History

The Irish have long been intricately involved with the history and culture of Commonweath of Kentucky. There are more than 700,000 people of the Irish ancestry living in Kentucky. They have been here for hundreds of years, even before the great migration caused by the so called "Potato Famine" of 1845-6. The Irish and Scots Irish have been part of Kentucky since it's beginning. Today, the populations of Kentucky and the Republic of Ireland are approximately the same size.

Just listen carefully to the fiddlers in Eastern Kentucky or the clog dancers and you will hear the refrains of Irish jigs and reels. "my Old Kentucky Home" was composed by an Irishman, Stephen Foster. Drive through the Bluegrass and you will see dry rock walls (fences) that were built by Irish immigrants and people whom they taught. Kentuckians have log shared , among other things, their love for horses, music, and whiskey making with the Irish.

In order to celebrate that heritage and maintain interest in Irish culture, a group of Irish Americans joined together at the Opera House in Lexington, Kentucky to form a group called the Bluegrass Irish Society. It was incorported as a public, charitable and educational organization as a section 501(C) (3) corporation in September 1980.