here in Connecticut, there are a half million of Irish heritage. And they keep coming. Here are a few you might run into around town:

Present day member, Mairead Brady came from County Kavan, near Ulster, in the town of Ballyjamesduff, and arrived in America in 1997.  She had no intention of coming, but some of the young men where she worked decided to answer an ad in the paper for work in Connecticut. She applied too, just for the fun of it. They were all accepted. At 22 years old, quite to her surprise, she was on her way to America, where she would provide care to an elderly man. She did that job for a year or so, and now works days for a senior woman who is also a Gaelic American Club member.  When asked if she plans to stay permanently in America, she says with a twinkle, “I am always going home. There’s even a song called, Come Back Paddy Reilly to Ballyjamesduff.”

Maryann Doonan, who today works for People’s Bank, arrived from County Kerry in 1956, only 16 years old, with her uncle and his six sons. “I can’t imagine my children doing such a thing today. Of course, I had no idea at the time how far away I was going.”  She immediately went to work for the Brodie family in Black Rock as a nanny, a cook, and a housekeeper, and lived with the “wonderful” family for three and a half years. After that she worked for another “lovely” family as a nanny and housekeeper. Maryann saved her money and, over the years, was able to bring eight of her brothers and sisters to America. In 1958, while at the Gaelic American Club in Bridgeport, she met the man she married and with whom she has three sons and a daughter. Maryann was the first women president of the club and served from 1997-1998.



Jude Fitzgerald is a past, two-term president of the Gaelic American Club. She came to Fairfield in 1988 from Clonmel in  County Tipperary.  She was engaged to be married when her fiancé obtained a Donnelly visa (an immigration lottery). They married, but she remained in Ireland until he was settled in his job. Eventually, she came to America, but only stayed a few months.  “I didn’t have any friends and I was very homesick for my family and friends.” She returned to Ireland and remained for several years. Her husband came and visited until Jude gave it another shot. She returned to America and has been here ever since. It is home now, and she is happy, involved and active. Today, if you go to the Fairfield Tax Collector’s office, Jude is the tall vivacious one, with the familiar Irish lilt in her voice.

Fairfield, she says, is her home. But like so many, “home” is still the land of green, Ireland.