Special to The Irish American Post

The people of Butte, Montana have been waiting a long, long time.

The last time an Irish leader came to this very Irish city was when Eamon DeValera visited in 1919. On May 17, President Mary McAleese was greeted with a western welcome that she acknowledged as warm and open.

"I have been changed by this visit," she said. "I am overwhelmed. Your reception has been second to none." 

While many do not realize the wide Irish influence in Montana, the state has a deep history with Ireland. Mining, railroading, homesteading and ranching brought many Irish immigrants to this region, seeking a better life after the famine and oppression in their home country. 

A sizable portion of Butte’s population is descended from Irish who immigrated there to work in the mines. They came mostly from mining communities in Cork, Wicklow and Donegal. Because of the concentration of Irish in this community, they retained and passed down their cultural identity. As many as 120 children are studying Irish dancing and a number of people have some grasp of the Irish language. In August of each year, the city hosts a big outdoor Irish festival, with nationally and internationally recognized music groups and workshops. The 2006 event was August 11-13.

When President McAleese was in Seattle last year, a large group of Butte Irish residents drove for eight hours to see her. She was impressed by their interest in strengthening the link with Ireland, but also by the story of their city.

Early in the day she visited the Butte Archives, whose collections of Irish historical materials include a handwritten letter form Eamonn DeValera, written during his imprisonment, thanking the people of Butte for the help they had given to Ireland. Douglas Hyde visited Butte a century ago, and raised money for the Gaelic League.

During a luncheon for Montana citizens and dignitaries, President McAleese was welcomed by the governor of Montana, Brian Schweizer, who was accompanied by his mother, the former Kathleen McKernan and her sisters, Patty and Nora McKernan. 

The luncheon was followed by a community reception, which gave many local residents the opportunity to see and meet President McAleese. After a news conference in the afternoon, she delivered a public address to an audience of more than 2,000 people. In her address, she acknowledged the contributions of this mining community to Ireland over the years.

"We stand on the shoulders of giants, whose sacrifices, whose hard-earned dollars and cents sent home form the mines of Butte helped a beaten and battered Ireland find her feet and find her future. From those who worked a mile underground, from those who had to ‘up sticks’ and leave to find work elsewhere. You can be assured that Butte matters to us as much as Ireland matters to Butte," she said

In recognition of her visit, the people of Butte offered up local gifts, including a carved wood Celtic cross, and a portrait of her by a local artist. But they also offered gifts of dance and of song. The local Teirnan Irish Dance school presented her with a performance by more than a hundred young dancers, and the audience sang one of President McAleese’s favorite songs, "The Star of County Down." 

The warmth of this Butte welcome is intrinsically Irish. President McAleese remarked on the time she had spent in the city during her public address.

"I have traveled the globe, and let me tell you that we have received an Irish welcome here second to none anywhere in the world. We are completely overwhelmed by this welcome," she said.

Prior to her arrival in Butte, the President spent a half day in at the University of Montana in Missoula. Here, she launched an Irish Studies program, and the delegation donated $40,000 as a grant to help support it. The director of this program is Dr. Traolach O’Riordáin, and this program will feature Irish language, history, and literature, with access to dance and music.