100 years ago: Irish Portland’s proudest day
PDX HIBERNIAN INDEPENDENT 26 February 2026
More than an email. Less than a newspaper. From the Portland Hibernian Society. Delivered every Thursday. Available at our website. St. Patrick’s Day Banquet March 7 at Kells Restaurant
A chara.
Photo courtesy of Oregon Historical Society. ohs.org
St. Mary's Cathedral Centennial Commences
Irish Catholics made up less than ten percent of Portland’s population a hundred years ago, but when Saint Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated on February 14, 1926, they were a major presence among the thousands who showed up for the sacred occasion. Built in less than a year, it was a symbol of strength and resilience; a Sermon in Stone. The second century of the Cathedral has begun and our website has coverage.
Have you booked a seat at the Hibernian Banquet? Better hurry.
When the bagpipes play it’s time to eat at the annual Hibernian Saint Patrick’s Day Banquet on March 7, 2026. Have you signed up? It might not be too late. Find all the details of the evening here.
A Call to March
This Saturday, February 28, parishioners of St. Andrew’s Church in NE Portland have organized a March for Immigrants that will step off from Fernwood Park (NE 42 & Ainsworth) at Noon. Their inspiration? “Pope Leo has described the treatment of immigrants living in the United States as ‘extremely disrespectful and not acceptable.’ We are heartened by Archbishop Sample’s recent meeting with Pope Leo, calling Catholics of all ethnicities to stand together, saying “they are our brothers and sisters, we love them, and we stand with them in these difficult times.” Maps of the parade route will be handed out at Fernhill Park.
Walt Disney loved the "little people"
Irish American Heritage Month begins this Sunday. Sure, there are plenty of American-made movies about Ireland and the Irish, but Walt Disney only made one. Rising star Sean Connery (Scottish not Irish, but that’s grand) doesn’t even try to fake an Irish accent in Darby O’Gill and the Little People, a Disney movie most likely to be seen in March. Filmed in Burbank with mostly non-Irish actors, it’s kind of delightful. Especially if you’ve never seen it.
Epstein Files and the powerful Corkonian no longer at Ten Downing Street
The “workaholic Irishman” from Macroom in County Cork who rose to be the second most powerful politician in the United Kingdom is one of the highest-ranking European leaders laid low by the Epstein scandal. Morgan McSweeney, Chief of Staff to British PM Keir Starmer quit because he pushed Starmer to appoint a close friend of Epstein’s to be Ambassador to the United States. Did McSweeney step down to save his boss’s bottom line? McSweeney’s rise to power never surprised his Aunt Evelyn, a three term Mayor of Macroom.
SPORT - Massive Six Nations Win over England
Ireland scored a smashing victory over England last Saturday in Six Nations action. From The Guardian.Plenty of Irish supporters, including a fair scattering of leprechauns and cardinals, had made a proper weekend of it and the drinks were flowing in Richmond from early morning. Win or lose, there remain few better ways to illuminate the grey February gloom. Hibernian Tim Birr reports a full house at T.C. O’Leary’s loving every second of the victory. This was a record Irish win at Twickenham and it is Andy Farrell’s side who remain in the hunt for this season’s Six Nations title. FRIDAY AT NOON – IRELAND VS WALES (which hasn’t won a game yet). It will be shown live at T.C. O'Leary's on NE Alberta and at Kells Brewery on NW 21st.
Second Place never looked better to Rory
Winning’s quite lucrative for professional golfers. But, coming in second isn’t bad either. Ask Rory McIlroy. The “Holywood Swinger” sank a birdie putt on the final hole of last weekend’s Genesis Tournament in Los Angeles. That pushed his winnings up from $1.2 million to $1.8 million for the four rounds. And that’s for finishing tied for second! It’s more than he won for winning the Irish Open in September. Golf Monthly breaks down his game and his compensation.
Irish whiskey for dummies
For the benefit of the casual, occasional, recreational consumer of Irish whiskey; or for those who use it for medicinal purposes only, Hibernian David O’Longaigh recently passed along this video. From Paddy’s to Powers, Redbreast to Green Spot, it covers the full range of brands; from $29 for a bottle of Tullamore Dew to $60,00 for Middleton Very Rare Single Pot Still. Whatever that means.
Two lads from Limerick are the ultimate Tech Bros
Ireland’s biggest high-tech success story may be about to get much bigger. The Irish brothers who founded the digital payment system called Stripe reportedly have their eyes on a big prize. PayPal. Here’s what Fast Company reported 14 years ago: Patrick and John Collison, brothers in their early 20s from Limerick, Ireland, have a decidedly bold mission: to become the next PayPal.Now that Stripe has a market valuation of $40 billion the Collisons are considering an acquisition of PayPal or parts of the digital payments pioneer, the Irish Examiner has reported.
Irish Hamnet star is set to sweep all the Best Actress awards
Jessie Buckley from Killarney has done something no Irish actress has ever done. She won the Best Actress award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. That’s the Brit equivalent of the Oscar, which she will probably win on March 15th. Jessie Buckley’s got a great Irish story; her great grandmother was a soldier who served the cause of Irish freedom at multiple points. Unfortunately, Buckley’s win for her role as Shakespeare’s wife in Hamnet was overshadowed by an unfortunate incident.
Best Practices for Irish parents
Some interesting survey results just released in Ireland. If you want to improve your child’s chances of graduating from college, take them to the local library and don’t let them have a television in their bedroom. Growing Up in Ireland is a survey looking at respondents born in 1998 and how well they did in school based on the behavior and expectations of mom and dad.
U.S. pizza billionaire eyes Ireland for higher learning
Dominos Founder and conservative Catholic philanthropist Tom Monaghan is hoping to open a new university at a very old site in County Waterford. It will be the first branch campus of his Catholic University in Florida called Ave Maria. The Government of Ireland hasn’t approved his plans to convert the former Cistercian monastery of Mount Melleray near Cappoquin for higher education purposes. But that hasn't stopped Ave Maria U from soliciting donations. See screen shot above. Meanwhile, in Florida, at the home campus of Ave Maria University one of fifty students who came down with measles – despite being vaccinated a a child – is talking about her case.
Coming Events
