Wearing green top hats, shamrock necklaces and shirts emblazoned with the word “Lucky,” Omahans headed to bars Friday morning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Shortly after 9 a.m., groups of people walked toward Barrett’s Barleycorn Pub & Grill on Leavenworth Street. Omaha police officers, standing outside, opened the door of the pub for newcomers.
But further down Leavenworth Street, a different kind of celebration was happening in Omaha’s oldest active Catholic cemetery.
Rich Fitzgerald sings “Amhran na bhFiann,” also called “The Soldier’s Song” in English, which is Ireland’s national anthem, at Friday’s ceremony.
A line of cars climbed the hills of Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, finally stopping at a section that overlooks the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Men in kilts climbed out of their cars and waved to each other. The outdoor temperature was about 29 degrees, but no matter how cold or wet, Omaha’s Ancient Order of Hibernians arrive at this cemetery every St. Patrick’s Day to gather at the gravesite of Gen. John O’Neill.
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As one member played the bagpipes, the rest of the group’s honor guard carried flags and marched, stopping in front of O’Neill’s grave. They prayed. They sang.
O’Neill, the namesake of the Nebraska town, was a fervent Irish nationalist who distinguished himself in the Civil War. He settled in Nebraska after a failed plan to invade Canada and force Great Britain to trade Ireland for its return.
“John O’Neill is an Irish patriot and we just honor his death and all his accomplishments throughout life,” said Tim Lonergan, the current president of Omaha’s Ancient Order of Hibernians.
For Lonergan, St. Patrick’s Day means celebrating Irish culture and heritage in America.
“What the English has done to Ireland for 700 years, it’s a way to show that we still fight, we still promote Ireland, our heritage is very important to us,” Lonergan said.
“We’re resilient. We’re here,” said Richard Fitzgerald, a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. “And at this point, to be Irish is to be against discrimination.”
Fitzgerald pointed to how the Irish have opened their arms to Ukrainian refugees. According to an Irish Times article from last month, the number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine and arriving in Ireland is close to 75,000.
Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians carry flags during Friday’s ceremony.
“To be Irish now is to be on the side of the people that are oppressed and put upon,” Fitzgerald said.
After the ceremony at O’Neill’s gravesite, many head to Mass at a nearby church and later they celebrate with a few pints.
“It’s a very somber day,” Lonergan said. “And just like a good Irish wake, after the wake and the religious aspect, we’re going to have a little celebration and honor our patron saint St. Patrick, honor Gen. O’Neill and honor our heritage.”
Having a pint of beer is one way to celebrate St. Patrick’s day. Buzz60’s Keri Lumm shares some suggestions from bartenders that are not Guinness.
Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of March 2023
A pedestrian walking south on 13th Street from Farnam Street uses an umbrella to shield themself from the snow on Thursday.
Graffiti covers the walls on the first floor of an old office building at Forrest Lawn Cemetery on Tuesday.
Platteview's Connor Millikan, right, and Omaha Skutt's Kyle Cannon watch Millikann's three-point basket going in during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Platteview's Connor Millikan, left, gets fouled by Omaha Skutt's Wyatt Archer while going for a loose ball during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Omaha Skutt's Justin Ferrin scores two points after a steal with less than a minute left against Platteview during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Bellevue West's Josiah Dotzler goes up for a shot against Millard North during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Millard North's Jacob Martin puts on his shoe after losing in the first half against Bellevue West during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Bellevue West's Steven Poulicek celebrates a three-point basket against Millard North during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Platteview's Connor Millikan, left, gets fouled by Omaha Skutt's Wyatt Archer while going for a loose ball during the class B Nebraska state boys basketball championship game on Saturday.
Bellevue West's Eldon Turner attempts a three-point basket in front of Omaha Westside's Tate Odvody during a semifinals class A Nebraska state boys basketball game on Friday.
Bellevue West's Isaiah Wraggs-McMorrris shoots a basket in front of Omaha Westside's Caleb Mitchell, left, and Rickey Loftin, center, during a semifinals class A Nebraska state boys basketball game on Friday.
Gretna's Alex Wilcoxson watches from the floor as his last-second shot fails to go in, giving Millard North a victory during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball semifinals on Friday.
Bellevue West's Jaxon Stueve shoots two points in the second half against Lincoln North Star during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball tournament on Wednesday.
Omaha Westside's Caleb Mitchell goes up for a shot against Lincoln East's Christian Melessa during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball tournament on Wednesday.
Bellevue West's Josiah Dotzler celebrates a first-half dunk against Lincoln North Star during the class A Nebraska state boys basketball tournament on Wednesday.
OPS bus driver Yvonne Johnson poses for a portrait on a bus she decorates for the students on Tuesday.
The aftermath of a three-alarm fire at a warehouse located at 4508 S. 28th St. that contained shopping carts.
The aftermath of a three-alarm fire at a warehouse located at 4508 S. 28th St. damaged a nearby billboard.
The aftermath of a three-alarm fire at a warehouse located at 4508 S. 28th St. that contained shopping carts.
Omaha Skutt's Presley Douglas sits on the bench during a timeout after she injured her knee in the second half against Elkhorn North during the Class B championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday.
Elkhorn North's Mckenna Murphy, left, and Omaha Skutt's Peyton McCabe react differently to a possession call in the second half during the Class B championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday.
Elkhorn North celebrates their win over for the Class B championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday.
Oakland Craig's Chaney Nelson, left, and Adilen Rennerfeldt watch as Pender celebrates winning the Class C2 championship game of the Nebraska state basketball tournament on Saturday. Rennerfeldt missed a three-point basket that would have tied the game in the closing seconds.
French Onion soup photographed at Le Bouillon.
Millard North's Brylee Nelsen (33) gets tangled up with Lincoln High's Dyvine Harris (33) and Josie Hilkemann (25) in the Millard North vs. Lincoln High girls basketball NSAA Class A semifinal in Lincoln on Friday.
Creighton's Baylor Scheierman dribbles the ball against Georgetown on Wednesday.
Artist Nathaniel Ruleaux leads a community project called "To See If I Could Go Home: A True History Paste-Up" at The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha on Thursday. His son, Luca, 3, walks away after handing him a print to demonstrate with. A member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Ruleaux often uses his art to bring attention and activism to Native stories. "I go in wanting to be punk and get people riled up, but the more I learn and get into it, the more I realize how heavy and traumatic a lot of these stories are," Ruleaux said. "But I use this as a chance for art as a form of therapy and healing." For this piece, Ruleaux asked members of the community to help paste images of his great-great grandfather, Nicholas Ruleau, who attended the Carlisle Indian Boarding School, over the phrase "Kill the Indian, Save the Man", a propagandist motto used by the school.
Rebecca Chen, of Omaha, helps in a community project lead by artist Nathaniel Ruleaux called "To See If I Could Go Home: A True History Paste-Up" at The Union for Contemporary Art in Omaha on Thursday. A member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Ruleaux often uses his art to bring attention and activism to Native stories. "I go in wanting to be punk and get people riled up, but the more I learn and get into it, the more I realize how heavy and traumatic a lot of these stories are," Ruleaux said. "But I use this as a chance for art as a form of therapy and healing." For this piece, Ruleaux asked members of the community to help paste images of his great-great grandfather, Nicholas Ruleau, who attended the Carlisle Indian Boarding School, over the phrase "Kill the Indian, Save the Man", a propagandist motto used by the school.
The Millard South girls basketball starting five, from left, Cora Olsen, Mya Babbitt, JJ Jones, Khloe Lemon and Lexi Finkenbiner. Photographed at Millard South High School on Tuesday.
The City of Omaha on Monday will start a $32 million, 18-month project to widen 168th Street between West Center Road and Q Street. This will include the widening of the bridge over Zorinsky Lake.
A Common Goldeneye lands at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday.
Migratory birds fly past the rising sun at the DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday.
emily.nitcher@owh.com, 402-444-1192, twitter.com/emily_nitcher
Emily Nitcher
Emily is an enterprise reporter for the World-Herald. Previously, Emily covered K-12 education, local government and the Nebraska Legislature. Follow her on Twitter @emily_nitcher. Phone: 402-444-1192.
