Did you know Philadelphia has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since before the United States officially became a country?
By 1770, just a few years shy of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, one-third of Pennsylvania’s 350,000 residents were Irish. In Philadelphia, many Irish settlers lived along the Delaware River waterfront, in neighborhoods such as Kensington, Port Richmond, and Northern Liberties, commonly known as the River Wards.
These immigrants were arriving in poorly made vessels known as “coffin ships,” as nearly one out of five died on the journey to the port of Philadelphia. To support the wave of newcomers, the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland, or The Friendly Sons, was founded on March 17, 1771. The group kicked off its mission with a dinner celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, the first documented observance in the city.
At its founding, the brotherhood included 24 regular and six honorary members. These were well-to-do men who played significant roles in the American Revolution.
Membership would grow to include figures such as Commodore John Barry and Thomas Fitzsimmons. Despite membership being restricted to men of Irish ancestry, George Washington was a member. Washington was granted honorary membership in 1781, eventually elevating his status further when members adopted him as an Irishman in 1782.
The dinners continued into the 19th century, but the celebrations grew beyond the annual feast and became more political. By the 1830s, the Irish community used their patron saint’s feast day to protest English oppression in Ireland.
As the Irish population continued to grow, Irish Philadelphians began to splinter and form more aid groups. Amid these changes, the society continued to financially support people facing starvation or exile from Ireland, especially during the Great Famine between 1845 and 1852.
The society's charitable works would extend beyond their countrymen at the turn of the century, with donations being made toward relief efforts for victims of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the Spanish-American War.
The Friendly Sons inducted its first female member in 2016, former Irish ambassador Anne Anderson. The organization still exists today, now known as the Friendly Sons and Daughters of Saint Patrick. It commits to promoting Irish culture, education, and aid. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which it helped start, continues to celebrate Irish heritage in the city over 250 years later under the leadership of the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association.
