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Are there Irish in Heppner? Sure ‘n begorrah
By Claudia Hughe«
“Are there Irish in Heppner,”
a visitor asked? Sure n begorrah!
In the m id-1800s the Irish began
to arrive, some coming around the
horn, working in the goldfields of
San Francisco, and then finding
their way to the bunchgrass hills
o f Heppner, while others arrived
at Ellis Island and traveled the
Oregon Trail.
Historically, a month prior to
March 17, the late Jim Farley
would announce two Irish fami
lies, whose ancestors had come
to County Morrow from the old
country. These families were con
tacted and honored at the Coffee
Hour, hosted by Ted Smith o f
Pendleton. Most o f the honored
families came to Morrow County
in the 1800s through Ellis Island.
They were: Lennon/Healy 1984;
Kilkenny/Kenny 1985; Doherty/
Lindsay 1986; Hughes/Rends
1987; M onahan/Farley 1988;
O ’B rien 1989; H ealy 1990;
McLaughlin 1991 ; Laughlin 1992;
Mollahan 1993; Wilson 1994; Bro-
snan 1995, Cunningham 1996.
In 1997, the newest Irish to
arrive in Heppner were honored.
They were Father Condon, who
returns to the old country each
year for a visit and Winnie Flynn,
whose family now ranches in the
area. Because they were most
recent to the U.S., their brogues
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BOWLING
TOURNAMENT
S a tu r d a y , M a rc h 1 6 th
10 a .m . to 3 p .m .
S u n d a y , M a r c h 1 7 th
11 a .m . to 2 p .m .
SATURDAY NIGHT
A ll Bowling: $1.50 per game/$1.50 shoes
PIZZA SPECIAL
S a tu rd a y & S u n d a y 1-6 p.m .
$2.95 fo r tw o slices an d sm all pop
were still intact, and people love
to hear the Irish brogue, especial
ly on St. Patrick’s weekend
In 1998 the Hirl family was
honored; in 1999 it was Iris Doher
ty from Umatilla County (strong
supporters of the Irish celebra
tion). In 2000, Bill Mitchell was
recognized. “Big Willie”, as he is
fondly known, has returned from
California for the past 19 years
to attend the KUMA Coffee Hour
and festivities. All past Irish fam
ilies were invited to stand and be
recognized in 2000, the new mil
lennium.
Something for the
wee ones
The “ L ittle L eprechaun
Kamival and Kids Cuisine” will
be held Saturday, March 16, from
11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Main Street
betw een the Post O ffice and
Shoe Box.
Hot dogs, sausage dog meals,
sauerkraut, tater tots, brownies,
hot cocoa and pop “at affordable
prices” will be served.
Fun kids games include duck
pond, miniature golf, face painting,
go fish, junk food walk, wheel of
fun, and ping pong games. Cost is
300 per ticket or four tickets for
St. Patrick’s Celebration Button History
you could be one of the lucky four
winners!
The celebration button is
designed by Laughlin through
suggestions from the committee
or ideas o f her own. It is approved
for the year’s festivities by the St.
Pat’s Committee. Some years it’s
a hard task to come up with just
the right design.
Buttons through the years
have depicted different events for
H eppner. One had a sheep
symbolizing the sheepdog trials
and early Irish sheep men.
Another was a leprechaun beside
the h isto ric M orrow C ounty
Courthouse. Then there was the
covered wagon reflecting the
celebration o f the Oregon Trail,
the bull rider recognizing the
artwork of Tom Simonton, and the
Heppner lamppost, the year of
Heppner’s new Main Street. The
buttons tell a story.
This year’s button for 2002
depicts a jovial leprechaun leaning
against the number 20. Be sure
to get it!
Anyone who would like to
submit a design for the 2003 button
may send ideas to Judie Laughlin
at P.O. Box 687, Heppner, OR
97836. The committee will then
decide what idea would be next
year’s collectors' button.
D O N 'T M IS S THE A N N U A L
ST . P A T R IC K 'S A U C TIO N !
Friday, March I 5 th a t 7 p .m .
H e p p n e r E lk s C lu b , u p s t a ir s
/ c o m e to J ie p p n e r :
(more room this year!)
a p i i a t o f i £ e O C orf/icuesi
M usic p r o v id e d by J o e L in d sa y 's g r o u p
snack*
" S o m e b o d y E lse"
a v a i V a b k '-
Peterson's
Heppner
A u c tio n lis t a v a ila b le o n
w w w .h e p p n e r .n e t
a n d in lo c a l b u s i n e s s e s
Jewelers,
676-9200
Have a wee bit o f fun and
help support our annual celebration!
L
Everyone is invited to attend
the St. Patrick’s Breakfast on
Sunday, March 17, from 7-10
a.m. at the Heppner Nazarene
Church, 335 N. Gilm ore (the
church by the hospital).
French toast, ham, juice and
co ffee w ill be served. The
breakfast will feature live bagpipe
music by Mike Keown.
Cost is $4 adults, $2 children
(12 and under) and $12 max.
family rate.
The story of St. Patrick
SI.
How long do you think the St.
Patrick’s Celebration Button has
been distributed? This being the
20th celebration, one would think
it was started in 1980, but it
actually came into existence on the
fifth celebration in 1987 by the
celebration committee. Several
people over the years have
collected all the buttons for a total
o f 15 this year. All 15 years of
b u tto n s sold w ere m ade by
com m ittee m em ber Judie
Laughlin. She also designed all but
one year when the logo was
derived from a design by Irene
Anhom’s daughter.
Do you recall the large banner
made for the town depicting all
the fine Irish heritage and
re so u rces from around the
county? It usually flew high above
the street between The Shoe Box
and Elks C lub and was later
draped across the front of the Elks
building. It is now a little worn but
still proudly sig n ifies w hat
Heppner’s celebration is all about
on the weekend of March 17.
The Pot of Gold winnings for
the purchase of the lucky button
and a chance to win cash was
started in 1992. The committee
added an extra $100 for a total of
four drawings for 2002. Perhaps
Breakfast served on
St. Patrick’s Day
A
Centuries ago, when Britain
was ruled by Rome, a young boy
named Patrick lived in Britain with
his family. Although Patrick’s par
ents had reared him as a Chris
tian, he didn’t take their teachings
seriously, preferring instead to
follow the sinful example o f other
youths.
Patrick continued in this way
of life until one day he was cap
tured by a band of marauders from
Ireland who made him return with
them as a slave to their country.
They forced him to live in pover
ty and hunger, working as a shep
herd and a swineherd.
Patrick missed Britain and his
family so much that he thought his
heart would break. He began to
pray, however, asking God to help
him and begging forgiveness for
his sins. The Lord heard his
prayers, filling him with the fire
o f a new faith he had never
known before.
One night while Patrick was
still in captivity, God showed him
a way to escape from Ireland, and,
after six years of slavery, he found
his way back to Britain and his
family.
From that time on, Patrick
dedicated his life to God, eventu
ally receiving Holy Orders. His
life became a continual quest for
holiness.
One night while Patrick was
at prayer, he heard a voice calling
him. An angel appeared to him
with the message that the people
o f Ireland wished him to return to
their country and walk among
them once more— this time, not
as a captive, but as God’s apos
tle.
Patrick saw God’s plan in all
that had happened, and he con
sented to return to Ireland. He
was consecrated bishop and was
sent there to preach the Gospel
o f Christ.
In the early days, Patrick suf
fered great persecution, but the
fire that God had kindled in his
heart spread throughout all of Ire
land and Patrick came to be re
garded as an angel among men.
Now a saint, Patrick stands
as a symbol of the Irish, o f the
unique destiny they claim, and of
the beloved place they will always
have in God's heart.