Episode 19: Bishop Gilmour Hijacks the Parade

Since 1842, the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade had gone forward, whether led by religious leaders or lay leaders. Cleveland's Irish priests and Irish community members knew each other and interacted easily. Some organizations, like the Irish Literary and Benevolent Association, had Catholic members but did not have a Catholic purpose and were not led by priests. No one had flagged this situation as problematic until Bishop Richard Gilmour arrived in Cleveland in 1872 and set about trying to prevent "un-Catholic" groups from participating in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade.