February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Following the defeat sealed by the Treaty of Limerick in 1691, many Irish fled to Spain and other continental countries, some 120,000 entering Spanish military service.
These numbers allowed Spain to colonize its territory rapidly and defend its colonists. Among these men were Hugo Oconor, born in Dublin as Hugh O’Connor, who came as governor ad interim and laid the cornerstone of Mission San Jose in 1768.
He also lived in the Spanish governor’s palace in San Antonio for a time.
Franciscan historian, Juan Agustin Morfi (Murphy) wrote a several volume history of the southwest entitled “Viaje de Indios” which detailed life on the Texas frontier in the mid-18th century.
Other records in the later part of that century listed Irish-born settlers living under the Spanish crown. As time went on Irish names were converted into Hispanic form; Maldonado (McDonald), Barrigan (Berrigan), Obregon (O’Brien) among others.
The story of the Irish under Mexico was one of partial peace. The Irish developed the colony of Refugio under the empresarios Power and Heweston.
Most of these colonists were from Wexford and the townland of Ballygarrett. Power, himself, was from Cahore. The colony of San Patricio was established by the empresarios McGloin and McMullen and San Patricio Country was the first county named by the Republic of Texas in 1836.
The Irish in San Antonio found their niche: they were teachers, politicians, soldiers, clergy, physicians, outlaws and lawmen.
Every sphere of human endeavor has been theirs. Heralded in song and story, laid in prairie graves far from their island home, they were a people interested in making a better life for themselves and their children and in so doing they passed on a legacy of service which still endures.
To walk St. Mary’s Cemetery in San Antonio is to walk a role call of Irish counties and the same is true of the stained glass windows at the McNutt Gallery at what had been the chapel of the Old Ursuline Convent.
In the late 19th century, San Antonio was large enough to form a military company known as the Sarsfield Rifles for service in the Spanish American War.
The ground on which the Battle of San Jacinto, near Houston, was fought was owned by Peggy McCormick who came to Texas in the 1820s with her husband, Arthur.
Dick Dowling of Galway was an officer in the Confederate Army and together with the men of the Davis Guards defeated the Union Navy bent on an invasion of Texas at Sabine Pass in 1863.
The Dallas area was established in 1841 by J. Neely Bryan. In looking at the Irish settlement of east Texas, they put down roots in the most fertile part of the state and would, as a result, help the young State of Texas feed itself. Later Irish would help develop Corpus Christi and extend trading areas to Victoria.
The City of Austin is the newest arm in a development of the Irish community in Texas. It was, and is, part of Austin’s Old Three Hundred.
This is our Irish past and our Irish future is still developing. All who are being recognized this week at the Texas Top Irish American Leaders Awards have played an important role in the development of an Irish conscience in their respective communities.
It is to be hoped that the generation to come remains as proud of their Texas Irish traditions as the current one.