The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick/Friends Sons and Daughters of St. Patrick, officially The Society of The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland, is an American charitable and social organization for Irish Americans. It was founded in 1771.
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
Emblem of the Friendly Sons and Daughters of St. Patrick
Originally founded as a charitable organization with the intent of aiding migrants from Ireland,[3] the organization has since developed a focus on encouraging "greater interest in ties of friendship between America and Ireland,"[2] in addition to sponsoring scholarships, cultural events, charity activities, and educational endowments.[4]
New York City and other branchesedit
On March 17, 1784, a group of New York City's Irish officers who had served in the Continental Army formed the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the City of New York.[5] Its founder and first president was Daniel McCormick, a merchant who was one of the first directors of the Bank of New York.[5]
Branches of the Society have also been founded in cities such as Cincinnati, Detroit, Providence, San Diego, and Spokane. The Cincinnati branch has an active glee club which has performed hundreds of benefit and goodwill performances for over 25 years.[6]
Each branch operates independently.[3] Originally all-male, the Philadelphia branch first admitted women in 2016.[3] The New York branch plans to admit women to its annual pre-St. Patrick's Day fundraising dinner for the first time in 2018, but has not said whether women will be admitted as members.[3]
Founding membersedit
General Stephen Moylan was one of the Society's organizers and its first president. Other founding members included:
* Died in office
** Resigned
*** Resigned and removed from Society notifications
Referencesedit
^Campbell, John H. (1892). History of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and of the Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland, March 17, 1771 – March 17, 1892. Philadelphia.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ ab"History". The Society of The Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
^ abcdJames Barron, In the #MeToo Era, a St. Patrick's Group Rethinks a Men-Only Ritual, New York Times (January 6, 2018).
^"Home". The Society of The Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
^ abLenahan, John J. (1909). "The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the City of New York". The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society: 183.
^Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Glee Club. Cincinnati, Ohio.
^"Past Presidents". The Society of The Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
^ ab"Friendly Sons and Daughters of St Patrick in US keeping 'American Dream' alive". 17 March 2023.