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Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Local 877! Together, we can take this time to celebrate Irish American history in New England and beyond.

Many Irish immigrants arrived in the United States during the beginning of the Great Famine, better known as the Irish Potato Famine. The famine and its accompanying political unrest caused around 4.5 million Irish citizens to immigrate to the United States, concentrating in port cities such as Boston and New York City. Although the Irish were not free from hardship in America — many of them living in crowded tenements or taking dangerous factory jobs, as was typical for recent immigrants of the time — they eventually grew to become a part of the middle-class, thanks in part to the rise of union membership among Irish Americans.

Traditionally, St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Today, the holiday comes with lively festivities, evolving to be more of a celebration of Irish heritage and culture. New England is especially famous for our large St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, and we encourage our members to take part enthusiastically and most of all, responsibly.

We hope you have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day! Have fun and stay safe.