12 of the first 16 Kansas City police officers killed on duty were Irish or Irish-born.

In 1867 or so Dennis Malloy from County Clare helped found the police force in Kansas City. Naturally he recruited from friends and people he knew so up to 3 quarters of the force in the early days were Irish.

In 1869 tens of thousands of people gathered on the banks of the Missouri to celebrate the opening of the Hannibal Bridge. It’s a huge celebration for a town which just 4 years earlier had a population of just 4,000. The quarter-mile long bridge on 7 piers was to make Kansas City a commercial hub for the railroads expanding to the west and one of the most important factors in the growth of KC into a city bigger than all others in the region. Dennis Malloy’s wife, Sarah, prepared the barbecue to feed those thousands celebrating the bridge’s opening.

You can hear such tidbits if you listen back on KCUR to local KC author Pat O’Neill talk with Steve Kraske about how the Irish were stitched into the fabric of Kansas City in the early days - on both sides of the law. It’s 40 minutes long and as ever with Pat, very entertaining.

Some Reading:
   • History of the Police Department (Published in the Kansas City Journal of Commerce
January 27, 1870)
   • Bridge to the Future (KC Library - Kansas City History by Jason Roe, doctoral student, Department of History, University of Kansas)
   • Lawyers, Lawmen & Outlaws: The Irish In KC (KCUR by Steve Kraske and Danie Alexander)

Please NOTE: Comments are currently BROKEN - despite you being told your comment is being held for moderation I am not getting to see them - and currently have over 75′000 comments stuck in that zone I can’t see (unless I happen to know that a comment exists and go direct to the database to search for it so I can change its status to approved). As I have already spent many days attempting and failing to fix it, the situation is unlikely to be resolved until or unless the entire website is redesigned and rebuilt.

Read: Both Sides of the Law: The Irish in Kansas City »

It’s a magical time.

A time to play.

And it’s all yours.

click to enlarge

(Not for Sale)

Read: Panda Playtime! »

You can now find a more comprehensive and up-to-date catalogue of my paintings of Ireland on a new Facebook page LiamDalyArt.

If you’re on facebook and like it you could well, like it, and spread the word.

Read: Irish Paintings »

Ireland won its first gold medal yesterday at the London 2012 Olympic Games, courtesy of World and European Champion boxer Katie Taylor.

This is some of the commentary by Seán Bán Breathnach on Radio na Gaeltachta. That means it’s in Irish, what you know as Gaeilge and call Gaelic, but don’t worry about any of that as you don’t need to know a single word of it. Trust me.

Just listen to SBB.

Read: Katie Taylor by Seán Bán Breathnach »

Last year I cycled around the island of Ireland painting dozens of pictures. I also took several thousand photos. So you can see a sample of them I’ve made 100 photos of Ireland viewable on my site of the tour.

Meanwhile IrishKC will continue in its almost dormant state until I can find the time to upgrade it. Apologies to the commenters that are lost in the over-100,000 comments that are outstanding, and for the many queries from Kansas City that similarly lost in the unprocessed piles.

Read: 100 Photos of Ireland »

Good times.

May today be a million and five times better.

p.s. Drive carefully.

In Liverpool’s Albert Dock, with the Port of Liverpool building, the Cunard Building, and the Liver Building in the background

Read: Dementor in Liverpool »

Breakfast at Brownes Irish Market begins at 7. Lunch after the parade.

Sheehan’s Irish Imports will be closed on March 17, but you can see your friends from Sheehans in the parade.

John Morris is performing at breakfast at The Gaf (71st & Wornall) on Saturday, March 17th from 9am-11am

The KC St. Patrick’s Day parade is on from 11am -1pm. Route is south on Broadway from 33rd to Westport Rd.

FOX 4 are showing live coverage of the parade on their sister station 4.2, with a 1-hour commercial free highlight show being aired from 4-5pm on Fox 4.

Fox 4 are also live streaming the KC parade on fox4kc.com

Lew’s Grill and Bar in Waldo are having their annual Irish Hooley spread over 2 bars (the other being The Well), starting with breakfast at 8am and then with Jonathan Ramsey performing at 1pm & 4pm, and The Kelihans (6pm), and Flannigan’s Right Hook (3pm). Basketball etc.

Rugby. In various places around the KC area there will be TVs showing live Ireland playing England at Twickenham (that’s in England) at noon KC time in the final game of this year’s 6 Nations. It’s only the 3rd time in history that Ireland are playing a test match on St Patrick’s Day.

ShamROCK with Us is what ‘new’ pub The Dubliner is calling their all day affair, from breakfast at 8am to Eddie Delahunt at 9am to Irish dancing on tabletops (noon), more bands (1pm & 6pm), and a DJ (10pm) before bed.

Westport is where perhaps most people will go. The website of WesportKC is using the Irish language to wish you all a Happy St Patrick’s Day, and impressively doing it properly unlike some Irish-related KC websites. Kelly’s, The Dark Horse Tavern, Street closures - all Westport events and details here

Eddie Delahunt is at new pub The Dubliner in KCPL district from 9am-Noon, at Mike Kelly’s Westsider from 1.30pm-4pm, and O’Dowd’s Little Dublin on the Plaza from 5pm-9pm

The Back Yard at the Beaumont Club are having a St. Patrick’s Day party featuring The Elders on Saturday, March 17 from 1pm to 4pm. Tickets are $5.

Bob Reeder is at O’Malley’s in Weston at 3pm and at 8pm, and probably much more.

O’Malley’s Pub in Weston has Tullamore (1pm-4.30pm), Three Dollar Band (5pm-8pm) and Connacht Town (8.30pm-midnight?) playing as well as Bob Reeder (3pm and upstairs throughout the night)

Flannigan’s Right Hook are playing at the at The Well in Waldo 3-5pm and then on to Llywelyn’s Pub (151st 1 block east of Metcalf) in Overland Park 7pm-close.

Walsh’s Corner Cocktails at 85th & Wornall has its annual St. Patrick’s Day Party featuring John Morris performing from 8pm.

The Elders annual Hoolie - their 10th now - is on at 8pm in the Uptown. Last time I looked there were still tickets available

The O’Riada-Mccarty-Manning Academy of Irish Dance will perform at halftime when Sporting Kansas City host the New England Revolution at 7:30pm on St Patrick’s Day in the team’s 2012 home opener at Livestrong Sporting Park.

A nice Irish story from Lawrence, Kansas on a local man from Ireland called Rhody Delahunty

Shindigz, a national party goods supply company, rated what it calls the top seven U.S. cities for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and it has KCK at number 7 with KC, MO not on the list.

The KC area Irish music band Kelly are playing in Salina.

Read: St Patrick’s Day 2012 - Kansas City Notes »