IRISH SOCIETIES TO PICNIC TODAY

The Butte Miner, Butte, 1920-08-01, p.12

Summary

Sub-head: "500 Natives of 'Auld Sod' and Their Children to Hold Annual Outing at Washoe Park, Anaconda." Annual picnic of the United Irish Societies of Butte at Washoe Park, Anaconda, with an excursion train on the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific. Athletic events programme (100/50-yard dashes, broad jump, step and jump) with valuable prizes; dancing throughout the day. Prize curiosities: a crown of California wild olive leaves for the women's 50-yard dash winner; a prize for the woman with the largest family on the grounds. **Women's arrangements committee:** Catherine Harrington, Mary McLaughlin, Catherine Gilmore, Nellie Connelly, Mrs. Mamie Melia, Lavina Collins, Mrs. Nora Rowan, Mrs. Margaret Kiley, Mrs. M. O'Meara, Mrs. R. Pierce. **Other committee members** (named as "well-known active workers in all the Irish welfare work"): Judge J. J. Lynch, chairman of the committee; James E. Murray, Patrick J. Boyle, W. J. Sewell, Charles J. Gallagher, **James J. Murphy**, J. J. McCarthy, Hugh Daly, John C. Murphy. ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. JJM still on the planning committee for the United Irish Societies' annual picnic in August 1920 — five months after he and Softley opened the Murphy-Softley store on West Park (March 1920), and six months after the Irish-bond- drive coverage. The continuity of the JJ Lynch / JJ Murphy axis through Butte's Irish-American calendar is unbroken from 1911 (Gaelic League picnic) through 1920 (this clipping) through 1921 (state assembly). Also: James E. Murray (committee member) is the future US Senator Murray of Montana, an Irish-American Democrat from Butte. Locating JJM alongside Murray here is useful for the Butte-Irish-political-network chapter.

People

James Joseph "James J." Murphy (b. 1883 Ardgroom; d. 1938 LA)(as printed: James J. Murphy)
role: committee member · family confidence: 10 flag

Also mentioned

Judge J. J. Lynch · committee_chairman
James E. Murray · committee_member
Almost certainly the future US Senator James E. Murray of Montana (1934–1961), Irish-American Butte Democrat. Of national-context interest.
Patrick J. Boyle · committee_member
W. J. Sewell · committee_member
Charles J. Gallagher · committee_member
Same as C. H. Gallagher / Charles H. Gallagher recurring through the cluster — initial J vs H likely typesetting drift.
J. J. McCarthy · committee_member
Hugh Daly · committee_member
John C. Murphy · committee_member
Distinct from JJM. John C. — could be one of Tady's grandsons (1992 letter mentions 'Johney' among the 8 Butte-emigrant children, suggesting a generation gap).
Catherine Harrington · womens_committee
Mary McLaughlin · womens_committee
Catherine Gilmore · womens_committee
Nellie Connelly · womens_committee
Mrs. Mamie Melia · womens_committee
Lavina Collins · womens_committee
Mrs. Nora Rowan · womens_committee
Mrs. Margaret Kiley · womens_committee
Mrs. M. O'Meara · womens_committee
Mrs. R. Pierce · womens_committee

Places

Themes

Story threads

Source type

news_item, public_meeting_report, society_column

Related sources

Transcription

transcription: complete · confidence high

# IRISH SOCIETIES TO PICNIC TODAY ## 500 Natives of "Auld Sod" and Their Children to Hold Annual Outing at Washoe Park, Anaconda. *The Butte Miner, Sunday, August 1, 1920, p. 12.* Natives of the "Green Isle," and their sons and daughters, together numbering more than 500, will journey westward to Anaconda today for the annual picnic of the United Irish Societies of Butte, which will be held in Washoe park. An additional train will be put on to supplement the usual Sunday service of the Butte, Anaconda and Pacific and on this special excursion rates will be granted. Arrangements have been made for bringing the picnicers to Washoe park following their arrival in Anaconda. To the woman winner of the 50-yard dash a prize of poetical significance will be given in the awarding of a crown of wild olive leaves, brought to Butte from California. Yet a mystery, but promised to be equally interesting, is the prize to be awarded the woman with the largest family on the grounds. Dancing throughout the day will be one of the attractions of the outing program, which also includes a long list of athletic events for which valuable prizes are offered. It includes a 100-yard dash, broad jump, step and jump, 100-yard dash for boys under 14, 50-yard dash for girls under 15, 100-yard dash for men and 50-yard dash for women. Women of the Irish societies in charge of the arrangements are Miss Catherine Harrington, Miss Mary McLaughlin, Miss Catherine Gilmore, Miss Nellie Connelly, Mrs. Mamie Melia, Miss Lavina Collins, Mrs. Nora Rowan, Mrs. Margaret Kiley, Mrs. M. O'Meara and Mrs. R. Pierce. The committee members also include the following well-known active workers in all the Irish welfare work: Judge J. J. Lynch, chairman of the committee; James E. Murray, Patrick J. Boyle, W. J. Sewell, Charles J. Gallagher, James J. Murphy, J. J. McCarthy, Hugh Daly, John C. Murphy.

Open questions

place_washoe_park_anaconda — add to /vocab/places.yaml.
James E. Murray — promote to a person record? He becomes a major figure in 20th-c. Montana politics; if the book traces Butte Irish political organisation forward, he's load-bearing.
Charles J. Gallagher vs Charles H. Gallagher — confirm typesetting drift, do not split.