Irish heritage is woven into Utah's history

The role of the Irish and their descendants in building the nation gets

an annual nod every March 17, but for Utah's Irish, this historically

has been the only recognition they get.Over the years, several books have been written on Utah's ethnic groups

and almost none recognize the Irish as a distinct group. The most

famous, Helen Papanikolas' "The Peoples of Utah," includes the Irish

with the British, Welsh and Scots — an obvious mistake to anyone who

knows their history.There are many possible reasons for the snub, said Irish historian

Gerald McDonough: The Irish immigrants were mostly Catholic in a

predominantly LDS state, they didn't congregate to a single community

as did the Swiss in Midway, Often, they were in the Army and in mining

towns, both of which were disliked by LDS leaders. And because they

were white and English-speaking, the Irish often were overlooked as a

minority."Initially the Irish came as outsiders. They came with groups that were

sent to put down the 'Mormon rebellion' or with mines and the

railroad," McDonough said. "They've often been viewed as invaders ...

much like the way people view Hispanics today."That said, all one must do to recognize the tremendous contributions

the Irish have made to the state is to walk around downtown Salt Lake

City. The Keith O'Brien Building, Gallivan Plaza, Kearns Building,

Judge and even Hogle (the family name was originally Gilmore). Many of

the names on the oldest banks and law firms are Irish. More recently,

Jack Dempsey, Ron McBride, Frank Layden and the Moran Eye Institute all

prove that Irish names are still important in Utah."Just look at the phone book," McDonough said.That large