FRIDAY 05/15/2026: The pluck of the Irish

Kansas City is bustling today, but it wasn’t always destined to be that way. Hear how Irish immigrants literally carved the city's first streets. In the 19th century, towering limestone bluffs dominated Kansas City’s geography. That is, until a charismatic Catholic priest recruited hundreds of Irish immigrants to haul it away. From the podcast “A People’s History of Kansas City,” Jacob Smollen reports on the laborers who carved this city’s streets.Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.