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PRIME TIME
March 2020
Irish Ancestors Helped Shape Albuquerque History
Emerald Isle Culture Still Prominent Today By Autumn Gray
N
ot surprisingly, the vast majority of New Mexico residents trace their lineage to Mexico, Spain or indigenous peoples. Beyond that, the state’s ethnicities begin looking like the larger American melting pot: German heritage being the next largest (8.8 percent), followed by Irish (6.3 percent), according to the Statistical Atlas. Though the number of Emerald Isle
descendants be relatively wee tiny, some prominent Irish helped shape early Albuquerque, and the Irish culture remains a vibrant part of our community. The Albuquerque-based IrishAmerican Society of New Mexico, a nonprofit that has existed since the 1980s and boasts about 300 members annually, promotes the heritage through regular programs and events. “The Irish had a large part in the founding of Albuquerque,” said society president Ellen Dowling, an amateur historian who is often asked by local senior centers and other civic and social organizations to give presentations
about the Irish in Albuquerque. “We have had some prominent people of Irish descent. The law firm Keleher & McLeod is Irish. Rodey Theatre in Popejoy Hall - Rodey was from Ireland. Several of our governors were of Irish descent.” Major catalysts for Irish emigration to New Mexico, and Albuquerque in particular, were military service, railroad work, educational and religious opportunities, and health benefits provided by the state’s many sanitoriums, natural springs and dry climate. A few notables who found their way here include: • William McGuinness, who emigrated from Ireland in the 1850s, joined the U.S. Army and was sent to fight the Civil War in New Mexico. He helped build the San Felipe de Neri Church in Albuquerque’s Old Town, and published a local newspaper called The Republican Review.
• Bernard Shandon Rodey, born in County Mayo, Ireland, moved to Albuquerque in 1881 and became an employee of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company before leaving to practice law. He introduced legislation to create the University of New Mexico, which earned him the title of “Father of the University.” Rodey eventually founded the law firm of Rodey and Rodey, known today as The Rodey Law Firm. • John Joseph Dempsey, of Irish descent, served as U.S. Representative from New Mexico and as the state’s 13th governor. • James Allen Menaul, who was born in Ireland, established a boarding school for Spanishspeaking boys primarily from northern New Mexico. The Menaul School for Spanish American Boys (originally an Indian school) was renamed in his honor, as was (continued on next page)
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