The Irish in Columbus

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Thousands of Irish immigrants came to Columbus to seek personal and religious freedom. With the "Great Hunger" in Ireland and the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal and the National Road, immigration to Columbus increased in the mid nineteenth century. They initially settled in the north side of the city in the swamp flats, where inexpensive land was available and work could be had on the railroads. Settlement spread to Franklinton, on Naghten Street, later known as "Irish Broadway"- part of which is now Nationwide Boulevard, and to nearby Flytown. The immigrants became domestic workers, civil servants, entrepreneurs, and served the city in police and fire departments. Others were leaders in government, law, medicine, and education. Their legacy continues today in the Irish-American population of Columbus, Ohio.

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These are only a representative few of the Irish individuals and groups who were prominent in the formation of Columbus.

Irish in Columbus before Ohio Statehood

Lucas Sullivant, Founder of Franklinton in 1797

John Brickell, Early settler

Irish in Columbus during early Statehood

Thomas Kirker, Ohio's 2nd governor, acting 1807-08 term

John Kerr, 2nd Mayor of Columbus

Alfred Kelley, Father of Ohio Canals, Ohio and Erie Canal Developer, and Legislator

Irish in Columbus after the Great Hunger (1845)

Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis, St. Francis Hospital

Dominican Sisters, St. Mary of the Springs, St. Mary of the Springs Academy