Photo by Nora Edinger Irish soda bread is a holiday classic. Soda bread involves simpler techniques than yeast bread, bringing it within the skill range of most home cooks.

WHEELING — As fun as it is for today’s Americans of any ancestry to embrace all things Irish come St. Patrick’s Day, it wasn’t always so. This story includes some little-known tales from Wheeling’s Irish past and a classic holiday recipe that’s within the skill range of most home cooks.

GOD & GUNS

Walking past the quiet dignity of Cathedral of St. Joseph today, it’s hard to imagine a January night in 1854 when the church building, an adjacent convent and the residence of Bishop Richard Whelan were surrounded by a mob bearing rocks and wooden weapons.

And, that that mob was repelled by a group of gun-toting Irish immigrants Whelan had called out to defend both the property and the visiting papal envoy who had sparked the riot.

The story begins in 1853, according to a variety of first-person accounts and more recent histories available at the Ohio County Public Library. Pope Pius IX had sent Archbishop Gaetano Bedini to the United States to establish diplomatic relations for the Vatican.

Bedini’s tour, however, coincided with a controversial flood of Irish immigration related to the Potato Famine. Some longer-term Americans — who were largely Protestant — were angered by the arrival of Roman Catholics and the number of new arrivals. Various nativist movements — including the Know-Nothing political party — formed in protest of the demographic shift.

It was, therefore, no surprise that Bedini’s tour was met with demonstrations in many cities — including Wheeling.

By the time Bedini got to Wheeling in January 1854, local nativists were distributing handbills calling the envoy a butcher who was not worthy to breathe American air. A dinner to raise funds for a cathedral steeple on the evening of Jan. 8 turned riotous by 11 p.m.

A large group of nativists marched on the only Catholic church in the city, which at that time was called St. James Cathedral.

Various accounts from the library number the protestors anywhere between a loosely organized group of boys throwing a rock here and there to as many as 400 men shouting anti-Catholic slurs, burning Bedini in effigy and calling for the burning of the church if he wasn’t delivered into their hands.

Whatever the number and whatever the group’s intent, Whelan was prepared. Aware in advance that police force would not be available — the city’s top policeman declined to pursue reelection when that lack of force later became a flashpoint — Whelan had called out the city’s Irish community and a number of German Catholics. These men arrived with guns.

While the mob was distracted by the armed resistance and a lengthy exchange with Whelan, who came out a front door to meet with them, Bedini was spirited to safety from a back door. The riot ended without violence or significant destruction of property.

But, emotion was high. Local Sisters of the Visitation wrote of the event, describing their fear at being hunkered down as fireworks and rocks were thrown at their convent. Bedini wrote about it, as well, referring to the “great disturbance” and “dangers.”

Two fun facts provided by Sean Duffy of the Ohio County Public Library — “One of the Irish ‘guards’ was a young man named Thomas O’Brien, an Irish immigrant who worked on the B&O, served in the Civil War, worked as a banker and later served in state government. He was also the great-grandfather of nationally known musicians Tim and Mollie O’Brien.”

Also, groups such as the Know-Nothings motivated the Irish immigrants to form fraternal societies such as the Ancient Order of Hiberians (AOH). Duffy said Wheeling had two AOH groups by 1874 and another division formed in Benwood.

The latter, he said, stood guard against the Ku Klux Klan when St. John’s Catholic Church was under construction in that community.

“Wheeling’s AOH Division 1 was resurrected several years ago by Jack Fahey and others,” Duffy said. “They operate the popular annual Irish Road Bowling event in Wheeling.”

TWO MORE STORIES

Margaret Brennan, Wheeling historian and a descendant of Irish immigrants, shared a more personal story that sheds light on local Irish immigration. One of Brennan’s great-grandfathers, John Monahan, came to the U.S. in the mid 1800s as a young man.

Monahan, like many Irish immigrants who settled in Ritchietown/South Wheeling, was from the particularly poor County Mayo, she said. Other Irish immigrants from County Cork, settled in North Wheeling. That community was called Corktown for a time.

“They had no education, they had no means,” Brennan said of the immigrants, who were fleeing starvation and British oppression. “But, they were the ones that built the early infrastructure of this country. They were recruiting them right off the boats.”

Brennan’s ancestor was among the Irish that helped build the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Other local immigrants, she said, were the majority of the workforce that built National Road. She noted the Irish were Wheeling’s and West Virginia’s second largest immigrant group.

Interestingly, she said Monahan opted to return to Ireland for a time. He married and had children, but Brennan said a fresh round of potato blight brought him and his family back to Wheeling — on the B&O Railroad he helped build. This time, they stayed.

Duffy noted that many such early Irish immigrants are buried on a grassy hill behind Our Lady of Seven Dolors Catholic Church in Triadelphia.

A final quick hit of Wheeling’s Irish past from Duffy: The city’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade occurred in 1874. About 400 marchers and three bands of musicians in “neat uniforms” paraded the entirety of downtown in a route that was more than six miles long.

“While Wheeling’s parade was not the oldest nor the best attended in the country, it may well have been the longest,” Duffy noted.

IRISH SODA BREAD

This rustic recipe from the Wheeling Newspapers test kitchen includes substitutes that can take this loaf gluten free, dairy free or vegan. A gluten-free loaf will not rise quite as high as a loaf made with wheat flour, but the texture is largely the same.

Using butter or butter-flavored shortening, grease and flour a pie plate or round cake pan. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of uncooked, old-fashioned oats evenly over the bottom of the pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 3 cups wheat flour OR rice flour (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour is good), 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3 Tablespoons sugar, 1 pinch of cream of tartar, 1/2 cup raisins and 1 Tablespoon caraway seeds. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Here is where bakers can choose to use dairy or eggs or to make substitutions for non-dairy or vegan cooking. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons melted butter OR butter-flavored shortening; 2 eggs OR vegan substitute; 1 cup sour cream (full fat for best taste) OR unsweetened apple sauce; and 1/2 cup dairy milk OR nut milk.

Combine the mixtures in the large bowl and stir with a non-reactive spoon until just incorporated.

Pour dough into the prepared pan and round as much as you can. For wheat-flour loaves only, slash a quick cross into the top with an old-fashioned razor blade or an extremely sharp knife. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a deep, golden brown on top. Cool to room temperature on a rack, then refrigerate in a tightly sealed container. Peak flavor requires day-old bread.

This recipe doubles well and freezes well. It is wonderful with soup and as toast (made in a skillet, not in a toaster). It is too crumbly for sandwiches, however.

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