Harp Without the Crown – Gaelic League

“The Gaelic League is founded not on a hatred of England but
upon love of Ireland…if we allow one of the finest and richest
languages in Europe, which fifty years ago was spoken by nearly
four million Irishmen, to die without a struggle, it will be an
everlasting disgrace and a blight upon our nationality.” Quote taken
from Douglas Hyde, founder of Ireland’s Gaelic League in 1893.

Hello this is John Conlan, host of the Rocky Road to Dublin here
on KBMF, and welcome to this episode of the Harp Without the
Crown, where I will be discussing Ireland’s Gaelic League and its
role in the establishment of a Gaelic League Branch in Butte,
Montana.
During the time period,1880-1915, opinion was divided in Ireland
as to how independence could be obtained from England. Many
favored the Irish Parliamentary Party platform of Home Rule, a
constitutional approach favoring a gradual approach towards
independence. Home Rule would establish Dominion status for
Ireland, similar to Canada’s relationship with England. Those who
dismissed Home Rule as an option, formed what is known as the
“physical force camp” believing Irish independence could only be
obtained through a violent uprising against England.
A third option for obtaining Irish independence originated with
Douglas Hyde and his Gaelic League. He believed Ireland needed
an Irish cultural revival to reestablish an Irish identity, by teaching
traditional Irish culture, arts, sports and local Irish industries, a
necessary first step in obtaining independence.
The League initially worked to preserve Irish as a spoken language
in the Irish speaking districts in the west and south of Ireland. Hyde
was very adamant that the League should stay clear of politics and
be non-sectarian, noting religion and politics “are the two great
sources of nearly all the quarrels social and domestic.”
By 1898 members had established almost fifty branches in larger
cities like Dublin, Cork and Belfast, and during the next decade they
had created a presence in all thirty-two counties. The average
Branch included between fifty and seventy-five members and the
League at its height in the early 1900s may have had a membership
as many as 47,000 people.
By 1900 the Irish Gaelic League was growing, 3,000 schools
were teaching the Irish language to over 4,000 students. Bilingual
education was flourishing and children were being trained to speak,
read and write both in Irish and English. The teaching of the Irish
language was made possible by utilizing one hundred teachers, who
traveled great distances in Ireland, reaching both the young and old
who were interested in learning the Irish language. Douglas Hyde
was most proud of the fact that in 1913 the Irish language was
established as a necessary subject for entrance into the National
University.
In addition to the study of the Irish language, the Gaelic League
held regional Feis or Festivals, which were popular and included
competitive debates, athletic events, music, and dance contests
throughout Ireland. Also, the League encouraged developing local
Irish industries, such as Creameries and Linens, as well as “buy Irish
campaigns.” All these activities served to encourage Irish cultural
and economic self-sufficiency.
It became apparent to Hyde that these activities required a great
deal of funding and the Gaelic League was experiencing difficult
financial times. Hyde was well aware that another source of funding
was needed and he reluctantly looked to the large Irish American
population to help fund the League. He eventually embarked on a
55 city fundraising tour of America lasting seven months covering
19,000 miles and reaching over 80,000 people on his
fundraising/lecture tour. Upon completion of his trip, he took home a
check for $50,000, which has the purchasing power of approximately
$1,700,000 in 2025. Once in America, Hyde had two requests to his
audiences, establish local Branches in their cities and provide an
annual source of income to supplement the Irish Gaelic League
budget.
Hyde arrived in Butte in early April 1906 and he addressed
attentive audiences in Butte and Anaconda. He spoke at many
venues in Butte and Anaconda which included overflow audiences at
the Butte Broadway Theater and Anaconda AOH Hall. He also found
time for sightseeing in the area, traveling extensively around Butte
and Anaconda. Details of speeches and travel observations are
covered in more detail in Episode 5 of this series.
The Butte Irish community met Hyde’s first request when Butte
Mayor MacGinnisss submitted an organizational plan for a Butte
Gaelic League at a meeting held in the Butte City Council Chambers.
The meeting was attended by Douglas Hyde, his tour organizer
Thomas Concannon, and members of the Butte Irish community.
Patrick Conlon entered a motion to organize a temporary
organization with a committee of five to draft a slate of rules for the
Butte Branch of the Gaelic League.
In addition to drafting the new organaization’s by-laws, the
committee recommended the Butte League render moral and
financial support for the regeneration of the Irish nation. This
recommendation met Hyde’s second request as the Butte Gaelic
League pledged a yearly contribution of $1,000 to the Irish Gaelic
League. This yearly contribution has the purchasing power of over
$35,000 in 2025. Hyde also collected approximately $2,500 dollars
in just a few days in Butte. This would have the purchasing power of
$89,000 of purchasing power in 2025.
The Butte Gaelic League officially organized June 17,1906 with
over one hundred members. Eventually statewide membership grew
between 4,000 to 5,000 members when Great Falls and Anaconda
established Branches in 1908. Pat Conlon became the first
President of the League and members kept their promise of sending
$1,000 each year to keep Irish Gaelic League programs functioning.
It is notable that newspaper accounts stated that Butte established
the first Gaelic League Branch in America.
The Butte Gaelic League mirrored its Irish parent organization by
sponsoring festivals. By 1910, the Butte League had sponsored
three festivals held at the Broadway Theater. These were filled to
capacity from “box(seats) to roof.” The Festival Stage area was
always decked out with flags of Ireland and performers participated
in music, dance, speeches and orations. Music selections and
performers were always noted in the local newspapers, especially
when Anna La Chapelle performed selections on the harp. Anna
had studied the harp in Paris during the early 1900s and was the
wife of Butte Copper King W A Clark. Another notable musician,
Theresa Halpin, of County Limerick, appeared in Butte in 1910
during another Irish industry promotional event. Butte Gaelic League
members were regularly sent invitations from the San Francisco
League to attend and compete in regional festival competitions held
in California.
In 1910, just four years after its establishment, the Butte Gaelic
League was cited in the Butte Daily Post as “the most profound
exponent of Irish opinion in the community.” The paper praised the
League because it was non-political and non-sectarian,
characteristics which appealed to those wanting a new approach to
obtaining Irish independence..
The Daily Post reported that by the fifth year of operation the
Butte Gaelic League had given four music and dance festivals all
held at the Broadway Theater. There were at least fifty children in a
Butte Gaelic School instructed in the Irish language and literature
with some students as young as ten. Future plans included offering
four Irish Language and Irish history classes, adding more step
dance instruction, employing three teachers for the Gaelic School
and having monthly social entertainment activities.
An important part of the Gaelic League mission was to promote
Irish made products and industries. The Butte Gaelic League in July
1913 sponsored an exhibit of Irish industrials at Hennessey’s
Department store. The Butte League invited Irish Gaelic members
Fionan McCollum and Anna Cassidy to visit Butte and promote Irish
made products, such as lace and clothing. Demonstrations were
given in weaving and lace making and the news accounts stated the
demonstrations were well attended and making “a decided hit.”
McCollum addressed large audiences in Judge Lynch’s County
Courtroom and Anaconda’s Hibernian Hall. He also traveled to
Helena, Montana and met with Bishop Carroll to discuss the Gaelic
League mission and promote Irish made products and industries.
The Butte Gaelic League continued to prosper throughout the
early 1900’s. However, the Dublin 1916 Easter Rising, the Irish War
of Independence 1919-1921, and passage of the 1921 Irish Free
State Treaty impacted membership and longevity of the Butte Gaelic
League. Organizations such as the Friends of Irish Freedom and the
American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic were
formed in Butte as a response to these Irish historical events.
Members left the Butte Gaelic League to join these new groups that
formed to meet the current political situation in Ireland. The passage
of the Free State Treaty, which granted limited self-government,
directly impacted the Gaelic League in Ireland and Butte. The Treaty
formed a new Irish government and together with various political
parties, took over the League’s activities, with mixed results. As a
consequece, the Irish and Butte Gaelic Leagues declined.
Unfortunately the historical record for the Butte Gaelic League is
not well documented after the early 1920s, and additional research is
needed. Although it was short lived, research confirms that the Butte
Branch had a strong and significant relationship with the Irish Gaelic
League during one of Ireland’s most eventful time periods. The
money sent to the Irish Gaelic League from Butte supported Irish
language teachers, classes, schools, and festivals. It was one of
many important Irish American organizations in Butte that supported
Irish independence and contributed significantly to the Irish
independence movement. The Butte Gaelic League also enriched
the cultural fabric of Butte for nearly twenty years by sponsoring
festivals, plays, concerts and speaking events. These cultural
activities became part of the colorful social and cultural scene of
early day Butte. The Butte Gaelic League was truly an organization
that kept the political and cultural ties between Butte and Ireland
intact.
This is John Conlan and thanks for listening to this episode of the
Harp Without the Crown.