2016

MONTANA IRISH FESTIVAL

A Montana Gaelic Cultural Society Event Proud Sponsor of An Rí Rá

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Giving Back We contribute to local non-pro t organizations, foundations, schools and civic organizations because we know that our business moves forward when we can give back. CAVANAUGH'S Joins the Festival in Commemorating 1916.... IRELAND’S EASTER RISING! Fáilte and welcome to Historic Uptown Butte! Come in and meet the tourists from around the world. Find out why they love Butte! Browse through our vast inventory and choose from our great selection! CD’s • Flags • Throws • T-Shirts • Ornaments • Caps Hats • Books • Collectibles • Sun catchers • Jewelry Sweaters • Teas and souvenirs celebrating Butte Music selections of the present and past festival performers year round!! Enjoy the festival & come back next year! August 11, 12, 13, 2017 Go raibh míle maith agat agus slán go fóill.

131 W. PARK, UPTOWN BUTTE • 406-723-1183 Tues-Fri: 10-6, Monday 12-4 during summer, Sat: 10-4, Sundays open seasonally www.countyceltic.com • [email protected] 3 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 GO RAIBH MAILE MAITH AGAT! (a thousand thank you’s!) SPONSOR-DONOR LIST THE FIFTH PROVINCE ($10,000 and Above) Butte-Silver Bow Government (SARTA) AMBLIN H IKE Town Pump Inc. M

THE ORIGINAL ($5000 - $9999) MTGaelic.org Jim & Chloe Gilman Charitable Foundation Butte-Silver Bow Convention & Visitors Bureau Butte Tourism & Business Improvement District MOUNTAIN CON ($3000 - $4999) Montana Precision Products Cavanaugh’s County Celtic THE ORPHAN GIRL ($1500 - $2999) Montana Abstract & Title Finlen Hotel & Cavalier LoungeLarry & Debbie Smith The Good Family Montana Resources/Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation Headframe Spirits Harrington’s Pepsi Mary Walsh CPA & Associates THE KELLY ($501 - $1499) Dr. Nick & Judy DiGiovine Dairy Queen Grill & Chill (Butte) Zip Beverage Silverbow Butte Kiwanis Leo McCarthy State Farm & Mariah’s Challenge Mother Lode Theatre Clover Creative THE ANSELMO ($251 - $500) Hampton Inn Best Western Butte Plaza Inn Montana Orthopedics Granite Mountain Bank Cathy Tutty

Montana Standard John Kreis Bob & Alice McDonough Glacier Bank Linda and Annette Satterly Steele’s Warehouse Corette, Black, Carlson & Mickelson Joyce & MacDonald PLLP Dr. Padraig Dennehy Hammer Nutrition THE TRAVONA (UP TO $250) St. James Healthcare Northwestern Energy Phil and Marlene Telling Willie’s Distillery Barb Russell Gail & Evan Barrett Montana Distillery Park Street Liquor Rattlesnake Creek Distilleries BS Cafe Knights of Columbus Christina’s Cocina M&M Front Street Market Sparky’s Garage Pita Pit Danette Harrington Joe’s Pasty Shop Maloney Family Mary Kay Maloney Butte Hill Catering Pat & Mary McMahon Metals Sports Bar Nancy’s Pasty Shop Pekin Noodle Parlor Uptown Café Gamers Café John’s Pork Chop THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT Chief Executive Matt Vincent Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners Insty Prints Sun Rental Butte-Silver Bow Government Staff Butte-Silver Bow Archives Staff Butte-Silver Bow Police Department Moon Over Montana Sound Will Steyh & Security Broadway Garage Marty Serverson Fr. Patrick Berretta Mike Hamblin Gene Riordan Pit Printers Emmett Riordan Our Lady of the Rockies Foundation St Mary Reunion Committee Ed Dawson Audio 4 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 Welcome from the An Ri Ra chairman taBle oF On behalf of the Montana Gaelic Society I contents would like to welcome you to the 14th an- nual An Ri Ra Montana Irish Festival held an Ri Ra here in Historic Uptown Butte. This year’s 5 festival, as always, offers some of the best in the elDeRs 6 Irish Music, Dance, Workshops and Historic gailFean Lectures. 7 makem & sPain DuBlin gulch This is a special year for the Irish and those 8 DeRek WaRFielD of us of Irish descent. 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of what would become known 2016 an RÍ RÁ scheDule as "The Easter Uprising." In April of 1916 10 a band of Irish Patriots attempted to once tRinitY iRish DanceRs again throw off the yoke of English oppres- 14 sion. Although the revolt was short-lived, 15 kevin DoYle lasting only a week and ending with the sur- the PRoclamation oF render of the rebels, it would be the catalyst the iRish RePuBlic for what would become the Irish Free State 16 and later the Irish Republic. easteR Rising 17 So come out and enjoy the weekend with us and help us to celebrate this great anniver- General Manager Lynn Lloyd Editor David McCumber Advertising Director Jenean Kujawa sary. Tap 'er light.

Graphic Design Missy Robertson Steven Cordes Erica Yakawich

Advertising Sales Leah Crossman Kaylee Rabson Nonie Swan Regan Tabor-From Jackie Thompson

Advertising Assistants Beth Walsh Jamie Browning

Frank Walsh,

25 W. Granite • Butte, MT 59701 • 406-496-5500 Chairman, WWW.MTSTANDARD.COM 2016 An Ri Ra 5 • An RÍ Rá • 2016

Butte’s annual an Ri Ra iRish Festival celebrating Irish culture, heritage and music — runs Friday through Sunday, Aug. 12-14, with the main musi- cal events at the Original Mine Yard in Uptown Butte. Admission is free.

Besides nationally known Irish music performers, the weekend features lectures, dance workshops, food and a fun run.

The 2016 line-up includes The Elders, Gailfean, Makem & Spain, Dublin Gulch, Derek Warfield & The Young Irish Wolf Tones, Trinity Irish Dancers and Kevin Doyle.

The lecture/author series, Friday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St., in- cludes Easter Uprising – Three Lives Three Stories, Father Patrick Beretta; The Patriotic Spirit of Irish Music, Derek Warfield; and Butte’s Irish Heart – Growing up on the Hill, a panel discussion.

The one-mile fun run-walk, 5k and 10k runs are Saturday starting from Father Sheehan Park. An outdoor Irish Mass is on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the Original Mine Yard.

For details or to register for the walk/race visit www.mtgaelic.org. 6 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 heRe’s a look at the music coming to the FRee annual Festival.

the elDeRs Perform at 10 p.m. Friday and 8:10 p.m. Saturday at Original Mine Yard Main Stage

The Elders were founded in 1998 by six individuals with a passion for music rooted in Americana and Celtic folk rock. From the beginning The Elders seemed to be channeling something ancient and enduring – some- thing unaffected by fads, trends and the giant maw of mind-numbing commercialism. Their ability to bring together the art of storytelling with elements both musically progressive and rooted in tradition, has won them a broad international fan base, as well as critical acclaim in numerous publications such as PASTE Magazine, Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange, Music Row Magazine, Goldmine Magazine, TRAD Magazine (France), Chicago Sun-Times, Kansas City Star and many more. The Elders have headlined major Celtic festivals in North America and Europe. For the past 14 years they have sponsored a tour of Ireland in which fans are invited to join in on an extraordinary 13-day excursion visiting historical and geographical sights during the day and gathering at a local pub or ballroom at night for pints and performances by the band.

THE ELDERS ARE: Ian Byrne - vocals, drums, percussion, whistle

Steve Phillips - vocals, guitar, mandolin BUSINESS PRINTING & DIGITAL SERVICES Diana Ladio - fiddle Brent Hoad - vocals, keyboards, fiddle, guitar There is a little Norm Dahlor - vocals, bass, guitar, banjo Kian Byrne - vocals, drums, bass, mandolin Irish in Everyone! 406-723-3363 120 WWestest Park StrStreet • Historic Uptown Butte www.instybutte.com • [email protected] 7 • An RÍ Rá • 2016

gailFean Performs at 6 p.m. Friday and 5:20 p.m. Saturday at the Original Mine Yard Main Stage

Galifean is an Irish Traditional music group featuring All-Ireland winners John Whelan, Brian Conway and Máirtín de Cógáin and renowned musician Don Penzien. Each of these artists recorded extensively and were brought together to the stage for the first time at the O'Flaherty retreat in October of 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy and much luck. Expect a lively enthralling journey though the history of the Irish Diaspora with this Bonny Bunch of Roses, Oh! They took the name the Pure Drop to start but have grown into Gailfean. About the musicians: JOHN WHELAN MÁIRTÍN DE CÓGÁIN Seven-time All-Ireland button-box champion JOHN MÁIRTÍN DE CÓGÁIN is a singing, dancing, story- WHELAN was named “Traditionalist of the Year” by telling, bodhrán player. He performs in his native Irish Echo magazine in 2011. Whelan has earned the Ireland and all over the U.S and between and beyond, Irish Echo’s highest honor for traditional music. His too! An infectious personality, Máirtín commands the music has since been used for productions on HBO, the attention of any collection of people, from a concert hall History Channel, NBC, FOX, PBS, and in several major to an intimate porch. Descended from a long line of sto- motion pictures. His new CD, Passage of Time, includes rytellers and with two CCÉ All-Ireland’s for Storytelling 33 of his compositions and includes a long list of top under his belt, Máirtín gets no more joy out of life than guest musicians, including Seamus Egan, Seamus Con- the telling of stories. nolly, Felix and Brendan Dolan, Cillian Vallely, Jerry O’Sullivan and Winifred Horan (to name but a few)—it DON PENZIEN reads like a who’s-who of traditional music in America. Accompanist DON PENZIEN has long been a top-flight performer of traditional Irish music. He frequently BRIAN CONWAY tours nationally playing concerts and festivals with The Premier Irish-American fiddler BRIAN CONWAY Máirtín de Cógáin Project, The John Whelan Band, performs with a skill, grace and force that are steeped Legacy, Captain Mackey’s Goatskin and String Band, BUSINESS PRINTING & DIGITAL SERVICES in tradition but distinctively his own. Conway has won and now with Galifean (formerly The Pure Drop). numerous All-Ireland fiddling competitions, and has There is a little been called one of the best fiddlers of his generation. Irish in Everyone! New York born, he is a leading exponent of the highly ornamented Sligo fiddling style made famous by the late 406-723-3363 Michael Coleman and passed on to him by legendary 120 WWestest Park StrStreet • Historic Uptown Butte Martin Wynne and fiddle great Andy McGann. www.instybutte.com • [email protected] 8 • An RÍ Rá • 2016

makem & sPain DuBlin gulch come Performs at 7:20 p.m. Friday and 9:30 p.m. Saturday on Performs at 1:20 p.m. Saturday on the Original Mine Yard the Original Mine Yard Main Stage Main Stage

Not in the past 30 years has Makem and Spain – Rory “Don't bother to tarry in America, go straight to Butte," Makem, Mickey Spain and Liam Spain -- taken the inter- was the call of many an Irish immigrant to relatives back national stage with such vocal power and stage presence, in Ireland. capturing the essence of their genre, while standing out see us as something truly unique. A host of various instruments Most of Butte's Irish came from West Ireland, predomi- and three male vocals, using precise three-part harmonies nately County Cork, but thousands immigrated from Coun- blend perfectly for what many have described as a wall of ties Mayo and Donegal as well. David Emmons, author sound. Makem and Spain are at their best onstage where of The Butte Irish, states that by 1900, Butte had 12,000 their talent and enthusiasm draw in fans who have never residents of Irish descent in a population of 47,635. At the experienced the joy of folk music. turn of the 19th century, over 25 percent of the population was Irish, higher than any other American city, including Rory Makem was born in Drogheda, County Louth, about Chicago and Boston. Downtown an hour north of Dublin. He continues the lineage of one of Irish music's dynasties, begun by his grandmother Sarah Dublin Gulch has emerged as Butte and Montana's premier Makem, who was sought after by song collectors for her traditional Irish band. For the past 24 years, Tom Pow- store of traditional Irish songs. His father, Tommy Makem, ers has led the group with his passionate and pure vocal was the modern day Bard of Armagh. Now considered an prowess. Multi-instrumentalist Mick Cavanaugh adds his icon, he helped to bring Irish music out of the corner and stellar whistle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar virtuosity to into the international spotlight, where it has remained ever the mix. Jim Schulz provides driving rhythm support with since. guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin as well as harmony vocals. Fiddler and banjoist John Joyner completes the group with Mickey and Liam, too, learned Irish songs at their father's his unique blend of Celtic, bluegrass, jazz, and old-timey knee. Mickey's rich, baritone voice and Liam's mastery of sensibilities. It all adds up to an orchestra of the best that stringed instruments quickly found a home when Rory met Irish music has to offer. the Spains and they realized the power of their combined talents. DeRek WaRFielD anD *WELCOME TO BUTTE FROM OUR GLACIER BANK’S the Young WolF tones IN BUT BUTTETE AND ANA ANACONDA*CONDA* Perform at 4:20 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday 4 ATM locations available INBUTTE: 1880 Harrison Ave Derek Warfield is one of the great Irish ballad singers but 3701 Harrison Ave 807 South Montana (Corner of Iron he’s also much more – a founding member and long-serv- &Montana) ing front man of the legendary Wolfe Tones, a charismatic IN ANACONDA: all-round performer, a historian, retriever and writer of 307E ParkPark S Stt songs and a man who cares passionately for the Irish song Member FDIC tradition. www.glacierbank.com.glacierbank.com Continue on page 12 9 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 9 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 come see us

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FRIDAY, AUG. 12 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Irish Fiddle Workshops 9-10:15 a.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, Ad- with Katie Grennan (advanced level), $15 registra- vanced, St. Mary Church tion fee, St. Mary’s Church. Schedule subject to 9-10 a.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, Introduction change. to Irish Dance, St. Mary Church 11:45 a.m.- 1 p.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, 9-10 a.m. – Irish Fiddle Workshop with Katie intermediate, St. Mary Church Grennan (intermediate level); $15 registration fee, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, St. Mary’s Church. Schedule subject to change. Beginning I and II, St. Mary’s Church 9-10 a.m. – Lecture series: Easter Uprising - Noon-5 p.m. – Kids’ activities, Original Mine Yard Three Lives, Three Stories by Fr. Patrick Beretta, Noon-1 p.m. – Lecture series: Butte’s Irish Heart, Butte Archives Growing Up on the Hill; a panel discussion with 10:15-11 a.m. -- Irish Fiddle Workshops with authors and contributors, Butte Archives Katie Grennan (Beginner Level), $10 registra- 1-2 p.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, boys only, all tion Fee, St. Mary’s Church. Schedule subject to levels, St. Mary’s Church change. 1-2 p.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, Ceili danc- 10:15-11:30 a.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, ing, St. Mary’s Church novice, St. Mary’s Church 1 p.m. – Flag raising ceremony, Butte-Silver Bow 10:30-11:30 a.m. – Trinity Dance Workshop, Courthouse, 155 W. Granite St. adult step dancing, St. Mary’s Church 2 p.m. – Bob O’Boyle, The History of the Easter 11 a.m.-noon – Lecture series: The Patriotic Spirit Uprising with Focus on Montana and Ireland, of Irish Music by Derek Warfi eld, Butte Archives Butte Archives 11 • AAn RRÍÍ RRá • 2016

3 p.m. – Tiernan Irish Dancers, Main Stage 5:20 p.m. – Gailfean, Main Stage 4:20 p.m. – Derek Warfi eld and the Young Wolf 6:40 p.m. – Kevin Doyle, Main Stage Tones, Main Stage 7 p.m. – Trinity Irish Dancers, Main Stage 5-7 p.m. – An Ri Ra Road Race Packet pickup, 8:10 p.m. – The Elders, Main Stage Father Sheehan Park 9:30 p.m. – Makem and Spain, Main Stage 5:40 p.m – Kevin Doyle, Main Stage 10:30 p.m. – The Scattering, Main Stage 6 p.m. – Gailfean, Main Stage 7:20 p.m. – Makem and Spain, Main Stage SUNDAY, AUG. 16 8:40 p.m. – Trinity Irish Dancers, Main Stage 12:30 p.m. – Outdoor Irish Mass, Original Mine 10 p.m. – The Elders, Main Stage Yard

SATURDAY, AUG. 13 7:30 a.m. – Race day registration, Father Shee- han Park 8:30 a.m. – 1-mile fun run starts 9 a.m. – Buses leave for 5K/10K races 9:30 a.m. – Races start 9-10:30 a.m. – Beginning Irish Language with Traolach O’Riordain, Butte Archives 11 a.m. – Sean Nos Dance Demonstration with Kevin Doyle: The Traveling Steps – From the Crossroads of Ireland to the American Stage, St. Mary’s Church Noon – Claddagh Irish Dancers, Main Stage 12:20 p.m. – Tiernan Irish Dancers, Main Stage 1:20 p.m. – Dublin Gulch, Main Stage 2-4 p.m. – Ken O’Malley, Easter Rising Cente- nary Commemoration, St. Mary’s Church. 2:20 p.m. – Copper City Ceili, Main Stage 2:50 p.m. – Trinity Irish Dancers, Main Stage 4 p.m. – Derek Warfi eld and the Young Wolf Tones, Main Stage 4-5:30 p.m. – Irish Dance Showcase, Mother Lode Theater, 316 W. Park St. 12 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 Continued from page 8

Derek, the eldest of four children was born in Inchicore, in Dublin in 1943. He was educated at Synge Street C.B.S. and was apprenticed as a tailor, only to find the lure of a musical career irresistible. This calling came as no surprise since music, song and entertainment was very much part of Derek’s childhood experi- ences. His father and mother both played piano and his father also played mandolin. Their musical tastes were wide- ranging and included a love of opera, classical music, all forms of dance and musicals. Derek’s mother taught him songs which he sang at every opportunity, and he made his first stage appearance at the Queen’s Theatre in Dublin at the age of six. Since he was knee-high to a grasshopper, his mother’s parents Paddy and Anne Byrne Cunningham passed on songs and ballads. He has since recorded them and they’re still very much part of the Warfield repertoire. His father’s mother, Catherine McDonough Warfield, gave him a mandolin, and he got lessons on the instrument from his father. All of Derek’s grandparents shared a common Irish patriotic spirit that he eagerly sought to be part of and understand. So it was from this background that Derek was gifted a passion and respect for Irish music and song. And he’s brought that with him through the years, and now hopes to pass it on anew through his work with his band, the Young Wolf- etones. Members: Derek Warfield (Vocals, Bodhrán & Mandolin), Damaris Woods (Tenor Banjo), Peadar Hickey (Guitar & Vocals), Dan O'Sullivan (Uilleann Pipes, Whistles & Vocals) and Garry Gormley (Bass & Vocals).

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Welcome to Butte! Enjoy the Festivals & all of the wonderful sights our city has to offer! “We Care” 1805 Meadowlark Serving Silver Bow County Since 1902 723-3239 Family Owned & Operated Since the 1930’s 14 • An RÍ Rá • 2016

tRinitY iRish DanceRs Perform at 8:40 p.m. Friday and 2:50 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday

The Trinity Irish Dance Company draws upon hard-driving percussion and the agility and precision of its dancers.

Butte residents can expect to see tightly choreographed Irish dancing, involving lightning-fast footwork. The dancers’ arms are held tightly to their sides

Founded in 1990 as a way to celebrate the pioneering work of Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard, this innovative company is constantly searching for original means of expression while maintaining a high regard for tradition. Howard’s uniquely Irish-American company was the birthplace of progressive Irish dance which opened new avenues of artistic expression that led directly to commercial productions such as “Riverdance”. Many of TIDC’s dancers came through the ranks of the prestigious Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, the Chicago/Milwaukee-based school that was founded in 1981 and soon began to win unprecedented world team titles for the United States at the World Championships of Irish Dance. Not content to simply win trophies, Howard began moving outside the framework of ethnicity, expanding Trinity’s range and repertoire in a host of imaginative, new directions. By using Irish dance as an instrument and a metaphor, TIDC crossed both cultural and disciplinary boundar- ies in important ways. Through the years, TIDC has collaborated with many noted contemporary choreog- raphers which have led them to an increased vocabulary of movement. The result is a thoroughly fresh and engaging artistic vision that goes beyond the source without losing touch with its essence. 15 • An RÍ Rá • 2016

kevin DoYle Performs at 5:40 p.m. Friday and 6:40 p.m. Saturday

With more than five decades of Irish step dance under his feet, Rhode Island born Kevin Doyle's Irish dance journey began one step at a time by the kitchen sink; he progressed to highly regarded local and regional instructors of the 1960s. He studied at the Pat Fallon School of Irish Dance, with visiting Boston instructors Steve Carney and Mary Sullivan. Kevin would find his way to the City of Pawtucket, where industry had drawn sons and daughters of Erin since the 1820s. Here, Kevin studied at the McCorry School of Dance, learning steps traceable to the old dance masters of Ireland. Young Doyle the dancer competed successfully in many East Coast feis (competitions). He earned U.S. Irish Dance Champion honors and expanded his repertoire to include American tap, inspired by Fox Point famous son George M. Cohan. At age ten, Kevin began study with Pawtucket's Theresa Landry School of Dancing. Landry, now 93 years of age, is still teaching and assisting her is among the countless contributions Doyle quietly makes to Rhode Island's arts community. The athleticism of his steps brought early acclaim to Doyle. He twice won the votes of America's audience for his performances on Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour, a precursor to today's American Idol and America's Got Talent. Numerous awards have followed. Beyond his love of Irish dance, there is no greater love in Doyle's life than his family. His wife Donna and three children are his constant audience, and daughter Shannon (4th generation Irish dance teacher) has been at the forefront of his work as a master for apprenticeships awarded by the Southern New England Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program and RI State Council on the Arts, who honored Kevin with their 2013 Folk Arts Fellowship. 16 • An RÍ Rá • 2016

The Easter Rising Proclamation has been described as “the most important document in the history of the Irish nation.” It was read aloud by Patrick Pearse, one of the signatories, just as the rebellion commenced on April 24, 1916. A rare original copy sold at an auction last year for $460,000. 17 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 iRish Festival commemoRates 100th anniveRsaRY oF ‘easteR Rising’ By Tracy Thornton, Montana Standard

“We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible.” – excerpt from the 1916 Easter Proclamation

The Easter Rising was without a doubt a pivotal time in Ireland’s history. It was not the first time Irish rebels valiantly fought for their freedom from the English, nor would it be their last attempt. Although the Rising, which began April 24, 1916, and lasted six days, was a military failure, the after- math would anger a nation. In the days that followed, 15 men were executed – Thomas J. Clarke, Patrick Pearse, Thomas Mac- Donagh, Joseph Plunkett, Michael O’Hanrahan, Ed- ward Daly, William Pearse, John MacBride, Eamonn Ceantt, Michael Mallin, Con Colbert, Sean Heuston, Thomas Kent, Sean MacDiarmada and James Con- nolly. Connolly was so badly wounded from the fighting that he was brought out in a stretcher, strapped to a chair, and shot dead. The final execu- tion took place Aug, 3, 1916. Sir Roger Casement was found guilty of high treason and was hanged at a London prison. The 16 Irish patriots shared a passion for democ- racy. In celebration of that passion and the Rising’s Born in 1882 in New York, Eamon de Valera grew up in 100th anniversary, these men will be honored at the Ireland and studied mathematics at Blackrock College in annual An Ri Ra festival to be held Aug. 12-14 at the Dublin. The Irish freedom fighter participated in the 1916 Easter Rising. In the latter part of his life, de Valera would Original Mine Yard. become Ireland’s president Another Easter Rising participant will be honored as well – Eamon de Valera, who was no stranger to Butte. squad. Instead, the 33-year-old was sentenced to The man who would later become Ireland’s presi- prison. dent and one of the country’s most influential politi- An American citizen, de Valera was born in New cal figures visited the Mining City on more than one York City, but was only a toddler when his mother occasion. took him back to Ireland. As a young man, he joined Arrested after the Rising, de Valera was first sen- the Gaelic League, and soon thereafter, the Irish Re- tenced to death for helping to organize the rebellion. publican Brotherhood. His birthplace, however, saved him from a firing By 1917, de Valera was again a free man and the Continue on page 18 18 • An RÍ Rá • 2016 Continued from page 17 head of Sinn Fein. His freedom did not last. By the men want to get rid of. England has no just claim, no following year, he was back in a cell, and in 1919, right whatever to Ireland. Irishmen want their country had escaped prison and was on his way back to and they want their freedom.” America. Butte’s Irish heeded de Valera’s call and added The Irish patriot, now the provisional president more than $12,000 to his coffers. In today’s world, of the Irish Republic, embarked on a 72-city tour of that amount is equal to approximately $168,000. In America, raising funds for Sinn Fein and a newly fact, by and large, America’s Irish residents were formed group, the Irish Republican Army. Naturally, very generous. By the time de Valera had finished his one of his stops was Butte, and its residents did not American tour, he had more than $5.5 million to aid disappoint. He received a rousing welcome in Ana- Ireland in its battle for freedom. In 2016 numbers, conda, too. that amount equals about $76.6 million. Hundreds cheered de Valera at the station July 25, The Irish statesman made another official visit to 1919, as he made his way off the train’s platform. Butte on Nov. 7, 1919, but by 1920, he was back in “There was no mistaking the warmth of the greeting, Ireland. no doubt of his welcome to Butte,” the Butte Miner For Butte’s Irish … well, when it came to their reported. homeland, they wore their hearts on their sleeves. An estimated 10,000 more residents were in at- They continued to raise money for the cause and tendance at Hebgen Park to hear the Irish statesman were extremely successful. By the following year, an speak. “A strong wind blowing made it difficult to additional $108,000 was added to the cause. Not too hear,” reported the Anaconda Standard, “but at each shabby, since at present, that amount is the equivalent mention of Irish freedom the audience broke forth in of more than $1.3 million. cheering such as had never before been at mass meet- As for de Valera, he remained a political force to be ings in Butte.” reckoned with, and in later years, would be elected “Seldom in Butte’s history has a visitor received president of Ireland. By 1973, he had retired from an ovation equal to that tendered Eamon de Valera,” political life, and two years later, he passed away. He it was reported. “From the moment that the slender, was 92. scholarly young Irish patriot arose to speak until the cheering subsided eight minutes had elapsed.” In a lengthy statement given to the Anaconda Stan- dard, de Valera was passionate about Irish freedom. He wrote, in part: “What do the Irish people want? They want their country. Yes, every inch of it, from the sod up to the sky, to have and to hold for themselves and their heirs, in the Irish nation. “Is there anything incomprehensible in this de- mand, anything surprising in it, anything unreason- able or extreme in it? Are the Irish people some infe- This photograph of Irish patriot Eamon de Valera and several rior race, some degraded branch of the human kind, others was taken during his 1919 visit to Butte. In the front destined to find its natural good in servitude, and row, from left are Father M.J. Leonard, Father P.J. O’Reilly, purposely left by the Almighty without the feelings, Judge Jeremiah Lynch, Mary Rockwood, de Valera, Mrs. aspirations and instincts which He has implanted in Daniel Hennessy, Mary Agnes Rita Scott, Dr. M.J. Scott, and Tom Scott III. In the back row are Father P.J. O’Reilly, Sean the minds and hearts of other peoples? Nunan (de Valera’s secretary and Easter Rising participant), “Irishmen want their country. It is rightfully and Dr. J.C. Shields, and Father M.M. English. (photo courtesy of lawfully theirs. It is their home. The English power in M.J. Scott III) that home is an intrusion and usurpation which Irish-